GLOBAL CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO BE INAUGURATED IN ROME ON 17 NOVEMBER

ROME, 13 November (UNDESA) -- On 17 November, in Rome, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Inter-Parliamentary Union will inaugurate the office of the Global Centre for Information and Communication Technology in Parliament.

The two-hour ceremony will be co-chaired by José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Pier Ferdinando Casini, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.  Remarks will be delivered by Ahmed Fathy Sorour, President of the People’s Assembly of Egypt, Fausto Bertinotti, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, and Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan-African Parliament.  The ceremony will be closed by Patrizia Sentinelli, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy.

The Global Centre for Information and Communication Technology in Parliament is engaged in promoting the use and integration of information and communication technology in the parliamentary processes in order to increase legislatures’ effectiveness, openness and transparency and to foster inter-parliamentary cooperation.  The Global Centre also seeks to reinforce the role of parliaments in promoting the legislative frameworks required for the development of sustainable information and communication technology policies and healthy information societies.

Launched at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, held in Tunis in November 2005, the Global Centre is serving as a clearinghouse for legislators, parliament staff, international and national institutions, businesses, academia and civil society organizations by analysing and disseminating information and experiences, and acting as a catalyst to promote partnerships and joint initiatives in this field.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at the office premises, located at Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 251, Rome, Italy, at 11:30 a.m., and will be preceded by a press conference, starting at 11 a.m.

For further information, please contact:  Global Centre for ICT in Parliament, e-mail:  info@ictparliament.org, tel.:  +39 06 6813 6320, fax:  +39 06 6821 0256, www.ictparliament.org.

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For information media • not an official record