Microsoft official to address delegates at GKP International Forum

FORUM: Senior Director - Microsoft Community Affairs Worldwide Akhtar Badshah, will address the Global Knowledge Partnership International Forum on Cross Sector Partnerships 2006, to be held in Colombo on May 8 and 9.

The theme for this year's forum is "Creating Prosperity through Innovation - ICT at Work in Development" and Microsoft, a forum partner, will share its success stories in supporting ICT programmes in development contexts.

Badshah will address the issue of "Funding Innovations" by discussing two distinct dimensions of funding; What innovations do potential funders support in ICT for Development?, and How, and by whom, are new methods of funding for ICT being innovated? Badshah is a global expert on ICT for Development.

A senior director of Microsoft Community Affairs, Badshah was previously the CEO of Digital Partners Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that carried out projects with the mission of utilising the digital economy to empower the poor.

Microsoft Sri Lanka is one of the main sponsors of The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) International Forum.

During the forum, delegates will experience first hand ICT related development work undertaken in Sri Lanka, through field visits to various parts of the country where development work is currently underway.

As a part of these field visits, delegates will be taken to Community Technology Centres which Microsoft Sri Lanka has set-up in partnership with local NGO's.

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is the leading international multi-stakeholder network involved in harnessing the potential of ICT for sustainable and equitable development. GKP members and partners are innovators in the practical use of ICT for development.

The Forum in Sri Lanka will bring together invited leaders from business, civil society and government to both share innovations with ICT for development and build new innovative partnership-based initiatives using ICT to create prosperity.

The Forum is expected to attract 300 participants from over 40 countries.