The Contribution of Colombian Civil Society Organizations to E-Government for the Improvement of Transparency through the Use of Information and Communication Technologies

The Contribution of Colombian Civil Society Organizations to E-Government for the Improvement of Transparency through the Use of Information and Communication Technologies

Julián G. Casasbuenas
Copyright: © 2011 |Pages: 14
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-489-9.ch018
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Abstract

This chapter presents the experience of civil society organizations in Colombia to improve the transparency of the municipalities’ administrations through the project ‘Internet for Accountability’ developed by Colnodo in partnership with Corporation Transparency for Colombia. Within this initiative, a website for municipalities was developed and afterwards improved and expanded by the Territorial e-government Strategy (GELT) and implemented by the Connectivity Agenda of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies. The chapter begins by describing the current situation of the municipalities’ websites and how they have been expanded with the support of the GELT strategy. Subsequently, presents the consultation carried out with the municipalities in order to find out the impact and usage of the websites on citizens’ participation and accountability. Finally, presents the conclusions based on the experience of the organizations involved and the information gathered during the consultation.
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Background

Colombia has made significant progress in the implementation of its e-government strategy in the last years. In fact, in the global e-government Survey for 2010 and published by the UN6, Colombia came first in Latin America and the Caribbean and 31st in the world.

This progress was in part due to the e-government strategy implemented by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies which aims to contribute to a more efficient, transparent and participatory State, providing better services to its citizens and businesses by making the most of ICTs (www.programa.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co/componentes.shtml). This is one of the strategic programs of the ICT National Plan7 -Plan TIC- and a guiding principle for the Law 1341 of 2009, also known as ICT Law8.

The Decree 1151 of 2008 and the Manual for the Implementation of the e-government Strategy9 established the procedures that the national and regional governmental institutions should follow, with 2012 as the deadline to complete the phases of the e-government:

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