Democratic Governance
Global Sub-Practice Event on E-Governance, 2005

Background - Concept Note

In this context, UNDP has mainstreamed ICTD into both the Poverty Group and Democratic Governance practice areas. This has brought forward realignment and prioritization of ongoing and planned ICTD activities as reflected in the new Multi-year Funding Framework (MYFF) for 2004 to 2007 and a sharpening and refocusing of the Bureau for Development Policy’s (BDP) Service Lines. The Democratic Governance Group (DGG) now has responsibility for the e-governance sub-practice as part of the new Service Line 2.5.

Although e-Governance is a new dedicated sub-practice area of UNDP, the organization's support for e-governance related services predates the creation of the dedicated sub-practice and builds upon the pioneering work that UNDP has done since 1992. The bulk of this work has focused on providing support to governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) in using ICT to deliver better public services and enhance the participation and involvement on citizens through networking in the various governance-related processes and issues.

II. e-Governance: vision & accomplishments:

UNDP’s main clients are primarily governments, although UNDP also supports other key stakeholders, most notably non-governmental entities, civil society and the private sector. UNDP also integrates key drivers, such as forging partnerships for results, developing national capacities, promoting gender equality and enhancing national ownership into its development programmes. UNDP is currently developing local capacity in Swaziland by setting up digital villages in peri-rural areas in order to provide connectivity and access to information for village users. In Bhutan, UNDP has implemented an access to information and e-governance projects to invigorate the Government of Bhutan’s website to provide the public with access to information. The project includes a public awareness campaign aimed at informing the public on the benefits of public access to information and services aimed at enhancing national ownership.

UNDP also strives to build on local initiatives and interests that already exist in the country or region. For example, the Arab States region, with the launching of the 2003 Arab Human Development Report on Building a Knowledge Society has demonstrated a keen interest in ICTD projects. In Lebanon, for example, UNDP is implementing several projects, such as technology access centers which provide IT training and educational and learning programmes for the youth.

UNDP also implements ICTD projects that are cross-cutting, such as ICT for parliamentary development which reflects the very nature of ICTD as a tool and enabler. UNDP carried out a survey on what citizens thought of the transparency and efficiency of the Parliament in Cape Verde. The aim of the project is to enhance the functioning of the parliament, in particular to enhance communication and interaction between the parliament and its citizenry through the use of ICT. In Bulgaria, UNDP is currently implementing an e-Government project, using free and open source software to enhance access to public information and services for the Bulgarian public. In Cuba, UNDP has supported a virtual citizen’s network where legal documentation and services can be accessed by the public.

Based on its experience in the e-governance area, UNDP has developed an analytical framework for supporting policies and programmes in this increasingly important are of work for UNDP. The framework has four main components, as follows:

1. Access and Connectivity: the physical or infrastructure layer which focuses on both the infrastructure as well as the human capacity to being able to use the ICT tools and networks.

2. e-Government: the info-structure layer which focuses in using ICT to foster increase transparency, accountability and efficiency of central and local governments

3. Access to Information via ICT: the content and capacity building layer that builds on the fact that information production and dissemination is not only relatively affordable but also has been democratized substantially (i.e., cordially citizens can be empowered to become producers of information and contents)

4. ICTD enabled Networking: Creation and enhancement of new and existing networks (applications layer) through utilizing the power of the new ICT at national and transnational levels. Also includes specific applications such as e-parliaments, e-elections, e-participation, e-deliberation and e-democracy among others.

A related emerging area closely linked to the sub-practice is the governance of the new ICT or, more broadly, ICT and governance issues. This is a relatively new area which has acquired important global and local dimensions. The interesting element here is the emergence of new bottom-up governance mechanisms and grassroots participation that can and have in fact acquired global presence. Although seen by some observers as a challenge to national governments and intergovernmental global institutions and organizations, these new forms of governance and participation just signify a new redefinition and repositioning of national governments as such, and their role in international issues and representation. UNDP has extensive experience in the support towards citizen networks through its Sustainable Development Networking Programme which was supported by UNDP from 1992 to 2000, and reached almost 80 countries.

Thus, in general UNDP ICTD/e-Governance projects currently being implemented range from the Estonian based e-Governance academy to national projects focused on the provision of connectivity and access to information for village users, strengthening capacities in parliaments through the use of ICT (e-Parliaments) or empowering of communities and networks of citizens to promote increased participation.

III. Overall objective of e-Governance event:

The event will focus on both e-governance and relationships between ICT and governance in a systematic fashion by aiming at further developing and finalizing the overall analytical framework. A draft practice note on the sub-practice will be shared with participants to get inputs and increase ownership of the final text by fostering programme country participation.

The event will also seek to enhance the sub-practice network and further promote the interaction between UNDP ICTD advisers and country office colleagues, and other DGG service lines and respective advisors and country office colleagues. The event will explore areas for potential cross-service line work and review, discuss, share, and disseminate the best policies and initiatives in achieving a global codification of knowledge on ICT and governance. Ultimately, the design and production of additional toolkits for e-governance, ICT and governance, and DGG cross-service lines services will be developed and finalized.

Finally, discussions on regional and sub-regional e-governance platforms with an initial focus on Africa, will take place. This initiative is expected to be implemented in partnership with the African Governance institute.

IV. Expected Outcomes:

• Obtain inputs to finalize the draft of the Practice Note on e-Governance

• Clearly identify UNDP’s niche on e-Governance, and possible entry points for work in this area, at regional and global levels

• Create Core e-Governance Sub-practice Community

• Share and Learn from best practices of UNDP’s work on e-Governance

V. Participants:

• UNDP Cos Governance focal points;

• RBx and RSCs Governance focal points;

• E-governance Experts;

• BDP e-governance Policy Advisors (HQ and SURF/RSC) ;

• Invited sub-practice policy advisors/specialists from DGG and other practices

VI. Venue:

- Dakar, Senegal

VII. Date:

- 1-3 September 2005