MICROSOFT'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPEECH BY MINISTER DARYL VAZ

REMARKS FOR MINISTER DARYL VAZ

MICROSOFT'S 10th ANNIVERSARY
Terra Nova Hotel
October 1, 2009

Microsoft Country Manager, Joseph McKinson, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I am pleased to be present at this event which marks the 10th Anniversary of Microsoft Corporation in Jamaica. The opportunity is taken to note that over the last decade Microsoft's Jamaica Office has focused not only on Commercial activities but on living up to the designation of ‘good corporate Citizen' which the Government not only commends but looks forward to fostering in the decades to come.

Notably, this strong ‘partner-centric' approach to doing business has augured well for spin-off investments in areas such as ‘tech' support, training, consulting, and education - an approach this Government endorses and is seeking to replicate in pursuit of accelerating our socio economic development through use of the ICTs. We are committed to increasing employment; propelling innovation, industry and investment; reducing operating costs for businesses, eliminating duplication and waste while increasing overall efficiency and productivity. Growing the economy and bridging the digital divide is our imperative.

Microsoft continues to partner with the Government of Jamaica in providing innovative, relevant, and accessible technologies which create opportunities for individuals, communities and entrepreneurs. It is only fitting then that I mention some of these very briefly:

The ‘Partners In Learning' (PIL) global initiative was designed to help increase technology access for schools; foster innovative approaches to the science of teaching; teacher professional development and to provide education leaders with the tools to envision, implement, and manage change.

This partnership between Microsoft and the Ministry of Education (MoE) has, over the last five years, embraced the Heart Trust as its execution arm. The programme's success is marked by the 551 schools and some 194,020 students it has empowered. The government is building on these achievements with Microsoft, other existing partners and those whom we intend to inspire to join us in ensuring that our students will be well prepared to integrate seamlessly into the ICT powered workforce and knowledge-based society we are creating.

I must also make mention that the Government of Jamaica's eLearning programme has also benefited from the Schools Licensing Program provided by PIL, which significantly subsidizes the acquisition of software for over 20, 000 PCs destined for schools across the island.

Secondly, there is the Security Co-operative Program (SCP)
signed with the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) in 2007. The program focuses on the collaboration between Microsoft and the GOJ on security matters pertaining to the Internet. The components of the programme include, training in implementation and maintenance of security measures adopted relative to the Internet, given the exponential growth in cyber threats and risks.

Commendably, Microsoft Jamaica's Community Outreach Programme has as its flagship, the "Children First" Project in Spanish Town which focuses on investing in underserved communities to enable residents to realise their potential.

We must also acknowledge this Company's donation of one hundred (100) computers to the parish of St. Mary in 2007 in a collaborative effort between Minister Montague (then Mayor) and the Kiwanis Club. This of course has increased the number of computer access points in the country. A Citizen Service Platform (Digital Town Hall) was also provided residents of St. Mary and others with a portal to access parish information. The Government is now in dialogue with Microsoft to build on the existing framework to replicate the Digital Town Hall across the other twelve (12) municipalities, ultimately, linking them into a Central Citizen Services Platform.

We are of course encouraged by the inroads already made.

Over the years Microsoft's commitment to public/private partnerships has also taken the shape of Microsoft-Sponsored Government Events. This has served to provide heightened awareness and increased exposure to the diverse ways in which technology facilitates service and development. Additionally, participation at these events augurs well for regional communication and collaboration.

I could not of course conclude these highlights without mention of the Imagine Cup. The Imagine Cup competition is Microsoft's premier student competition, which boasts participation from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), University of Technology (UTECH) and University of the West Indies (UWI). The NCU has had the enviable record, of placing first in the Multi-Country Americas over a number of years, and two years ago, placed 3rd in the Korea finals out of some 100,000 students overall worldwide that had participated.

I like to say, imagine, believe and execute!

To this end, the dialogue continues.. many initiatives are being analyzed for possible implementation on the horizon -

We are engaged in exploratory discussions around a National PC Programme for example, which may be one prong in Government's overall strategy to enhance education and increase access to information.

Discussions are to continue regarding the establishment of infrastructure for use of the powerful software technology the Child Exploitation and Tracking System ( CETS) which was recently donated by Microsoft to the Government of Jamaica to track ‘Internet sexual advances' and other on-line exploitations.

There are many other initiatives under consideration but announcement of those I will reserve for another time. We anticipate the launch of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in October 2009 which will be followed in 2010 by a number of others.

Jamaica embraces all new and exciting technologies, recognizing that they hold the promise of better knowledge management, insight, accessibility, security, efficiency and interface between consumers and organizations.
We salute Microsoft's commitment to these ideals.
I close by offering my congratulations on behalf of the Government of Jamaica to Microsoft for achieving this important milestone. We value the longstanding relationship with Jamaica and wish for you every success.