Models of digital innovations as aid for employability and youth education hailed
The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) participated in the Digital Strategies for Development Summit held at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) on 2-3 October 2014.
The event gathered 300 participants and 30 speakers from different countries and organisations to share ideas on and solutions to, social problems that each faced.
The conference was organised by ASSIST, an international organisation which focuses on capacity-building of different organisations across Asia and Africa, in collaboration with AIM, the League of Government Associations, the Philippines’ Department of Interior Local Government, Civika and AsianNGO.
“Digital technology may not be the ultimate and only answer; it can nevertheless make the work of development pioneers and thought leaders more efficient. It is through technological strategies that we can greatly enhance progress with a people-centred, innovative, inclusive and responsive development,” said Sreenivas Narayanan, Managing Director of ASSIST.
The event highlighted the potential benefits that digital technology provides and included discussions focusing on increasing the awareness of people on digital strategies and innovations. Problems associated with the development of digital technologies that include issues on intelligence and security, governance, and sustainability were also tackled.
The plenaries zeroed in on matters on technology, governance, youth, education and employment, disaster management, and health. Parallel breakout sessions presented the digital solutions to problems in governance, youth, education, and employment, health, and disaster management. In the breakout session on governance, DILG shared the DILG Google Cloud services, Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), Open Data system and Naga City’s e-governance.
On the session on youth, education and employment, innovations such as mEducation, PeaceTech Gnowledge Platform and SMS Story were explored. Health sessions included dialogue on Real-Time Community Health Information Tracking System (rCHITS), Blood Donors Network, Mobile Health (MOTECH), Tech for PWDs, and Senior Citizen Home Safety Association. The talk on disaster management covered Aidmatrix, Davao City 911, Marikina 131 and Relief Asia.
The conference was seen by ASSIST as a starting point for a series of interventions in the coming years. ASSIST hopes to leverage the opportunities and capacities that modern technology offers in the field of development and community-building.
(For more information on the press release, please contact Mr. Reinerio A. Alba of the Advocacy and Publications Division, Institute for Labor Studies. Telephone nos. 527-3490 / 527-3447.)