United Nations, Inter-Parliamentary Union inaugurate Office of Global Centre for Information Technology in Rome
21-11-2006 (Rome)
José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Pier Ferdinando Casini, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) inaugurated the office of the Global Centre for Information and Communication Technology in Parliament, in Rome last week.
The Global Centre will be engaged in modernizing parliamentary processes to increase legislatures’ effectiveness, openness and transparency and to foster inter-parliamentary cooperation through information and communication technology. The Global Centre also seeks to reinforce the role of parliaments and legislators in promoting the legislative frameworks required for the development of sustainable information and communication technology policies and the Information Society.
“The Global Centre will serve as a clearing house for analyzing and disseminating information and experiences, and act as a catalyst to promote partnerships and joint initiatives in this field”, said Mr. Ocampo. “The aim of the Centre is to multiply the effects of the existing activities, enhance their visibility, expand the space for knowledge development and create the conditions to support legislatures that intend to use new technologies as instruments for democracy and good governance.”
The initiative is currently funded by the Governments of Italy and the Netherlands and supported by the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and the European Parliament, among others.
Mr. Ocampo announced that the Speakers and Presidents from the People’s Assembly of Egypt, the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, the House of Representatives of the Philippines, the National Assembly of South Africa, the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament had accepted his invitation to sit as members of the high-level Board that would guide the Global Centre’s work. Other Speakers from the different regions of the world were expected to confirm in the next weeks and join in the first Board meeting, to be held in Rome on 2 March 2007, in conjunction with an international conference to be organized by the Global Centre and the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
UNESCO's own Programme for Parliamentarians, first introduced in 1994, aims to ensure that UNESCO’s values and objectives are reflected in national policy-making and legislation.
UNESCO seeks to reinforce its interaction with parliamentarians and other national elected representatives, and thus with the decision-makers who define sustainable development policies and approaches and allocate the requisite resources for them.
UNESCO has set up mechanisms to ensure continuous dialogue and collaboration with the parliamentarians of all Member States at international, regional and national levels.
At international level, a cooperation agreement was concluded with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1997. In this agreement IPU commits its members – 141 national parliaments and 7 Associate Members – to work for peace and security, cooperation among nations and universal respect for justice, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the goals and principles proclaimed in UNESCO’s Constitution.
“The Global Centre will serve as a clearing house for analyzing and disseminating information and experiences, and act as a catalyst to promote partnerships and joint initiatives in this field”, said Mr. Ocampo. “The aim of the Centre is to multiply the effects of the existing activities, enhance their visibility, expand the space for knowledge development and create the conditions to support legislatures that intend to use new technologies as instruments for democracy and good governance.”
The initiative is currently funded by the Governments of Italy and the Netherlands and supported by the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and the European Parliament, among others.
Mr. Ocampo announced that the Speakers and Presidents from the People’s Assembly of Egypt, the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, the House of Representatives of the Philippines, the National Assembly of South Africa, the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament had accepted his invitation to sit as members of the high-level Board that would guide the Global Centre’s work. Other Speakers from the different regions of the world were expected to confirm in the next weeks and join in the first Board meeting, to be held in Rome on 2 March 2007, in conjunction with an international conference to be organized by the Global Centre and the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
UNESCO's own Programme for Parliamentarians, first introduced in 1994, aims to ensure that UNESCO’s values and objectives are reflected in national policy-making and legislation.
UNESCO seeks to reinforce its interaction with parliamentarians and other national elected representatives, and thus with the decision-makers who define sustainable development policies and approaches and allocate the requisite resources for them.
UNESCO has set up mechanisms to ensure continuous dialogue and collaboration with the parliamentarians of all Member States at international, regional and national levels.
At international level, a cooperation agreement was concluded with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1997. In this agreement IPU commits its members – 141 national parliaments and 7 Associate Members – to work for peace and security, cooperation among nations and universal respect for justice, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the goals and principles proclaimed in UNESCO’s Constitution.
Related themes/countries
· Italy: News Archives
· News Archives 2006
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