The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Digital Opportunity Center project has provided information communications technology training for more than half a million individuals in the region over the past decade, according to the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nov. 25.
“Initiated by Taiwan during the 2003 APEC leaders' meeting in Bangkok, ADOC assists small and medium enterprises, as well as disadvantaged groups, to transform digital divides into digital opportunities,” a MOFA official said.
With the assistance of the ministry, Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and ROC representative offices throughout the region, 101 ADOC centers have been established in Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
As part of efforts to keep APEC economies abreast of ADOC developments to date, Taiwan will organize and host an international seminar on the initiative in 2014. The news, which was announced earlier this year at an APEC meeting in Bali, Indonesia, was accompanied by a government-produced short film on the experiences of ADOC trainees. The film received a warm response from participating economies, according to the official.
The MOFA is taking stock of implementation results and studying the possibility of expanding the program into bilateral cooperative projects aimed at promoting inclusive growth in the region. (SFC-JSM)
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