International Volunteer Corps and Web Site Will Promote

Y2K Readiness Washington (ots-PRNewswire) - The international center created to promote Y2K readiness around the world today launched a volunteer program to provide localities with technical help to ensure a smooth transition to the year 2000. The Center also established an electronic network of over 160 national Y2K coordinators and launched an international Y2K Web site. "Y2K highlights how all nations depend on each other for economic life. The Center's 'YES' volunteer corps and free electronic resource center will help our network of national Y2K coordinators address local, regional, and global aspects of Y2K," said Bruce W. McConnell, director of the International Y2K Cooperation Center (IY2KCC). "With the cooperation of nations around the world, we're saying 'yes' to Y2K success." McConnell announced the creation of the Y2K Expert Service, the "YES Corps," an international network of Y2K experts who have volunteered their expertise to help countries in need of technical assistance. The Center's new international Y2K Web site offers best practices for attacking the Y2K problem, YES Corps information, a calendar of events, and links to other countries' Y2K sites. The Center is also developing a comprehensive, non-commercial survey of Y2K readiness. "The Center's actions are a strong start toward realizing the vision of global interdependence essential to addressing Y2K," said Ambassador Ahmad Kamal of Pakistan, the Chairman of the United Nations Working Group on Informatics and of the Center's multilateral Steering Committee. The IY2KCC was established in February 1999 under United Nations auspices with World Bank funding in response to the need to update computer and automated control systems around the world to smoothly transition to the year 2000. ots Original Text Service: International Y2K Cooperation Center Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Lisa Pellegrin of the International Y2K Cooperation Center (USA) 202-466-5464, ext. 11; fax, (USA) 202-466-5451; or E-mail: pellegrin@iy2kcc.org Web site: http://www.iy2kcc.org Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents.