A project developing a dedicated videoconference network and appropriate training addressed to a broad spectrum of institutional users was presented by the Central European Initiative (CEI) at the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva (14-18 May). Organised by four United Nations organisations (ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD, UNDP), the event has attracted over 1500 participants from governments, the business sector and civil society, either present in person at the UN Palais de Nations or involved through remote participation.
The project provides support to the activities of the Regional Cooperation Council (Sarajevo), in the framework of a project - implemented by the CEI on the basis of a contract with the European Commission (DG Enlargement) - aimed at Improving Cooperation in South-East Europe by Actions for Strengthening the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). In his intervention at the Summit, CEI Alternate Secretary General, Giorgio Rosso Cicogna, underlined the innovative results expected from the project in terms of increased efficiency of regional cooperation as well as of long-term sustainability of the process. He also added that the dedicated videoconference network and its best practices would eventually be extended to other regional organisations operating in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Founding Director of DiploFoundation, a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland, Project Partner, stressed that “e-diplomacy addresses two pressing issues of our time: to increase participation of citizens and local communities in policy-making and to reduce the cost of modern diplomacy. The potential of using the Internet in matters relating to e-diplomacy can only be maximised through careful integration into institutional and policy contexts. Training and capacity building are essential. CEI-RCC has the potential to introduce a new era of effective integration of e-tools in the regional diplomacy.”