The Officer-in-Charge of the UNESCWA Information and Communication Technology Division, Mr. Mansour Farah, said that UNESCWA and the Union of Arab Information and Communication Technology Associations (IJMA3) have agreed to launch specific activities aimed at facilitating the dissemination of information and communication technology (ICT) in the region, with special emphasis on job creation and poverty alleviation.

Farah represented the UNESCWA Secretariat during the signing of a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with IJMA3, which was represented by Mr. Waheed AlBalushi of Bahrain, the country currently chairing the Union.

The aim of this, said Farah, is “to provide technical assistance to member states, including ICT capacity building; promoting the development of regional knowledge networks; and encouraging the development of ICT tools and applications to achieve universal and affordable access to information and knowledge”.

He concluded by saying that one of the first concrete actions resulting from this LoU is the collaboration between UNESCWA and IJMA3, particularly the Professional Computer Association of Lebanon on the Multipurpose Technology Community Centre in Akkar, North Lebanon.

For his part, AlBalushi considered IJMA3 to this to be one of the most important steps taken on the level of Arab countries in the field of technology. He hoped it would lead to raising the bar in this regard and expressed satisfaction at the cooperation with UNESCWA for the sake of promoting and building the information society in the Arab countries.