e-Parliaments: an Opportunity NOT a Destinyunpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan... · 2013-01-25 · Click to add title • Click to add text ... (UN/DESA) that

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Regional Forum on Reinventing the Gocerment in Afrcia11-13 December 2006

Addis Ababa

Promoting Public Administration Innovation throughe-Government: Promoting e-Parliament

e-Parliaments: an Opportunity NOT a Destiny

UNITED NATIONSDepartment of Economic and Social AffairsStrengthening the Parliaments' Information Systems in Africa

Topics vs Issues

Reinventing Government•

Building Public Trust in Government•

Promoting Innovation•

Improving the Conduct of Public Officials•

Reconnecting the Citizen with the •

GovernmentPlacing the Citizen at the Centre•

Promoting e-Parliament •

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Topics vs Issues

Reinventing Government•

Building Public Trust in Government•

Promoting Innovation•

Improving the Conduct of Public Officials•

Reconnecting the Citizen with the •

GovernmentPlacing the Citizen at the Centre•

Promoting e-Parliament •

e-Parliament vs Trust

Promoting e-Parliament to facilitateeffective representation,•

linkage and consultations between •

Parliament and citizens,collaboration between the Executive and the •

Legislature in policy-making and legislation as well as oversight

Does this lead to TRUST?

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Actually it seems that …

the e-factor…. does not affect

satisfaction/trust

It seems that mistrust cannot be addressed by the e-factor

United Nations - Naples, Italy - March 2001

ICTs are just tools ...

Good Governance is a value

Building trust is not an ICT issue!

But, if we decide to be trustworthy

then and only then

ICTs can greatly facilitate the re-building of trust in public institutions


“Strengthening Parliaments’ Information Systems in Africa”

... is a regional capacity-building Project implemented by the UNITED NATIONS Department of Economic and Social Affairs – (UN/DESA) that aims at

empowering legislatures to better fulfil their democratic functions by providing citizens, MPs and parliamentary administrations with easy access to

high quality information services in order to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and accessibility of Parliaments.

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Rationale

Good Governance can make a substantial and sustainable difference in the development of Africa

Parliaments may have a key role in promoting good governance, by exercising oversight over the executive and promoting democratic participation

ICTs and knowledge management have proven to be powerful tools to support the political will to improve accountability, transparency and democratic participation


ICTs Opportunity

ICTs provide a unique opportunity to the African Parliament to:

become more open, accessible and accountable –Parliaments

enhance the participation of civil society and citizens–

modernise information, knowledge management and –collaborative capabilities


an Opportunity NOT a Destiny

To transform an opportunity into a reality:

visionary leadership (people)–

competent management (people)–

standards and guidelines (rules & people)–

tools and technologies (people & technologies)–

and of course … “willing citizens”–


To make ICTs ... REAL

It means reconcile ourselves with the hard fact that ICTs:

do not take away work … do not work for you!–

are not a commodity that we can just buy …–

are tools that to deliver require commitment and –

hard work!


To make ICTs work …

We need:

Tools and technologies•

(standards, guideline, applications and equipments)

but even much more we need

Capacity•

(leadership, management, technical and ethical)


Bought vs Built Challenge

Tools and technology: can, to a great extend, •

BE BOUGHT

Capacity: has, to a great extend,•

BE BUILT


Where are we in buildinge-Parliaments in Africa?

Tools and technology:•

Standards and Guidelines–

Tools and Applications–

Capacity:•

Building awareness and ownership extend–

Building capacity–

Sustaining capacity–


Two strategic tools are being developed

AKOMA NTOSO–

Open Standard based technology-neutral representations of Parliamentary and Legislative Documents to provide effective access to and exchange of then in machine readable format.

Bungeni–Parliamentary and Legislative Information System


AKOMA NTOSO (linked hearts)

AKOMA NTOSO is a set of common standards to produce, classify and share digital Parliamentary and Legislative documents

to improve access to Parliamentary and Legislative document, cooperation, and reduce the costs of Parliamentary IT support systems

Architecture for Knowledge-Oriented Management of African

Normative Texts using Open Standards and Ontologies

www.akomantoso.org

A document

A visualization format

A descriptive data format


BUNGENIParliamentary Information System

www.bungeni.org

Bungeni is an integrated suite of multi-platform Open Source Software that aims

to increase the efficiency of parliamentary activities and make Parliaments more open and accessible to citizens -- virtually allowing them

“inside the Parliament” or Bungeni,the Kiswahili word for “inside the Parliament”


So we have “smart tools” but ..

We all know how big are in Africa the cemeteries of

“so called good ideas/tools”

AKOMA NTOSO and Bungeni are “good ideas/tools” ...

but ... they can thrive only if they are driven and pushed by

“African minds/legs”


Three strategic capacity buildinginitiative are being in initiated

Build awareness of challenges and opportunity•

Conference

Build capacity and transfer know-how•

Network of ExcellenceCommunities of Practice



Network of Excellence

We are promoting the creation of a

Network of Excellence among

African and European

universities and parliaments designed to strengthen scientific and technological excellence in

Legislative Informatics in Africa


Parliamentary Administration and Management�

Africa Chapter (PAMAC) within the AAPAM

Africa Association of Public Administration and Management

There is need to create opportunities for the staff of African Parliaments to share best practices, exchange experiences and build capacity by creating

“communities of practices” among parliamentary staff.–

fora for exchanging ideas and experiences and foster greater –

professionalism

opportunity of training and research and studies on current issues of –

concern to African parliamentary managers and staff

e-Parliament means…

just and simplythat a Parliament is making use of ICTs

e-Parliament in and by itself

does not deal with the issues

transparent–

accountable–

democratic institutions–


If I may say …

ICTs can facilitate ... but

only Member of Parliaments

can actually build themselves into

transparentaccountable

democratic institutions

not ICTs, not any e-factor

If I may so …

e-Parliament can become

“relevant”

only by being aware of being

“irrelevant”