Today, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government has marked the fifth anniversary of the Serbian-Korean Information Access Centre in Belgrade.
The Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Aleksandar Martinović, PhD, has stressed that the existence of the said Centre, within the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, is an outstanding example of the partnership of two countries – the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Korea, noting that the SKIP Centre has achieved considerable results in five years of its operation.
“The Serbian-Korean IT centre is a symbol of good relations between the two countries and proof that this type of partnership directly contributes to the well-being of the citizens. In the past five years, a lot has been done in order to improve citizens’ capacities concerning the application of eGovernment,” Martinović has said.
In inviting the citizens to utilize the potential and resources that the SKIP Centre provides, the minister has expressed his belief that it shall continue its further development in the direction of supporting digital governance in the Republic of Serbia.
“We remain committed to achieving the goals of the Public Administration Reform, especially in the field of digitization, and in the future we will work more on promoting existing solutions, raising the knowledge and awareness of citizens about new ways in which they can complete a certain procedure in a faster and easier way,” the minister has said.
He has added that the Ministry is committed to continuing the successful cooperation with the Republic of Korea in the field of digitization, especially considering the fact that Republic of Korea is a country that is at the very top worldwide in terms of technological progress, the development of information systems and electronic services aimed at citizens and the economy.
In order to support the development of eGovernment, on 20 December 2017, the Serbian-Korean Information Access Centre was established within the MDULS as a unique IT centre intended for holding free trainings for citizens in the field of Information and Communication Technologies.
By conducting more than 3,000 free trainings in the field of using computer and innovative technologies, more than 70,000 persons have passed the training at this Centre.
In 2021, the SKIP Centre was awarded the Gold Award Plaque for the best Information Access Centre in the world (“Best IAC Award”), in competition with more than 60 similar centres whose work is supported by the Republic of Korea, which operate in 60 countries around the world.
Bearing in mind the achieved results of the SKIP Centre in Belgrade, Serbia was given the opportunity to open another SKIP Centre. The second Serbian-Korean Information Access Centre will be opened in early 2023 in Niš.