III Caribbean Ministerial Consultation on E-government and Information Technology in Public Sector Management Development

Transcription

1 III Caribbean Ministerial Consultation on E-government and Information Technology in Public Sector Management Development Meeting of the Working Group 8 April 2002 Italian - Latin American Institute (IILA) Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 3 Rome, Italy 1. Goals The participants of the 3 rd Caribbean Ministerial Consultation on E-Government and Information Technology in Public Sector Management Development recommended that a Working Group of Caribbean countries should be established and be responsible for developing common integrated guidelines for policy development, a regional e- government strategy and specific capacity building and training initiatives. In addition, the Working Group should also prepare proposals for submission to various donor partners and act as observatory for ICT and e-government development in the Region. Within this context, the Meeting of the Working Group aims at achieving the following goals: To define the terms of reference of the Working Group To identify follow-up actions as defined in the Conclusion and Recommendation of the 3 rd Caribbean Ministerial Consultation (attachment 2) To agree upon a work-plan with timeframe for the follow-up actions, including (1) Guidelines for policy development; (2) Regional e-government strategies; and (3) Proposal on Regional Programming. 1

2 2. Programme of the Meeting Time 12:30 14:00 14:00-14:30 14:30-15:30 15:30-16:00 Activities Lunch offered by IILA Welcoming address by Ambassador L. Incisa di Camerana, Secretary- General of the Italian Latin American Institute Opening Session Mr. Patrick I. Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Mr. Jerzy Szeremeta, Chief, Division for Public Economics and Public Administration Min. Ferrero, General Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy Ms. C. Oglialoro, Director, International Affairs Office, Ministry of Innovation and Technology The Italian Initiatives on E-Government and the International Conference in Palermo Chair: Mr. Patrick I. Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Presentation by Mr. M. Morciano, Coordinator of the Italian Task Force, Ministry of Innovation and Technology Open discussion Objectives and Terms of Reference of the Working Group Chair: Mr. Patrick I. Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Open Discussion 16:00-16:30 Coffee Break 16:30-18:00 Discussion on working mechanisms, work plan and timeframe Chair: Mr. Patrick I. Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for 18:00-18:30 Concluding Session Mr. Patrick I. Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Mr. Jerzy Szeremeta, Chief, Division for Public Economics and Public Administration Min. Ferrero, General Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy Ms. C. Oglialoro, Director, International Affairs Office, Ministry of Innovation and Technology 2

3 3. Participants Refer to Attachment Preparatory Work for the Meeting It is suggested that Caribbean Centre for (CARICAD), in collaboration with UN/DESA, prepare the draft documents of the Meeting, including The draft terms of reference for the Working Group The draft work-plan with timeframe and working mechanisms for discussions 3

4 List of Participants Attachment 1 Mr. Patrick I. Gomes Executive Director Caribbean Centre for Ms. Avril Gallop Head of the Public Service Cabinet Office Office of the Prime Minister Barbados Hon. Jose Coye Minister Ministry of Public Service and Health Belize Mr. Errol Hewitt CEO Central Information Technology Office Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology Jamaica Mr. Kenwyn Austin Director E-Government Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Trinidad and Tobago United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Mr. Jerzy Szeremeta Chief Public Policy Development Branch Division for Public Economics and Public Administration Mr. Gherardo Casini Chief HRIC Office Dr. Hongren Zhou Interregional Adviser Division for Public Economics and Public Administration Mr. Arie Hoekman Chief Technical Advisor Division for Public Economics and Public Administration 4

5 Ms. Jennifer Sisk Adviser Division for Public Economics and Public Administration Inter-American Development Bank Mr. Danilo Piaggesi Division Chief Information Technology for Development Division FORMSTAT Mr. Giorgio Panizzi Direttore Advanced School of Public Administration Mr. Giuseppe Traversa Professor Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy Min. Ferrero Deputy Director General Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean Couns. Giuseppe Magno General Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean Couns. Baracchi Tua General Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean Min. Guicciardi Couns. Antonio Alessandro Couns. Roberto Vellano Head Multilateral Desk General Directorate for Development Cooperation Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Italy Ms. C. Oglialoro Director International Affairs Office Mr. Michele Morciano Coordinator Italian Task Force 5

6 Attachment 2 Third Caribbean Regional Ministerial Consultation and High Level Workshop E-Government, Information and Communications Technologies in Public Sector Management Conclusion and Recommendations Montego Bay, Jamaica December 2001 The Third Caribbean Regional Ministerial Consultation and High Level Workshop on E- Government, Information and Communication Technologies in Public Sector Management was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica from 11 to 13 December Ministers and high-level officials from some fifteen Caribbean Countries, as well as representatives from international organizations and donor countries, had the opportunity to gather together to discuss experiences, perspectives and challenges for the Region on e-government issues. H. E. Hon. K.D. Knight, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Government of Jamaica, opened and chaired the meeting. H.E. Hon. Mario Baccini, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, of the Government of Italy participated in the consultation and delivered an introductory statement at the opening ceremony. The keynote address setting the framework for this gathering was delivered by Hon. Philip Paulwell, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Technology of the Government of Jamaica. The participants recognized that e-government holds considerable potential to foster democracy and development in the Region. When properly introduced, e-government can increase citizens participation in public affairs; facilitate access to information; enable the conduct of business; increase transparency and accountability in the public sector; and, improve the delivery of services and people s quality of life. Consensus emerged that, in order to be successful, e-government initiatives need a firm commitment of local, national and regional leaders, as well as a long-term, comprehensive strategic vision as opposed to fragmented approaches. E-government programmes should be an integral part of national ICT strategies, which in turn, should be aligned with the overall national plans for poverty reduction, and economic and social development. Furthermore, the introduction of e-government requires that citizens have reliable access to the appropriate infrastructure at affordable cost. To ensure a successful process, Governments should therefore continue telecommunications liberalization and the establishment of proper regulatory frameworks that favors competition within a coherent regional approach, as well as the introduction of community access to e-services. E-government plans must introduce a new culture and systems of management in the public service taking into account the constraints of efficiency and effectiveness. Priority should be placed on the creation of integrated service portals and one-stop shops for service delivery. To this end, Governments should implement capacity building 6

7 programmes for all levels of officials, particularly for those offering public services, in the area of e-government, which must include change management and project development. E-government introduction should take place in phases, taking into consideration the short- and long-term investment vis-à-vis the immediate and sustainable results in the economic, social, cultural and environmental spheres. Participants recognized that even though the situation for e-government development might be different from country to country in the Region, there is ample space for regional cooperation and for benefiting from economies of scale, within the context of Caribbean regional integration. They considered that while programmes and national projects have been successful, there is a need to exchange experiences and expertise across the Caribbean region as a whole. This exchange of experience is considered beneficial not only between Caribbean States but also through worldwide international cooperation. CARICAD should play a pivotal role as enabler for the sharing of experiences and knowledge, training coordination and the provision of clearing house services within the Caribbean Region with the assistance of the United Nations and its Global On-Line Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN). The introduction of e-government involves the transformation of institutions, processes, systems and mindsets, as well as the change of the administrative culture and the development of new competencies, including the capacity to lead change management initiatives in the public sector. In this regard, enlightened leadership is paramount. In the implementation of e-government programmes, the building of creative partnerships with the private sector, consumers groups, the unions, the media and the civil society at large is crucial. In the same way, public awareness, citizens sensitization and educational campaigns are fundamental to the process. With a view to facilitating the development of e-government programmes in the Region, the participants recommended the following: The establishment of a Working Group of Caribbean countries assisted by CARICAD, UNDESA and the Government of Italy, and the support of other international and regional organizations as appropriate, responsible for developing common integrated guidelines for policy development, a regional e-government strategy and specific capacity building and training initiatives. The Working Group will also prepare proposals, in collaboration with the CTU, ITU, CARICAD and CARICOM, for submission to the ongoing EU-Caribbean negotiations on Regional Programming, as well as to other donor partners, and act as observatory for ICT development in the Region. The organization of a IV Ministerial Regional Consultation, under the sponsorship of the Government of Italy, to review the recommendations of the Working Group and address specific applications of great interest to the Region, including disaster prevention and management. Expressions of recognition were extended by all participants to the Government of Jamaica for its warm hospitality during the Ministerial Regional Consultation, to the 7

8 Government of Italy for its continuos financial support and commitment to the Caribbean Region, and to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Caribbean Center for Administration Development (CARICAD) for their role as enablers and co-organizers of this event. 8