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Najat Rochdi, Regional Coordinator for the UNDP in the Arab

Najat Rochdi, Regional Coordinator for the UNDP in the Arab Region, talks to eGov monitor about creating knowledge economy in the Arab Region and the role of international organisation

Q1 Can you give us a brief high-level overview of your role as a Regional Coordinator with the UNDP?

Since I joined the Regional Bureau for Arab States as a Regional
Coordinator, my main role was:

1. Institutionalization of the Regional Program initiatives
2. Conceptualization of initiatives
3. Mobilization of resources
4. Discussion of agreement, advocacy and awareness raising with the Governments of the Region
   

5. Establishment of a sustainable knowledge sharing and collaborative
   platform among Arab government and private sector
6. Policy advice role: Scaled-up the programme and the ICTD applied experience and practices in the Arab Region
7. Synergy with other regional programs as well as with other partners (either bilateral, multilateral or national)
8. Strategic partnership with private sector
9. Synergies with UNDP Country Offices in the field
10. Strategic positioning of RBAS ICTD programs
11. Outreach and media coverage
12. Mainstreaming ICT in UNDP practice areas
13. Effective management of ICTDAR with the team as per the changing needs and demands of the Arab Governments, the Partners and the donors

Q2 What role do you think international organizations should play in assisting governments in creating a knowledge economy?

I believe that the main role includes:

1. Policy advice
2. Skills development for decision makers as well as for practitioners
3. Advocacy and awareness raising
4. and more importantly the implementation of quick wins where we walk into the talk and use those as to demonstrate feasibility and impact.
5. Act as a knowledge sharing platform where by allowing exchange of information, experiences, results, business models there is an accumulation process which lead to shortcuts and optimization of all kinds of resources
6. Act as a bridge to facilitate PPP

Q3 In the UK partnership between the public and private is a well established model for public sector reform and growth of the knowledge economy. Do you think the same model is applicable in the region, and what you think should be done to encourage partnerships of this type?

I always use to refer to the UK PPP model as a good practice not to apply it as it is everywhere but to learn from the concept, the model and the framework. It is indeed a practice which could benefit to several countries provided that there is a room for localization and customization as well as an appropriate climate between public and private in the recipient country.

Q4 The knowledge economy builds first and foremost on human capital, economic and educational opportunities are vital to support this. What strategic plans do you have to reduce the knowledge gap in the region?

We have done it through our different initiatives. I am attaching FYI a summary of each of our regional initiatives which are addressing the knowledge gap. Needless to remind you that the second Arab Human Development Report main focus was about knowledge and this is the reason why ICTDAR (ICT for Development in the Arab Region) was created.

Basically we believe that lack of knowledge is weakening and that knowledge is empowering!

There are six initiatives being promoted under the "Opening the gates of opportunity for the Arab people" banner:

• ICTDAR brief (Word: 43KB)
• The Regional e-Government Institute (Word: 44KB)
• Small & Medium Enterprises - SME (MASCHROATI): Medium & Small Houses Reinforced by Access to Technology and Information (Word: 63KB)
• e-gov@ASP: The e-Government Arab Sharing Portal (Word: 52KB)
• AjialCom to Open the Gates of Opportunity to the Arab Youth (Word: 48KB)
• WRCATI: Promoting Women Rights and Children through Access to Information (Word: 42KB)

Q5 How do you plan to enhance knowledge sharing and best practices across the Arab Region?

We have put 3 mechanisms in place: we have set up a portal with Arabic interface (as the use of the appropriate language is crucial). The portal is in the same time a collaborative platform but also has communities of practices for practitioners. We implemented a Regional e-Governance Institute to serve the Arab Region and act as a depository of all the practices as well as a knowledge and experience sharing platform. Finally, we organize on regular basis regional workshops as to allow face to face discussions and information sharing. As ICTDAR we also act as a channel for knowledge sharing where we always make sure there is no duplication and that all our intervention is based on business models for replication from a pilot country to others.

Q6 The UNDP has set out a capacity development program for 2015, what do you hope to have accomplished by then?

We hope that we will have skilled people and knowledgeable as to allow a new citizenship, leadership and entrepreneurship. Where they know about their rights but also about their duties, where they help actively in the building of an open, democratic Arab knowledge society.

posted by Unknown @ 11:34 PM