Donation makes virtual meetings a reality

By Soli Wilson 17 May 2020, 4:00PM

As the Government of Samoa adapts to working from home during lockdown, the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.) Office in Samoa has donated software to enable virtual meetings. 

The U.N.D.P.’s donation included a year’s subscription to the virtual meeting software Zoom, worth US$6,360.

Through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (M.C.I.T.), the U.N.D.P. handed over 53 Zoom accounts, from April 24, 2020 to April 24, 2021.

The Government of Samoa gave its overwhelming thanks for the continued and timely support as the country turns to the use of technology to combat the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic. 

Zoom will provide a more controlled virtual environment for Government Ministries and Organisations to conduct virtual meetings, conference calls by using digital platforms and encouraging digital workspaces and working from home arrangements, a Government statement said. 

It will also enable Government Ministries and organisations to host virtual meetings, conferences and workshops for up to 500 concurrent users per meeting and 500 users for internet seminars for an unlimited amount of time, whether they involve local partners and stakeholders or international stakeholders. 

The Zoom licenses will be monitored by the M.C.I.T. in continued partnership with the U.N.D.P. team together with Ministry chiefs and their Information Technology departments. 

The online tool comes after the Government also received $300,000 worth of video conferencing equipment last month.

The equipment was funded by the Government of Japan and its implementation partner, the U.N.D.P.'s ‘Strengthening Legislatures in Pacific Island Countries Project’ (S.L.I.P.). 

The $300,742 (US$105,165) package included 60 Dell laptops; five 65 inch Samsung L.E.D. televisions for teleconferencing; 34 wireless headsets; video conferencing equipment; five HP-branded desktop computers; and commercial accounts with the video conferencing software Zoom.  

 



By Soli Wilson 17 May 2020, 4:00PM

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