ISSUE47: SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007
network of research and training centres/programmes
E-governance experts to
meet at Macao conference
Electronic governance practitioners and researchers from around the world will meet in Macao December 10-13 for the first International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2007).
The event is, to be held at Macao Polytechnic Institute, is co-organized by the Center for Electronic Governance at UNU International Institute for Software Technology (UNU-IIST), University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) and UN Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT).
"Electronic government” – using modern information and communications technologies to facilitate governmental processes – is being used in many countries as part of reform initiatives. Most electronic government initiatives, however, have been hampered by an over-reliance on technology, too little emphasis on building human capacity, insufficient intra-governmental collaboration and inadequate public consultation.
Consequently, the focus has been shifting from electronic government to electronic governance – using technologies to improve interactions between governmental, non-governmental and civil society stakeholders.
"Under this new focus, it is no longer acceptable to let technical or organizational issues drive electronic governance initiatives alone," said Dr. Tomasz Janowski, head of the Centre for Electronic Governance at UNU-IIST. "Instead, a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder and community-oriented approach is required."
According to Dr. Sharon Dawes, a professor at State University of New York (SUNY) and a board member of UNU-IIST: "Many of the challenges of electronic governance present either new problems or new contexts for action. While these offer opportunities to advance democracy, accountability and service, they also present risks for all stakeholders.
"We need to learn to treat this domain as a knowledge-sharing enterprise, where experience and research complement one another to create well-informed policies, strategies and tools."
Experience and research will come together at ICEGOV 2007, where participants from communities worldwide will share the latest findings in the theory and practice of electronic governance and discuss their specific experiences and concerns.
"ICEGOV 2007 is an important event underlying the crucial role which E-government can play in the process of governance development in all countries," said Dr. Guido Bertucci, Director of Public Administration and Development Management, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. "The introduction of information technology should provide the opportunity to reform government processes, making them more efficient, effective, transparent and citizens-oriented. Governance capacity is an essential element in the achievement of international development goals, and electronic governance can strengthen the ability of countries to achieve these goals."
During the four days of ICEGOV 2007, government representatives will describe their electronic governance initiatives and discuss lessons learned and the remaining challenges. Industry and non-governmental participants will propose and demonstrate potential technological, organizational and societal solutions. Members of the academic community will present new models, theories and frameworks that can extend the understanding of Electronic Governance and serve as the foundation for building new tools and methods.
© 2007 United Nations University