Abel Caine

Abel Caine

Mr Abel Caine is a Programme Specialist with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the Knowledge Societies Division based at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. He is responsible at global level for the Programme for Open Educational Resources (OERs), and the YouthMobile Initiative.

Open Educational Resources are any type of learning materials released with an open license or into the public domain allowing users to freely and legally copy, use, revise, and distribute adaptations. Mr Caine manages a comprehensive Programme assisting Governments and key stakeholders with expert advice on policy development, capacity-building, online communities of practice, research and publications, and convening large events for sharing of best practices to achieve the Education for All Goals.

The YouthMobile Initiative aims by 2017 to directly engage at least 25,000 young people from developing countries, particularly young women, to acquire high-level skills and confidence to successfully develop at least 5,000 smart mobile applications for sustainable development, and youth employment. Mr Caine works with Governments, Youth NGOs, and private sector mobile technology companies to design and implement comprehensive training programmes and pathways for the young people to promote smart apps to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Caine has worked for UNESCO for 10 years serving for 5 years in the UNESCO Pacific Office. Prior to joining UNESCO, Mr Caine served in a senior capacity for the Fiji Government Ministry of Finance for 4 years responsible for the transformative eGovernment Programme. Mr Caine also has 8 years of extensive private-sector experience in Fiji and New Zealand in leadership positions supervising up to 200 staff.

Born in Fiji in 1971, Mr Caine has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland (1993) and has been very happily married to Joshline with 3 hyper-energetic children.