Digital Government

The citizen engagement toolkit is a brief guide aimed at promoting engagement in and implementation of open government in the Arab region. Prepared as part of ESCWA open government initiative, the toolkit covers how to design, develop and implement citizen engagement programmes within the implementation of open government that contributes to better governance.

UN DESA in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized a multiple stakeholders Expert Group Meeting on “e-Government and New Technologies: Towards better citizen engagement for development.” The meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 13 to 14 May 2010 in conjunction with the Forum 2010 on implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Over 25 experts and key staff from among 20 nations provided both presentations and interactive dialog during the event. The meeting reviewed and analyzed approaches and best practices in understanding what constitutes citizen engagement and e-government, related policies and programmes in the context of good governance and MDGs implementation. This report attempts to summarize two intense days of meetings by experts from across the globe.

This is a concept paper prepared in response to the demand from United Nations Member States in understanding the challenges, potential and available options in improving or developing E-Procurement systems. This paper is based on a series of consultations and inputs from various experts, culminating with the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) held in New York, October 4-5, 2011. It also draws on the conclusions at the Technical Consultation held in Seoul in March 2011, organized by the United Nations Project on Governance (UNPOG), which is part of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management of UNDESA. The paper also takes into account information from existing websites as well as the extensive work of various competent institutions already working on e-procurement.

The World e-Parliament Report 2012 offers an unprecedented comparative investigation of the major trends, practices and experiences in the use of information and communication technology in the parliamentary environment. The 2012 edition also describes innovations and trends that have emerged since the previous report, such as tablet devices and open data.

This Compendium of ICT Applications on Electronic Government is a unique collection of current ICT applications being used directly by or in partnership with governments, governmental institutions and the private sector around the world to support administration and public service, while addressing governance challenges. The Compendium also presents private sector ICT applications that are available in the marketplace. Volume 3 of the Compendium, the third in the series, focuses on m-technology software products and applications in the areas of citizen engagement that are being used in both developed and developing countries.

The Digital Government Capability Assessment (DGCA) is a six-dimension framework of enablers to engage governments in discussions towards digital government transformation. Considering that digital government requires a multifaceted response from governments, the dimensions of the DGCA contain various statements which could guide governments in understanding gaps and policy entry points. This tool can be used at the inter-institutional level as part of a national exercise or as an international comparative exchange between different countries at the regional or global level.

The United Nations E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for the People was completed in December 2011 and launched in February 2012. The 2012 edition of the survey was prepared in a context of multiple challenges of an open, responsive and collaborative government for the people. The report examines the institutional framework for e-government and finds that the presence of a national coordinating authority can help overcome internal barriers and focus minds on integrated responses to citizen concerns – an important lesson for sustainable development actors. The Survey also argues that e-government provides administrators with powerful tools for grappling with problems of social equity and the digital divide. The caveat is that governments must find effective channels of communication that fit national circumstances while also taking steps to increase usage of online and mobile services in order to realize their full benefit to citizens.

The United Nations E-Government Survey 2014: E-Government for the Future We Want was completed in January 2014 and launched in June 2014. The theme of the 2014 is particularly relevant to addressing the multi-faceted and complex challenges that our societies face today. The publication addresses critical aspects of e-government for sustainable development articulated along eight chapters.

The main objective of developing the UN/DESA Compendium of Innovative E-government Practices as an ongoing project is to create a venue for sharing and disseminating innovative e-government solutions, services and products developed and/or adopted by the governments across the world. The Compendium also enables South-South and North-South information-sharing of their respective experiences and innovative practices. In both cases, the focus is on hastening innovation and creating public value for the citizenry.

The main objective of developing the UNDESA Compendium of Innovative E-government Practices as an ongoing project is to create a venue for promoting innovative e-government solutions, services and products developed and yet to be developed by governments. The Compendium does not promote one solution over another but rather exposes e-government practices that place the citizen in the forefront. Volume IV covers a wide range of innovative practices, such as applications that increase the efficiency of the public sector in finance, health, education, environment and a number of applications that foster citizens' participation.