1
The Lebanese ICT Strategy and A Proposal for
Regional ICT Cooperation
Dr. Raymond Khoury Technical Cooperation Unit
Director Office of the Minister of State for
Administrative Reform (OMSAR), Lebanon
2
Presentation Outline

• National ICT Policy and Strategy
• Major Indicators
• Analysis of survey and list of Government
  applications
• Best achievements
• The Lebanese E-Government Strategy
• Priority projects
• Regional Framework for ICT Development

3
National ICT Policy and Strategy
Background MITC established in May 24th,
1997 Lebanese ICT Policy and Strategy document
published in 1998 and revised in 2001

Objectives A Strategy for ICT Defining
national Goals Raising national
awareness Emphasizing the Importance of
Government Leadership Ensuring Private
sector Support Ensuring alignment with
International standards A Reference framework
for international Investors and Donors

4
Vision for Lebanon

• Industry
• Learning and Education
• Government as a major user of ICT
• Government as Facilitator
• Government as a Regulator
• Communications
• Cultural Considerations
• Sector Information Services

more. . .
5
Required National ICT Resources
National ICT policy ICT laws and regulations
Relaxed procedures Tax and labor incentives
Investment / capital markets
Human resources Capacity building plans
Entrepreneurship progs Local ICT industry
E-Society
Telecommunications Systems/Applications Faciliti
es for tech parks / zones
6
Major Indicators Mobile phone use in the Arab
Countries (2000)
Country Percent
United Arab Emirates 33.3
Qatar 25.6
Lebanon 16.0
Kuwait 12.7
Bahrain 11.2
Oman 5.7
7
Major IndicatorsNumber of ISP in Arab Countries
(2000)
Country Number
Egypt 34
Saudi Arabia 25
Lebanon 16
Jordan 6
Morocco 6
Kuwait 5
Tunis 3
United Arab Emirates 1
Oman 1
Syria 1
8
Internet Use Statistics in the Arab Countries
(2000)
Rank Country Number of Subscribers (December 1998) Number of Subscribers (March 2000) Number of Users (March 2000) Number of Users per account Subscribers Arab countries (Percent) Users Arab countries (Percent)
1 UAE 61,200 160,000 400,000 2.5 29 21
2 Saudi Arabia 18,700 100,000 300,000 3 18 16
3 Bahrain 11,700 15,000 37,500 2.5 3 2
4 Libya - 1,500 7,500 5 0 0
5 Sudan - 2,000 10,000 5 0 1
6 Qatar 8,500 18,000 45,000 2.5 3 2
7 Oman 12,700 20,000 50,000 2.5 4 3
8 Kuwait 22,000 40,000 100,000 2.5 7 5
9 Egypt 36,400 55,000 440,000 8 10 23
10 Yemen 2,200 3,000 12,000 4 1 1
11 Lebanon 30,700 65,000 227,500 3.5 12 12
12 Syria 30,700 4,000 20,000 5 1 1
13 Jordan 16,600 25,000 87,500 3.5 5 5
14 Morocco 11,200 15,000 52,500 3.5 3 3
15 Tunisia 4,700 22,000 110,000 5 4 6
Total 236,000 545,500 1,899,500 3.5 100 100
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Internet Host Count Statistics (2001)
Rank Country Domain Hosts All Hosts Duplicate Names Level 2 Domains Level 3 Domains

1 Japan jp 3,413,281 3,532,502 119,221 111 84,829
2 United States us 2,251,445 2,363,832 112,387 89 3,727
3 United Kingdom uk 2,080,906 2,435,877 354,971 58 62,279
4 Germany de 1,916,512 2,008,300 91,788 136,281 689,453
5 US Military mil 1,916,026 2,075,247 159,221 77 194,999
6 Canada ca 1,814,505 2,305,743 491,238 7545 460,970
7 Italy it 1,574,380 1,606,158 31,778 30,586 342,821
8 Australia au 1,311,492 1,411,849 100,357 62 43,633
9 Organizations org 1,087,665 1,234,438 146,773 150,644 857,032
10 Netherlands nl 1,082,089 1,110,974 28,885 39,517 419,137
53 United Arab Emirates ae 26,764 26,966 202 8 596
74 Egypt eg 5,422 39,280 33,858 7 269
75 Lebanon lb 5,147 5,195 48 7 280
76 Kuwait kw 4,594 4,673 79 7 1,509
77 Tonga to 4,553 4,762 209 2,577 3,226
78 Kazakhstan kz 4,199 4465 266 265 2,428
79 Namibia na 3,439 3,486 47 11 141
80 Mauritius mu 3,286 3,288 2 6 3,265
81 Bermuda bm 3,167 3,177 10 133 2,740
82 Saudi Arabia sa 3,167 3,424 257 9 166
total 93,047,785 103,432,319 10,384,534 2,454,681 26,500,025
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List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration
CUSTOMIZED APPLICATION AGENCY

Archiving ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
MIS

Sports Club Federation ????? ?????? ????????
Records ????? ?????? ????????

Data Base Centralization ????? ???????
Arab Summit Forms ????? ???????
French Summit ????? ???????
Hotel Reservation ????? ???????
Accounting / Auditing ????? ???????

Accounting / Auditing ????? ???????

Accounting / Auditing ????? ?????? ???????
Payroll ????? ?????? ???????
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List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration (contd)
Payroll ????? ????????
Personnel ????? ????????
????? ??????????? ????? ????????
?????? ??????? ????? ????????

Commercial Register ????? ?????
Personal Judges File ????? ?????
Employees ????? ?????
Judicial Inspection ????? ?????
???? ????? ????? ?????
???? ?????? ????? ?????

Monitoring for Industries ????? ??????
Environmental Database ????? ??????

?????? ????????? ????? ????? ??????
12
List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration (contd)
Rights Access Information System ????? ?????? ??????????

Stock Control ????? ?????? ???????
Attendance ????? ?????? ???????

Intellectual Property Protection Registration ????? ???????? ????????
Insurance and Licensing Control system ????? ???????? ????????
Product Price Tracking ????? ???????? ????????
Cabinet Organization ????? ???????? ????????
Consumer Protection ????? ???????? ????????
Trade Companies ????? ???????? ????????
13
List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration (contd)
???? ????? ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ???????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ???????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????? ????????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????? ?????? ???????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????
???? ????????? ????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????

Personnel ???? ?????? ???????
14
List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration (contd)
Central Fund for the Displaced (?????? ???????) ??????? ??????? ????????
Central Fund for the Displaced (?????? ???????) ??????? ??????? ????????

Archiving OGERO
Financial system OGERO
Customer care OGERO
Billing OGERO
Payroll OGERO
Fixed Assets OGERO


Human Resources ??????? ??????? ?????????
????? ????? ????????? ??????? ??????? ?????????
????? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????????
????? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????????
????? ???? ??????? ??????? ?????????
15
List of Customized Applications in the Public
Administration (contd)
ARC / INFO (GIS Application) ????? ?????? ?????
Oracle 8 (GIS , Stock) ????? ?????? ?????
Object Cobol (BT Billing System) ????? ?????? ?????
Object Cobol (Payroll System) ????? ?????? ?????
Object Cobol (Stock System) ????? ?????? ?????
Object Cobol (General Accounting) ????? ?????? ?????
MS SQL 7.0 MT Billing System ????? ?????? ?????
Unpaid Bills ????? ?????? ?????
Statistics on Collection ????? ?????? ?????
Archiving Applications ????? ?????? ?????
Oracle Stock System ????? ?????? ?????
Fox Pro Archiving Application ????? ?????? ?????
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Best Achievements

• Thousands of Government Forms Available online
  and in a unified/coded format from a Single
  Access Point
• Customer Profile
• Office of the Minister of State for
  Administrative Reform (OMSAR) is responsible for
  leading the Lebanese post-war public
  administration into the 21st century. The agency
  coordinates international donor contributions,
  carries out public procurement and provides ICT
  expertise and training for the Lebanese public
  sector.
• Business Situation
• Many citizens did not know which official form
  they required in their dealings with government,
  or where and how to get it.
• Citizens often had to make repeated visits to a
  government office, wasting their time and that of
  officials in the process.
• Solution
• The Informs portal provides a single resource for
  all government forms, with advice and
  instructions for completing them.
• Benefits
• Greater convenience for citizens
• Increased transparency for a more accountable
  public sector
• Time savings and more efficient back-office
  processes

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What has been achieved
Hard Infrastructure
System Applications A number of vertical
applications have been deployed (MoF tax
system, NAJM customs system. Cadastre land
registration system, Port of Beirut DMS,
National Archives indexing and optical
storage system, Legal Decisions DMS, .. etc.)
NAJM 2 customs system expansion to cover all
ports of entry (5 locations) Port tracker
system application to address cargo manifest
for port of Beirut.
Other vertical applications recently completed
include COOP medical benefits and compensation
system, NSSF systems, Commercial Registration
system, and Insurance Control Commission system.
Some horizontal (cross agency) applications
have been developed (Information offices,
Budget System, ..etc.). Others in the works
include HR database for the civil service,
personnel and financial systems for agencies,
..etc.
Multitude of General Security applications
developed
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What has been achieved
Policies and Procedures
Institutionalizing needed Removal of outdated
technical controls and updating
reforms commercial code system
Work on simplification of all government
procedures
Modernization of national tax system
Work on new organizational structure of
ministries and autonomous agencies
New public sector tendering law drafted along
with implementation decrees
ICT laws and regulations IPR and online banking
laws passed in 1999
Digital Signature law under review by special
parliament committee and near enactment.
Work underway for drafting certificate
authentication, privacy protection and other
ICT laws by MoET.
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What has been achieved
Policies and Procedures
ICT Policy and Standards Policy and strategy
document prepared in 1999
Ministerial ICT committee appointed by Prime
Minister in early 2001 to handle national ICT
matters with private-public sector partnerships
Standards guidelines for ICT projects in the
public sector under preparation
E-government strategy document completed and
presented to Council of Ministers for approval.
Soft Infrastructure
Human resources Good number of civil servants
trained on ICT products (OMSAR has trained in
access of 2500)
A sizeable number of civil servants have been
trained on administration of ICT solutions
(some 150 through OMSAR projects)
20
What has been achieved
Soft Infrastructure
Human resources Assessments of ICT staff
requirements for a number of ministries and
agencies have been made.
Draft of new ICT cadre and salary scale for
government at large currently under review.
Capacity building plans With the support of the
local industry continuous or in- service
training plans are being achieved.

ICT events are also being attended on a
constant basis by key government staff to stay
current with global ICT developments.
The new Institute for Public Administration to
play a key role in in-service capacity
building.
An E-Society ICT awareness campaigns by the
government are being prepared as well as
Multi-purpose community telecenters.
Private sector ICT awareness through PCA PiPOP
initiative and media and organizing successful
conference and exhibitions such as Termium.
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The road ahead

1. Current ICT achievements are mainly the result of
   grants and loans from international funding
   organizations (IFOs) i.e. fixed programs with
   pre-defined project components. Some government
   funds provided in-kind. A number of ICT projects
   fully funded by government.
2. A situation map on all e-government related
   achievements in the government is being
   formulated (The National Government Map)
3. All government services forms and their
   procedures involving ministries and agencies
   (1600) have been consolidated and documented
   the foundations of the digital nervous system
   for the Lebanese E-government. A
   One-stop-shop point of information portal for
   these forms and procedures has been developed
   informs.gov.lb.
4. With 2 3, a Government of Lebanon E-government
   Strategy and implementation plan has been
   formulated and presented to senior officials.
   Strategy and plan cover local, national and
   international e-government requirements. Sent to
   Council of Ministers for endorsement.

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The road ahead

1. Initial implementation focus will be on revenue
   generating / cost reducing applications such as
   bill collections, tourism services and
   e-procurement applications. Percentage of
   increased revenues requested to be earmarked for
   an e-government fund.
2. Cooperation with and technology transfer from
   international ICT conglomerates and consulting
   firms will be key throughout the implementation
   process.
3. Work is to continue on gradually building the
   optimal ICT cadre in the government to be able to
   handle ICT usage and administration requirements.
   
4. The general public, academia and business
   community will be involved in the e-government
   implementation plan so as to reach an E-society
   status in a timely manner. Expertise from
   Lebanese expatriates will also be solicited.
5. Sharing knowledge and expertise with regional
   countries will also be key.

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Evolution of Lebanese E-Government Projects
24
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• Strategic Objectives
• Dissemination of all public sector information
  that a citizen is entitled to through various
  communication channels the Internet, via
  hotlines, through government service centers,
  etc.
• Fulfillment of all public sector services for
  citizens online through any government office or
  through the Internet regardless of the
  geographical location of this office or the
  residence of the citizen.
• Reduction to a minimum the information and
  supporting documents required of a citizen to
  fill out a public sector formality. No re-entry
  of the same information is to be required.
• Provision of a single point of notification for a
  citizen to use in informing the government of any
  change in personal or business information.
• Realization of all government procurement
  processes online based on a harmonized commercial
  coding schema to become a lead example for
  electronic commerce on the national level.
• Attainment of all intra-government information
  exchanges and communiqués online.

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The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• Underlying Principles
• Assure timely enactment of the required
  institutional, regulatory and legal frameworks
  for the administration at large.
• Realize a comprehensive network and systems
  infrastructure throughout the administration and
  adopt a secure means of data entry for all system
  applications through the use of smart card
  technology and biometrics.
• Give civil servants and citizens alike the
  opportunity to be part of the electronic or
  networked society notwithstanding their
  financial, social or educational conditions.
• Work in partnership with the private sector,
  academia and non-government organizations (NGOs)
  on the proliferation of ICT literacy.
• Take a leading-by-example role in the development
  of e-commerce through an e-procurement
  initiative.
• Actively involve the local ICT industry in the
  various e-government related projects and
  constantly work on promoting this industry for it
  to be a national resource in support of the
  national Information Society.

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The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• KEY PLAYERS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
• - Central Government Bodies
• - Ministries and Autonomous Agencies
• - Mouhafazats and Municipalities
• - Embassies, consulates and missions abroad
• - Banking and Financial Services Sector
• - National ICT Sector
• - Non-Government Organizations
• E-GOVERNMENT-ENABLING ACHIEVEMENTS
• - Assessments and Studies
• - Infrastructure
• - Systems and Applications
• - Training and Capacity Building
• - Legislative Work
• - National Awareness

Module 1 Situation Analysis
27
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy
Module 2 E-Government Framework
28
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• Legalizing Electronic Information and Services
• Protection of Electronic Information
• Security of Electronic Services
• Privacy
• Authenticity
• Integrity of Information
• Non-Repudiation

Module 2 E-Government Framework Legal Framework
No Pain No E-Gain
29
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy
Module 2 E-Government Framework Technical
Framework
P K I
30
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• ENABLING APPLICATIONS
• Government Email and Directory Services
• Workflow, Document Management and Archiving
• Information and Decision Support
• INFORMATION PORTALS
• Government Forms and Supporting Documents
• Sector Specific portals Tourism and Business
• SERVICES PORTALS
• Government to Citizen (G2C and C2G)
• Government to Business (G2B and B2G)
• Government to Employee (G2E and E2G)
• Government to Government (G2G)

Module 2 E-Government Framework Services
Framework
31
The Lebanese E-Government Strategy

• BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY
• Promoting Internet utilization by C and B
• Developing and offering high quality and
  affordable Internet services
• Supporting national ICT industry and promoting
  investments
• Enhancing ICT curriculum at all education levels
• Setting up ICT training centers or academies

Module 2 E-Government Framework Capacity
Building/Promotion/Operations Framework

• INTERNAL GOVERNMENT TRAINING AND CAPACITY
  BUILDING
• Promoting ICT knowledge for civil servants
• Setting up ICT training centers in government
  institutes
• E-GOVERNMENT O M STRUCTURE
• Government-wide central O M unit
• Ministry and agency specific O M units
• Establishing ICT cadre and salary scale in
  government

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The Lebanese E-Gov Strategy Priority Projects
(1 to 2 years)

• Legal Framework
• Drafting and enactment of ICT-related legislation
  and regulation along with implementation decrees.
• Technical Framework
• Interconnecting through a secure network
  information infrastructure central government
  bodies, a number of key ministries and several
  international offices.
• Services Framework
• Utilities subscription and billing services
• Civil and criminal records
• Completion of the online customs system
• Residence and work permits for foreigners
• Passport and visa petitions and issuances
• Vehicle registration and excise tax payments
• Capacity-building / Promotions / Operations
  Framework
• ICT cadre and salary scale ICT training
  training centers promote e-gov strategy
  completing O M structure and staffing OM
  central unit and a few field units.

Module 3 Implementation Planning
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Joining the Global K-Based Society
34
Regional Framework for ICT Development

• Why?
• To address and preserve certain cultural aspects,
  mainly related to the Arabic language -
  multimedia content, localized ICT systems
  (Internet, E-commerce, ..)
• To share experiences and best practices on
  various ICT building blocks or resources for
  faster national ICT development
• To establish common standards or principles for
  ICT-enabled interactions or transactions between
  regional countries
• To collectively reduce regional tariffs between
  countries (telecom, online trade, ..) to globally
  competitive levels
• To help one another and succeed in joining the
  global KB society as a percentage of a sizeable
  population (nearing 200 million)

35
Scenarios for realizing this Framework

• Scenario 1 Scope and implement a regional
  program that addresses all ICT resources for all
  regional countries starting with in-country
  assessments and ending after several iterations /
  workshops with a regional framework document.
• Scenario 2 Form a number of so called
  Communities of Practice between regional
  countries so that all pertinent knowledge is
  shared amongst the right peers at the right time
  to achieve the right regional outcomes. Examples
  of such Communities can include
• ICT Awareness / Training Community of Practice
• ICT Hard Infrastructure / Security Community of
  Practice
• Technology Parks / Zones Community of Practice
• ICT Legislation and Standards Community of
  Practice
• Entrepreneurship / Investment Funding Community
  of Practice

36
Scenarios for realizing this Framework

• Scenario 2 (continued) these Communities of
  Practice can function in parallel leading to
  common subject area understandings and agreements
  in the shortest time possible. These subject
  area agreements can then be grouped to form a
  regional framework document.
• Scenario 2 is the most appropriate (even used in
  developed countries)!
• Mode of Operation?
• Hold inaugural and periodic community meetings as
  frequent as need be
• Set up mail lists for each identified Community
  of Practice
• Frequently share information online with each
  community member (community web site or portal)
• Involve subject area international organizations
  when need be (mentors) and establish ties with
  similar subject area Communities of Practice
  from other regions of the globe.

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Scenarios for realizing this Framework

• Mode of Operation (continued)?
• Formulate some consensus before each meeting so
  that certain agreements could be announced at
  each meeting
• Publicize the work of each community to draw in
  additional regional and international support and
  cooperation
• Hold regional conferences / seminars for all
  identified communities to attend and cross-share
  various knowledge and results so that an overall
  regional KB society framework can be reached as
  quickly as possible.

38
Regional partners for this Framework

• Government-supported
• Arab League and related organizations
• GCC
• National Funds
• Regional Funds
• Development Banks
• Universities
• From each member country
• Regional Organizations
• Regional Policy Centers
• Regional Offices of International ICT Companies
• All UN Agencies!

39
Thank You!
40
Multi-purpose Community TelecenterFloor Plan
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Multi-purpose Community Telecenter3D Perspective
42
The NationalGovernmentMap
43
The Internet www.informs.gov.lb
The Hotline 1700
44
Geographic Distribution of Ministries and Agencies
45
Information Flow between Ministries and Agencies
46
Principle Pillars of the Lebanese e-government
47
National Smart Card with PKI and/or Biometrics

• Principle application National ID card with
  MRF containing the following information
• Civil records
• Medical information
• Social security and/or insurance
• Tax information
• Drivers license
• Election card
• Others