On this occasion, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa stated that Bahrain has embraced the idea of enhancing eContent with its efforts to keep abreast of the latest developments and create a knowledge-driven economy by supporting the development of a stimulating environment acting as a catalyst to promote creativity and engagement of youths in all fields of scientific advancements, including developing and designing the eContent, as well as putting a significant imprint of our identity on the international technology map.
His Highness stated, “Bahrain undertook to host the Arab eContent Award all products of winning participants in local competitions had thoroughly been assessed at the Middle East level in compliance with the same WSA international standards, supervised by the board of the World Summit Award (WSA). His Highness also stated that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) became centre stage as one of the critical issues in the sphere of knowledge with the promotion of the free flow of information and ideas, providing a platform for increased competition among nations and scientists. The future for youth is heavily dependent on technology as information and technology will be shaping the future of the emerging generation, and all that requires a new all-embracing vision to make youth true architects of our societies.”
He also added, “There is no doubt that making use of ICT means will be limited if not used as a pool of information content where positive effects will be more beneficial to all societies once they have been infused with language and identity.”
Transportation Minister H.E. Mr. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed delivered a welcoming statement for innovators in science and technology – those who worked hard to deliver the maximum scientific and technical potential. He also congratulated the winners for their significant achievements, creative and innovative outputs as being good models of quality and perfection which should be replicated in other contexts.
His Excellency Mr. Kamal, stated, “We recognize the significance and close correlation between both awards with a view to enrich the Arab eContent as a strategic value for our present and future. Audience also recognize that the Arab eContent Award is the result of the concerted efforts primarily motivated by Bahrain’s active part in the World Summit Award (WSA) in 2003.”
His Excellency Mr. Kamal stated further, “We are proud to recall the proposal made by the Bahraini delegation during the World Summit Preparatory Meeting in 2004 held in Cairo, it was the first-of-its-kind in the Arab world with an emphasis on enriching eContent. Such proposal Bahrain’s initiative has been generally well-received by the participating states, and the launch of the Arab eContent Award was announced at the World Summit on Information Society in Tunisia in November 2005 in the presence of Head of States and various countries.”
H.E. also noted, “The Arabic language is ranked sixth in the world in terms of propagation, and almost 360 million Arabic users are connected via the internet, however, it is according to the report of the Arab Information and Communications Technologies Organization (AICTO), the volume of the Arab eContent on the net is only 3%.”
These cruel facts require that the figures must be recognized as an alarm bell due to the drop in Arabic content and that such figures should serve as an incentive to remove barriers that hamper maximization of the eContent available at the present for Arabic-speaking users on the internet. This can be achieved by devoting particular attention to every development prospect on the Arab and international levels, including fostering and enhancing innovation intended for a knowledge generation.
H.H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) honored World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) 2013 Bahraini national winner Mr. Hisham Fawzi Shehabi for being the only Bahraini team in the competition this year creating the first online platform for a diabetes project – Diabetes.bh. Co-developed by Mr. Tariq Al Olaimy, Imad Naeemi and Mr. Saleh Al Derazi.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Steven Bond
Quelle/Source: AME Info, 04.12.2013
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