Good Governance for Development

1

• Good Governance for Development
• in Arab Countries
• High Level Seminar on Measuring and Evaluating
  E-government and
• 3rd Working Group Meeting
• 12/13 March 2007
• Update on progress in Lebanon
• Nasser Israoui

2
Despite the non-conducive environment, Lebanon
has launched new initiatives and continued many
activities and programs related to e-government
Progress in the last nine month
3
Legal framework

• Drafting a law on electronic transactions
  (Legalizing electronic information and protection
  of electronic information, e-signature and
  security of electronic information from the legal
  point of view). Currently it is at the
  parliament.
• Appointment of Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA)
  body

4
Services framework

• Implementation/enhancement of 10s of ICT projects
  
• Work permit, customs, Cadastre, commercial
  registry, medical and social compensation at the
  COOP, NSSF
• Document management systems, GIS applications
• E-procurement pilot project (6 ministries, tender
  board, start with goods)
• INFORMs is moving to an upgraded technical
  platform, CMS (advantages easier to populate,
  Security, multi-user and workflow)
• Support of Websites (Government portal, TA,
  Advisory services, and uploading information on a
  server managed by OMSAR to cover the cost of
  hosting and software upgrade, development).
• Standardization of government transaction forms
  (initiative launched and failed and it is in the
  plan for future future)

5
Technical framework

• Efforts to secure a grant to establish an
  internet hub in Lebanon and an international
  gateway.
• Satellite images for Lebanon (towards a base map,
  awareness workshop, coordination )
• ORACLE enterprise agreement for 2500 users
• MS enterprise agreement is underway
• ICT standards on the web (commitment to keep them
  updated).
• Efforts by the Prime Minister and OMSAR to
  mobilize a grant to fund a smartcard application
  at a national level (national ID card or health
  card).
• Delay in moving toward DSL (This opened the
  chance for the wireless services which flourished
  a lot in Lebanon)

6
Capacity Building/promotion/operations framework

• Training of civil servants is an on-going program
  6500
• PC for all (student PCs, affordable prices paid
  over 2-3 years)
• Community Centers (successful stories, OMSAR and
  other NGOs)
• Resource mobilization
• Mobilized a loan of US 30 million mainly to
  implement ICT projects
• Mapping of ICT projects per Beneficiary, Sector,
  framework (to help in resource mobilization)
• On the leadership level
• e-strategy unit at the Prime Ministers office
  (slim set-up, role advocacy, overview,
  coordination)
• A focal point for e-government (OMSAR)