IRAQ MINISTRY CIO PHASE ONE TRAINING A SUCCESS

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002889

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECPS EINT KGIT KWIR PGOV TINT TSPL IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ MINISTRY CIO PHASE ONE TRAINING A SUCCESS

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SUMMARY
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1. A two-week intensive Chief Information Officer training workshop
held in Erbil, Iraq, 18 - 28 August has been completed successfully.
Twenty-eight CIOs and information technology (IT) managers from
across the Government of Iraq (GOI) attended the Iraq Transition
Assistance Office (ITAO)-funded training which was taught by
instructors from the U.S. National Defense University (NDU). CIOs
from the nine ministries attended the training as well IT managers
from the President's Office, the Prime Minister General Secretariat,
the Central Bank, and seven KRG Ministries. The interactive
workshop included a significant number of group activities,
encouraging inter-ministry communication and cooperation. In phase
two of the CIO workshop, organized by NDU and tentatively scheduled
for October 16-24 in Washington, DC, seven Iraq Ministry CIOs will
be introduced to U.S. government agency practices and programs
relating to the duties and responsibilities of CIOs. The GOI is
funding all hotel and travel expenses for Phase One. ITAO is
providing travel and hotel expenses for Phase Two. End summary.

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18 IRAQ NATIONAL AND REGIONAL MINISTRIES PARTICIPATED
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2. The CIO training program is a capacity development initiative
aimed at training information technology (IT) professionals in GOI
ministries on developing and implementing IT policy and practices.
In order to place the governance of Iraq on a more sound footing,
and to provide ministries with reliable and auditable information
management systems to support their decision-making, the GOI will
appoint a federal CIO council and a CIO for each Iraqi Ministry. In
order to support this initiative and build Iraq IT management
capacity, the Iraq Transition Assistance Office (ITAO) sponsored a
two-week intensive CIO training workshop in Erbil, Iraq, 18 - 28
August. Five instructors from the Information Resources Management
College of the U.S. National Defense University (NDU) designed and
delivered the Iraq-specific curriculum at the Khanzad Hotel.
Embassy Baghdad and Erbil RRT, in cooperation with the Iraq Ministry
of Communications, coordinated the program in Iraq. Training costs
were paid by ITAO, while participant hotel and travel costs were
provided by the GOI.

3. The main topics presented in the two-week program included the
role of a CIO, Business Process Re-engineering, Strategic Planning
and Performance Management, Enterprise Architecture, Information
Assurance, and Information Technology Acquisition. Classes were
designed with full consideration of Iraq's specific environment.
The interactive workshop included a significant number of group
activities, encouraging inter-ministry communication and
cooperation. Group projects were specifically targeted at issues
common across the ministries.

4. CIOs from the Iraq Ministries of Science and Technology,
Communications, Higher Education, Electricity, Defense, Agriculture,
Industry and Minerals, Construction and Housing, and Environment
attended the training as well IT managers from the President's
Office, the Prime Minister General Secretariat, and the Central
Bank. CIOs from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministries
of Planning, Water Resources, Agriculture, Transportation and
Communications, and Investment took part in the training, as well as
CIOs from several private firms, including Zagros Group, Korek
Telecom, Asiacell, and Newroz Telecom.
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PHASE TWO IN WASHINGTON, DC
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5. In phase two of the CIO workshop, organized by NDU and
tentatively scheduled for October 18-24 in Washington, DC, seven
Iraq Ministry CIOs will be introduced to U.S. Government agency
practices and programs relating to the duties and responsibilities
of CIOs. CIOs from the Iraq Ministries of Science and Technology
(Dr. Mahmood Sharief),Defense (Dr. Ali Taresh),Communications (Mr.
Kassim Al Hassani),Higher Eduaction (Dr. Imad Ali Hussaini),the
Prime Minister's Office (Dr. Qussay),the KRG Director of
Information (Mr. Botan Osman),and the KRG Ministry of
Transportation and Communications (Mr. Rusech Barzani),will attend
the five-day training. ITAO is paying all expenses for Phase Two.
The CIO Training point of contact at Embassy Baghdad is the Senior
Consultant for Communications and Information Technology, Mr. Shwan
Halkurd, 914-360-2116, HalkurdSO@state.gov. The point of contact in
Washington, DC, for Phase Two CIO training is Mr. Thomas Gramaglia,
NEA/I, 202-647-5202, GramagliaTR@state.gov.
CROCKER