Dear Colleagues, In light of the current discussion, GKD Members may find it useful to review the recommendations that came out of a workshop held in Macedonia last year, that considered strategies for implementing e-Government at both the national and local levels.
********************************************************************* E-GOVERNMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT IN MACEDONIA RECOMMENDATIONS FROM WORKSHOP, 3/15-16, 2004 INTRODUCTION In cooperation with the Macedonian Commission for Information Technology (CIT) and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of the Government of Italy (I-MIT), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Skopje sponsored a workshop on e-government Strategies March 15-16, 2004 at the Continental Hotel in Skopje Macedonia. Co-chairing the workshop were Jani Makraduli, CIT President; Claudia Oglialoro, Director Multilateral Affairs and Digital Divide, I- MIT; and Edward Malloy of the IT Team in the USAID Economic Growth Bureau. About sixty representatives of the Macedonian public and private sectors participated in the workshop Among the foreign experts making presentations were two other I-MIT officials: Michele Morciano and Roberto Pizziocannella as well as three experts provided by the USAID partner, Dot Gov: Ari Schwartz of the Center for Democracy and Technology; John Adams of Booz, Allen and Hamilton; and Jerker Torngren of Dot Gov Romania. The agenda, and powerpoint presentations as well as a list of participants are available on the CIT website (WWW.kit.gov.mk). The purpose of the workshop was to produce recommendations (below) for introducing e-government in Macedonia in a way that is systematic, interoperable, secure, efficient, EU- and WTO-compatible, and of benefit to all Macedonian stakeholders. E-Government is defined as the systematic incorporation and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in central and local government to promote defined developmental objectives including improving efficiency and effectiveness, increasing transparency and responsiveness, and improving the delivery of government services to citizens, business and other stakeholders. This emphasis on developmental objectives and inclusiveness distinguishes "e-government" from "enterprise architecture" (or the systematic incorporation of ICT in government. As became evident in the presentations by Macedonian officials at the workshop, the Macedonian government already has shown itself capable of deploying ICT in government ministries. As defined at the workshop in the opening remarks by the co-chairpersons, the challenge then in formulating an e-government implementation strategy is to involve not only the central government but also local governments, the business community and the citizenry in defining objectives benefiting all stakeholders. RECOMMENDATIONS 1- All-Stakeholders Consultation: The Government of Macedonia should launch a national consultation to engage the citizenry, the business community, local governments and other stakeholders in formulating objectives and building support for implementing an e-government for development program. The Commission on Information Technology (CIT) could provide a framework for conducting the consultation. 2- Implementing Strategy: Based on the results of this consultation, the CIT should prepare a strategy, or master-plan, for implementing e-government at the central and local levels. 3- E-government Coordination: An interministerial committee under the leadership of the Prime Minister would assist the work of the committee and be responsible for directing the implementation of the national strategy for e-government. The Prime Minister may wish to create an e-Government Coordinator and/or Coordinating Office to oversee the implementation of the national e-government strategy and coordinate an annual report to the Parliament. 4- Policy/Legal/Regulatory Reform: Among the early actions by the e-government interministerial committee would be to conduct surveys to determine how the legal, policy and regulatory environment should be modified in order to support e-government for development. It is critical for e-government and e-commerce that policy/legal/ regulatory barriers be removed. 5- Cross-Ministerial Fund: Consideration should be given to establishing a interministerial fund to support cross-ministerial activities and provide incentives for ministries to use their own funds to support e-government. 6- EU Good Practices: In formulating the national e-government strategy, the CIT would refer to good practices identified by the EU and neighboring countries. 7- E-Government Training: Ministries would be encouraged to sponsor training in re-government, especially professional courses and study tours for middle and senior managers. 8- Donor Coordination: The World Bank, UNDP, and other international developmental organizations as well as bilateral donor countries would be encouraged to assist in the formulation of the strategy and to support specific e-government projects. 9- e-Procurement: Government should establish a transparent and efficient national web-based clearing house for buyers and sellers that can be used by business at the central and local government levels, as well as establishing a legal and regulatory environment necessary to streamline procedures and reduce distortions in the bid process. 10- Security and Standards: * establish a standards body to publish standards and best practices for IT networking and e-government in coordination with the private sector; * review laws on protecting privacy of personal data to ensure EU compliance; * ensure that the digital signature law is implemented to use the best practices in e-authentication; and * harmonize legal framework to prevent cybercrime, including implementation of the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention. 11- Telecommunications Connectivity and access: The opening of the telecommunications market to competition to full competition in 2005 must be managed and implemented in accordance with international norms and regional commitments to ensure the availability of high quality and affordable communication services. This will entail instituting legal and policy reform and strengthening regulatory capacity. 12- Information Services: make government information more readily available by: * establishing information centers at the local level for business data, market research, employment data, government information; * establishing sharing mechanism, a central portal, within the government for databases (data warehouse) for one-stop shopping by buiness and citizens; * make the on-line content of the Official Gazette cost-free and open. 13- Citizen Participation: * consider establishing Internet kiosks to facilitate citizen participation in e-government at cost; * alternatively allow private sector owned Internet cafes to bid on providing e-government services to citizens (forms, digital signatures, etc.) * consider using computer/Internet centers at schools and libraries to provide government information and services. * aim new e-government services at the mobile phone market. ------------ This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides more information. 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