Microsoft founder Bill Gates will be the keynote speaker during the global conference on Information and Communication Technologies Development (ICTD) to held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar from April 17 to 19. Gates, who is also co-chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will be addressing some 300 expected participants at the three-day conference. The other important speaker will be Carlos A Primo Braga, Director of Economic Policy and Debt at the World Bank. Experts who will give presentations at the conference come from different sectors, including governments, academia, start-ups, large corporations, inter-government organisations, and non-governmental bodies. The Supreme Council of Information, Communications and Technology (ictQATAR) is participating as organising sponsor and ictQATAR Secretary General Dr Hessa Al Jaber is serving as honorary chair for the conference. “We are seeing the tremendous societal and economic impact ICT can have right here in Qatar. I am excited to welcome the leading scholars in the field of ICT and development to Doha and eager to participate in meaningful discussions on these important issues,” said Dr Hessa. Academics and scholarly practitioners from around the world will be coming to discuss the latest research and thinking on the role and impact of ICT in international development. The conference will have numerous presentations of research and papers, along with engaging workshops and panel discussions. Topics covered range from digital literacy for low income workers to ICT in higher education, educational games to e-government projects. Numerous best practice case studies will be also presented. ictQATAR will be leading a panel discussion on assistive technologies in developing countries. “Assistive technologies have enjoyed a sustained evolution in developed countries, leading to enhanced accessibility and availability of such technologies benefiting those with disabilities,” said Dr Yasir Khan, Clinical Adviser to the e-health program at ictQATAR. ictQATAR has made assistive technologies a priority for 2009. In December 2008, ictQATAR hosted a forum on assistive technologies to mark the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” and also upgraded its website to meet international accessibility standards. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=March2009&file=Local_News200903302537.xml

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