eGovernance for Development: UNDPs Strategic Approach

1
e-Governance for DevelopmentUNDPs Strategic
Approach

• Harnessing ICT to foster
• Democratic Governance

April 2005
2
Contents

• ICTD Background
• Emerging Governance Issues
• ICT and Governance
• UNDP on E-Governance for Development
• Mapping of UNDP e-governance activities
• challenges for e-governance progrmames

3
ICTD Background

• Early 1990s UNDP - a pioneer on ICT for
  Development (ICTD) through a variety of global,
  regional and national programmes (SDNP, APDIP,
  etc.)
• Mid/Late 1990s Initial focus on innovative ICTD
  programmes and pilot projects, then a shift to
  policy and upstream processes to strengthen the
  former
• Complemented by a multi-stakeholder approach in
  policy dialogue and programme implementation
• Early 2000s ICTD mainstreamed into the
  Governance and Poverty Practices with dedicated
  MYFF service lines (e-governance and ICT for the
  Poor, respectively)

4
Emerging Governance Issues

• Globalization (greatly fostered by ICT)
• new global issues at stake (trade, environment,
  etc.)
• emergence of supra-national, inter-state entities
  and private governance practices
• emergence of bottom-up CSO transnational networks
  (via ICT)
• raise of governance without governments
• New Public Management strategies
• privatization of public services and industries
• introduction of business practices and management
  into the public sector
• hollowing out of the state new role vis-a-vis
  citizens (from provider to facilitator?)

5
ICT and Governance

• ICT more than just PCs and/or the Internet
  rather a wide set of converging technologies
  (computers, telecommunications and media)
• ICT as a catalyst for both globalization and the
  new role of governments
• ICT core impact on governance networks and
  networking at the local, global levels, including
  grass-root efforts
• Differentiate between ICT to promote democratic
  governance (e-governance) and governance of the
  new ICT (ICT governance)
• But ICT governance will determine the extent to
  which stakeholders can access ICT to promote
  democratic processes

6
Focusing on e-governance

• The Digital Divide should not be main focus of
  ICTD interventions.
• There are also educational, health and governance
  divides among many others
• The issue at stake is the role that the new ICT
  can play in closing such divides
• Early evidence suggests that ICT can not only
  make governments more transparent, accountable
  and efficient but also can enhance the
  participation of citizens in governance/democratic
  processes
• Key to distinguish e-government from e-governance
  (similar to government vs. governance)

7
UNDP Strategic Approach to e-governance

• Although a new dedicated sub-practice, UNDP has
  extensively supported e-governance programmes and
  projects for many years
• Perhaps the best example is the Sustainable
  Development Networking Programme (SDNP,
  http//www.sdnp.undp.org) which aimed at
  networking CSOs and governments on sustainable
  development
• In addition, many CO have embarked in related
  projects
• UNDPs approach to e-governance builds on these
  experiences and proposes an integrated approach
  to the use of ICT to promote democratic governance

8
e-governance for DevelopmentUNDP Focus

• The strategic use of ICT can increase the
  transparency and accountability of development
  processes and institutions, strengthen the
  engagement and participation of citizens in
  national decision-making, enhance access to key
  information and knowledge resources, and improve
  the delivery of basic services to the overall
  population
• Furthermore, ICT can provide the networking tools
  for public and civil society actors to liaise
  around critical local or global issues to openly
  voice their opinions and development needs
• UNDP thus promotes the use of ICT to foster
  democratic governance via the involvement of
  citizens, specially youth and women, in social
  and development issues

9
e-governance for DevelopmentA Comprehensive
Approach

• The use of ICT will not automatically generate
  any of the above goals
• Instead, an integrated policy framework with four
  layers has been developed
• Access and Connectivity
• e-government (strategies/applications)
• Access to information via ICT
• Networks and networking

10
e-governance for DevelopmentAccess and
Connectivity

• Connectivity
• stakeholders require physical access to ICT
  and its networks (not only PCs or the Internet)
• focus is on last mile solutions not large
  telecom infrastructure/backbones
• new technologies such as wireless networks and
  cell phones are facilitating connectivity at a
  rapid pace
• Access
• stakeholders require the human skills and
  resources to use ICT
• capacity development as key component
• connectivity as necessary but not sufficient

11
e-governance for Developmente-government
strategies/applications

• e-government infostructure
• deployment of ICT tools and solutions in
  government institutions to promote efficiency of
  government, and its transparency and
  accountability to citizens
• enhancing the delivery of public services and
  fostering efficiency in both the public and
  private sectors
• providing access to public information and
  knowledge resources
• national e-government strategies focused on
  citizens with multi-stakeholder involvement and
  linked to development agendas and goals are
  required
• linked to public administration reform, civil
  servant capacity building and local government
  and decentralization strategies

12
e-governance for DevelopmentAccess to
Information via ICT

• Cost of producing and reproducing information via
  ICT is minimal vis-a-vis traditional media
  (includes voice and video in addition to
  printing)
• ICT interactivity allows any citizen with access
  to also be a publisher of information - and not
  only a passive recipient, the democratization of
  media
• ICT allow for quick and easy sharing of relevant
  information resources in real time
• Key issues on privacy, security and Intellectual
  Property rights have emerged
• Public domain information being privatized

13
e-governance for DevelopmentNetworks and
Networking Applications

• ICT has helped create new networks while
  enhancing the scope and reach of existing ones
• Emergence of truly national and transnational
  networks as one of the key features of the new
  Information Society
• Networking fosters increased dialog and
  collaboration between public and private actors,
  promotes locally driven and community-oriented
  development
• Networking applications such as e-parliament,
  e-elections and e-participation further enhance
  local and national governance processes and
  issues

14
e-governance for DevelopmentRecap

• The four layers are closely related and interact
  with each other
• For example, an e-government strategy focused on
  citizen participation and information sharing can
  increase both connectivity and access, and
  access to information which in turn will promote
  networks and networking with spillover effects
  for additional ICT access, better service
  delivery (public and private) and increased
  citizen participation in development processes

15
Mapping UNDP e-governance for Development
Programmes Overview

• By the end of 2004, UNDP was supporting 198
  e-governance projects in over 100 country
  offices, distributed as follows

16
Mapping UNDP e-governance for Development
Programmes RBAP

• By the beginning of 2004, UNDP was supporting 38
  e-governance project in the Asia and Pacific
  region with a focus on e-government and Access to
  Information via ICT

17
Mapping UNDP e-governance for Development
Programmes RBAP Country Examples

• Access to Information in Samoa established
  island information centers for citizens living in
  different islands. The aim of the project is to
  involve the communities in the national planning
  process for the achievement of the MDGs
• e-government in Cambodia aims at implementing an
  e-gov administrative information system (GAIS)
  which will serve as a one-stop service system for
  information administration and electronic
  approval of various processes
• Governance Forum in the Philippines developed an
  electronic venue for key stakeholders,
  organizations and individuals to network and
  interact on policy issues related to budget
  advocacy policy research, political culture in
  the Philippines and good governance

18
Challenges for e-governance programmes in
Developing Countries

• Lack of adequate infrastructure/infostructure
• Limited local capacities, educational resources
• Access to ICT restricted to very few (usually
  local elites)
• Political instability and politically closed
  regimes
• Corruption and lack of political will to change
• Lack of trust in civil society and/or the
  private sector
• Existence of multiple languages/prevalence of
  oral traditions in local communities
• Lack of adequate regulatory frameworks,
  legislation amd institutional capacity