BACKGROUND

There has been universal concern that many hardware and software computer systems will not be able to handle the year 2000 description-format correctly possibly resulting in severe disruption to vital services, businesses in both the public and private sectors, and in some cases, total economies. In particular, telecommunications operators are concerned that in a number of countries inadequate preparation on the part of the public administrations may cause serious disruption to business and the continuity of Government, as well as to their own cash flow. As a result of this situation and with the objective of damage limitation, the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) and the Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT) have agreed to collaborate on an urgent programme designed to heighten awareness within Governments, promote ownership of the responsibility for effective action and to provide guidelines for action. With the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat, these two agencies, in conjunction with the Malta Information Technology and Training Services Ltd (MITTS), organised a workshop in Malta entitled "Containing The Millennium: A Commonwealth Initiative" from 15th to 17th September 1998. This is intended to explicitly raise awareness, launch the on-going initiative and provide input to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Meeting held in Ottawa at the end of September 1998. The target audience for the event was senior finance-ministry officials as well as senior IT management/policy-makers