Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, January 10, 2001 — Today Microsoft Latin America and the Organization of the American States (OAS) signed a cooperation agreement through the American Cooperation and Development Agency (AICD), with the main aim of helping the technological and educational development of OAS member states.
In pursuit of AICD’s main goal, to help countries accelerate their development with technical cooperation and human resource development, placing special emphasis on cooperation among the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean, Microsoft Corporation, through its Latin American office, was chosen as an ally to develop projects and initiatives that contribute to fulfilling this ambitious goal, and help raise the region’s standard of living. The agreement proposes using technological development as the basis for human resource development, cooperation, and raising educational standards.
“In the AICD, our aim is to become the leading provider of technical cooperation and human resource development in order to boost the economic development of our member countries, helping to heal social rifts and lower existing poverty levels, said Ronald Scheman, Executive Director of the Inter American Cooperation and Development Agency (AICD).”
To achieve these goals we are developing projects that bring together the private sector, governments, and financial institutions.
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As representatives, Mauricio Santillan, Microsoft Corporation’s Intercontinental Vice President, and Ronald Scheman, Executive Director of the Inter American Cooperation and Development Agency (AICD), signed an agreement in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to develop various initiatives, including various types of technical support and advice that Microsoft Corporation will provide for the implementation and development of new technological support systems for the agency, as well as two initiatives that the AICD has adopted as the central pillars of its planning, as follows:
Design, Planning and Execution of the
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e-Government Academy
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Initiative
Microsoft Corporation will collaborate with the OAS/AICD in training officials in the governments of OAS member states in areas of technological innovation associated with the concept of
“e-Government”
. This initiative is of high priority for the OAS/AICD in view of the importance of making this new knowledge available to government personnel, in order to increase governments’ agility, provide more and better services for their citizens, and above all, to prepare the countries of the region to join the new Information Society.
Design and Development of the Education Portal of the Americas
This initiative contemplates collaboration in the design and development of an interactive portal through which interested persons or organizations can have access to the available educational offerings, in both the in situ and distance learning modes. Furthermore the website will contain information on grants and opportunities for students, study programs and access to the best practices in education and training using information technology. The educational portal will be a valuable instrument for sharing educational resources and strengthen ties among institutions in the hemisphere.
Other aspects of this agreement include design and development of the AICD website, advice in analyzing technological options for the organization’s financial management system, as well as the development of a modern Grant Management System that will benefit hundreds of the program’s participants throughout the hemisphere.
“The initiatives of this agreement provide an excellent opportunity to create models of cooperation between governments, educational institutions, international organizations and the technological industry, which will also allow us to participate, with our know-how and technology, in the development of the participating countries, with enormous benefits for society”
, Mauricio Santillan Microsoft Corporation’s Intercontinental Vice President affirmed.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
