Dubai, Nov. 23, 2004 (WAM) -- ICDL GCC Foundation,the regional office for the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Foundation and the governing body of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program in theGulf States was acknowledged for its successes in making theICDL certification program a standard in the GCC region atthe annual ECDL/ICDL CEO Forum held recently in Istanbul, Turkey.

The annual Forum is the principal gathering of the worldwideICDL community, where representatives from ICDL member countries meet and discuss various topics including the progress of the ICDL programs and development of new computer literacy certification. The Forum provides an opportunity for the ICDL community to analyse ICDL case studies, sharing participants' expertise in the implementationof the ICDL program, and building upon the successes of eachother's experiences. This year's Forum was organised underthe theme: "Togetherness - building towards the future".

Recognising the success of ICDL in the GCC Countries, JamilEzzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation, was invited toshare his expertise at the Forum. Speaking at the event, Ezzo,said, "The GCC is one among the top regions in the world whichhave registered a dramatic increase in the implementation of the ICDL program. By working closely with policymakers inGCC countries, we were successful in making ICDL part of theeducation system and IT literacy programs. The ICDL programhad also garnered overwhelming response from several sectorsin the Arab World, in a bid to accelerate the pace of establishingan e-society in the region." "In general, Arab countries lagged behind the western worldin adopting IT as a key component of social and economic development. Considerable progress was made towards spreading computer literacy ever since the launch of ICDL program in the region. The key to our success in the GCC liesin the effectiveness and cohesiveness of the ICDL program whilecatering to the region's cultural and linguistic practices.

This prompted key policymakers to incorporate the ICDL programin the education system and government employee training programs of their respective countries. We aim to sustain the momentum generated by ICDL and offer every citizen of theover 35 million people living in the GCC to become computerliterate and be part of today's digital society," added Ezzo.

During the ECDL CEO Forum, the four-millionth ICDL Skills Cardwas presented to Dr. Abdullatif Sener, State Minister and Deputyof Prime Minister of Turkey. Speaking during the event, Dr.

Abdullatif Sener said, "The future of society is dependenton creating an information-based social order that is basedon international standards. The certificate provided by ECDLFoundation, is an internationally accepted proof of achievingthat goal." The Minister also said that it is the goal of theTurkish Ministry of National Education, to ensure that allteachers and students in Turkey are equipped with ICDL certification.

ICDL, with over 4 million participants, is by far the world'slargest vendor-neutral end-user computer skills certificationand is internationally recognised as the global IT proficiencybenchmark. David Carpenter, Director and CEO, ECDL Foundation said, "ECDL is dedicated to raise the levelof computer skills among the members of society worldwide.

Being present in around 136 countries and in 36 languages,ICDL is the world's leading certification program. GCC countrieshave been progressing well and through our partnership with the local governments, we are on track towards achievinga goal of establishing e-society in the region and providingaccess for all to Information Society."