OAS Department of Human Development

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM “Information Technology Policy Regulation”

OAS/DHD-CIR. 057/2008

1. Study venue: United States Telecommunications Training Institute, 1150 Connecticut Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20036, United States of America

2. Offered by: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the United States Department of Commerce, Verizon and the IBM Institute for Electronic Government under the auspices of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), Regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL).

3. Coordinator: Brian T. McCloskey, USTTI Curriculum Director, Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 785-7373, Fax: (202) 785 1930

4. Modality: On site

5. Start and end dates: July 28 to August 1, 2008

6. Course duration: One week

7. Language: English

8. Objectives: Basic concepts in ICT policy development to improve decision-making, such as stakeholder analysis and consensus development, with an emphasis on policymaking processes in the regional and global environment during technology transitions. The course will consist of several modules that will closely examine the major components of the Reference Paper, including: Establishment of independent regulators. Competitive safeguards. Interconnection Universal service. Allocation and use of scarce resources. Transparency

9. Participant Learning Objectives: This course surveys policy development approaches to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in context with current international technology and market trends. Course participants will:

· examine the development of national ICT policies in a time of global technology transitions;

· review policy concepts such as transparency, sovereignty, and consensus-building among multiple stakeholders across national boundaries;

· examine key regional and global fora (e.g., ITU, APEC, CITEL, ITSO, ICANN, and WTO) that are currently involved in ICT policy discussions and technical developments;

· review emergent ICT policy issues in global fora, such as Internet governance and cybersecurity;

· analyze the structure of the World Trade Organization (WTO) "Reference Paper", the framework of telecommunications regulatory principles that WTO member countries have adopted. Since the entry into force of the WTO Basic Telecom Agreement in 1998, many regulators and policy makers from developing nations face major challenges in understanding the scope of the Reference Paper and determining how to implement its obligations. As many developing nations are preparing to undertake even greater commitments to liberalize their telecommunications markets, either through trade negotiations, a thorough understanding of the Reference Paper is essential;

· address and develop on demand government programs utilizing information technology in today's rapidly changing world.

10. Requirements:

a. Citizenship or permanent residence of an OAS Member State, with the exception of the United States of America since is the host country.

b. Participant profile: Regulators, policy makers and operators with three years of experience in the sector.

c. A minimum of two years experience.

d. Current job position and years of related work experience. Medium level with two years of experience.

e. Certificate of proficiency in English if not mother tongue

f. Submission of completed application form by the deadline set by the National Liaison Organization (ONE).[1] It is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain the deadline set by the ONE in his or her country of residence

g. In addition to the OAS application, applicants must also submit a formal application through the USTTI. Applications may be filed through USTTI’s web site: http://ustti.org

12. Benefits:

· For successful candidates, CITEL/OAS will cover round trip economy class air tickets from country of origin or residence to Washington, DC, United States of America. 2

· USTTI will provide a scholarship of $400.00 to subsidize hotel and living expenses and will waive the $150.00 administrative fee.

13. Responsibilities of selected candidates:

· The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance to the OAS Department of Human Development in Washington, DC., through the OAS General Secretariat Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin or residence and the study location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate.

· Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming to CITEL their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study.

· Upon acceptance of the scholarship, candidates must promptly liaise with USTTI Curriculum Director Brian T. McCloskey ([email protected]) to arrange for hotel accommodations and other logistical aspects of participation.

· Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs relating to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.

· Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for providing an additional USD$400.00 to cover the remaining living costs (this figure is based on shared accommodations, single accommodations will result in needing additional funding).

· Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.

[1] The deadline for presentation of applications to the (ONE) differs from country to country and should therefore be confirmed with the relevant ONE in the applicant's country of origin or permanent residence.

2 Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses are NOT provided

· If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or change routes, after the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) has purchased his/her travel ticket, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference in ticket costs in order to arrive at the course site in time. The scholarship recipient will furthermore have to reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for his/her travel from his/her country of residence to the site where the Professional Development Course will take place and back if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written authorization from the Department of Human Development.

· The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the GS/OAS, such as extra costs for accommodation during the scholarship recipient’s travel to and from the country where the course will be held.

14. Certification: USTTI will provide each participant with a certificate upon successful completion of the course.

15. Presentation of candidacies: OAS scholarship applications must be submitted using OAS forms, please follow this link: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282 including all documentation required. Applications must be forwarded to the Organization of American States through the National Liaison Office established by the government of each country. This is a mandatory requirement.

The following is the list of National Liaison Office (ONEs) in the OAS Member states: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282

Please note that the official announcement is available via the Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at: http://www.educoea.org.

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS CORRESPONDING TO THE 2008 REGULAR BUDGET

Sincerely,

María Levens

Director, Department of Human Development