CIO Conference for Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Advance E-Government Development in Asia and the Pacific AIDE-MEMOIRE United Nations Project Office on Governance Division for Public Administration and Development Management UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 5-6 November 2014 Shanghai, China
1. Background Countries in Asia and the Pacific exhibit varying levels of e-government development with Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore leading the global ranking in 2014 UN E-Government Survey, while other countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Pakistan trailing among the bottom 30 countries globally. More countries in the region have increasingly realized that e-government could significantly improve public service delivery and reconfigure government operations for promoting sustainable development and improving people s lives. Some developing countries in Southern and Western Asian region such as Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Oman have made great achievements in offering services to everyone, utilizing smart technology and open government data for all citizens, and even some Small Island Developing States (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) such as Fiji, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal and Yemen have also been striving to make visible progress in providing one-stop-shop online services and building up knowledge based society through comprehensive IT strategy and long-term e-government planning. Despite all these positive progress in e-government development in Asia and the Pacific, a good number of developing countries especially SIDS, LDCs and post-conflict countries need to learn successful stories and good practices from developed countries as well as learn from each other in the framework of South-South Cooperation, with necessary support from international organizations especially those operating in the Asia and the Pacific such as Asian Development Bank, UNESCAP, ITU Regional Office for Asia & Pacific Region and the subsidiary office of DPADM/UNDESA, UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG). During the recently concluded 2014 UNPSA Forum, which was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, delegates from Member States have reached the consensus that facilitating the peer-to-peer knowledge sharing by connecting governments who have innovated with those who are looking for innovative solutions to address their governance challenges, and enhancing the global CIO network to further exchange ideas and promoting international cooperation are essential for e- Government development on a global scale. The 2014 UNPSA Forum also highlighted capacity building activities specific to SIDS on e-government, which include building knowledge platform and technical cooperation on innovation and e-governance for sustainable development, i.e. repository of legislation, e-government strategies and innovative practices, and organizing conferences and meetings to promote collaboration between SIDS and international development partners.
Since its inception from June 2006, UNPOG as a subsidiary office of DPADM/UNDESA has been dedicated to assist developing countries including postconflict countries in improving their governance capacity through innovation, e- governance and ICT for sustainable development. And, UNPOG s capacity building activities, which include national training programmes, regional workshops and international conferences, received high acknowledgements from Member States and most recent requests have been made to UNPOG on the occasion of bilateral meetings between UNPOG and country delegates during 2014 UNPSA. To better serve Member States, UNPOG needs to meet with CIOs at different stages of e- government development and reconfigure its capacity building activities, especially with thematic re-focus on e-government for contributing to post -2015 Development Agenda. The precedent similar event for strengthening regional CIO Network, an International Conference on Good Governance for National Development, which was organized by UNPOG/DPADM, took place in Seoul on 17-18 June 2010. In the context of country demands for strengthening the CIO network and taking advantage of the occasion of Global City Informatization Forum 1 to be held in Shanghai, China, on 4-6 November 2014, UNDESA through UNPOG/DPADM would like to organize the CIO Conference in Shanghai, China on 5-6 November with participation by CIOs from selected countries and international organizations in the region. 2. Objectives of the Conference With a view to divergent experiences and varying levels of e-government development in the region, UNDESA through DPADM/UNPOG would like to convene a CIO Conference: i) to discuss about the new and emerging trends and main challenges of e-government development in Asia and the Pacific; ii) to build up a strong CIO network and set up the mechanism/platform for sharing experiences and knowledge transfer with focus on building collaborative governance, facilitating citizen engagement and innovative e-practices for sustainable 1 The Forum will focus on the development and cooperation of city informatization, with the theme of Smartness Integration Convergence. Main topics include urban management in the era of Big Data, Re-industrialization in the era of Intelligence, and Smart use in the era of Informatization
development; and iii) to explore effective ways including soliciting more support to enhance capacity building for developing countries in the region. Moreover, as a regional hub for innovation and e-government, UNPOG/DPADM has been requested to focus and prioritize programme activities especially the capacity building activities on a regional level. So, it is necessary for UNPOG/DPADM to better understand the needs and demands of developing Member States to tailor its capacity building activities. Through this CIO Conference, UNPOG/DPADM would also like to mediate and solicit more support from leading and advanced countries in the region for SIDS, land-locked countries, LDCs and post-conflict countries. 3. Themes 2014 UN E-Government Survey - new and emerging trends and main challenges of e- government development Introduction of e-government master plan and ICT strategy by selected countries, and discussion on e-leadership including the role of CIO in e-government development E-local government linkage with central government -- collaboration for improving service delivery to citizens E-local government and smart cities -- digital innovations to serve local communities with new tools How UNPOG/DPADM of UNDESA can assist in strengthening the CIO networking in the region for promoting knowledge sharing on best practices, e.g. e-procurement and e- government for disaster risk management How UNPOG/DPADM of UNDESA can better assist developing Member States in the region in e-government capacity building 4. Proposed list of participating countries and international organizations Institutional frameworks and e-leadership
1) Australia (unifying services from a holistic approach, big data strategy); 2) Afghanistan (LLDC and post-conflict country); 3) Azerbaijan (subscription to Open Government Partnership, State Program on the development of e-government for 2013-2015); 4) Bahrain (e-government authority, open government data portal to enable transparency and promote e-participation); 5) Bhutan (LLDC, national e-government master plan established, fostering a Whole-of-Government approach to ICT project planning and implementation); 6) Cambodia (LDC, in the process of designing e-government master plan and ICT strategy) 7) Nepal (LLDC, on the road to the knowledge based society); 8) Republic of Korea (world leader in UN E-Government ranking, government 3.0); 9) United States of America (CIO Council: innovate, deliver, protect and national initiatives) Collaborative governance 10) China (citizen engagement through micro-blogs); 11) India (big population country); 12) Indonesia (big population country); 13) Oman (PPP model of SMS deployment, open government data for all citizens); 14) Singapore (one-stop-shop service delivery portal, multi-agency programme Alliance for Corporate Excellence, reaching everyone for active citizenry, application of identity management feature to improve public sector interoperability); Innovative service delivery 15) Bangladesh (a2i Service Innovation Fund); 16) Fiji (most significant advancing among SIDS countries, comprehensive approach by combining a national framework for ICT development with effective policies and initiatives to deliver directly to citizens); 17) Japan (mobile government for environment protection and disaster management); 18) Malaysia (integrated and connected e-services);
19) New Zealand (online transactional services at the forefront of government transactions); 20) Pakistan (specific services for vulnerable groups, SMS-based literacy programme for women and immigrant services); 21) Sri Lanka (One for all e-services provision); 22) Unite Arab Emirates (adopting smart technology); International organizations 23) Asian Development Bank; 24) ITU Regional Office for Asia & Pacific Region; and 25) ASEAN. 5. Expected Outputs After the CIO Conference, it is expected that the participating countries capacities and competences will be strengthened in terms of designing e- government strategy, collaborative governance, developing efficient e-service delivery to bridge the digital divide and serving vulnerable groups for inclusive growth, innovative e-practice, and transformation in public sector which is much needed for achievement of development objectives in Post-2015 Development Agenda. It is also anticipated that the CIO Network, including the South-South cooperation between developing countries, will be further strengthened for facilitating knowledge sharing and exchanges of ideas in innovative e-practices such as e-procurement and e-government for disaster risk management. UNPOG/DPADM would also expect to better understand the demands for capacity building from developing countries in the region, especially post-conflict countries, land-locked developing countries and SIDS. With the participation of experts and government officials from leading and advanced countries and other international organizations, it would help UNPOG/DPADM build a holistic platform to implement e-government capacity building activities in the region.
6. Contacts