The 1st Global e-Government Forum (GeGF), held in South Korea in October 2012, was a big success, bringing together 1,000 participants from around the world including government officials, e-government experts, academics, business leaders, etc. The adoption of Seoul Communiqué 2012 also provided much stimulus to participating countries’ efforts to establish a global CIOs network for e-government development. To continue the global initiative for promoting e-government development, the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) this year joins the Ministry of Security and Public Administration (MOSPA) of the Republic of Korea in holding the GeGF 2013, a three-day event to be held October 21 through 23 at KINTEX, Ilsan, South Korea. Under the overall theme of “Smart Government, Smart Society: Openness, Sharing, Communication, and Collaboration,” the GeGF 2013 will be co-located with the 7th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV), an international e-governance conference series organized by the United Nations University.
The goal of the GeGF 2013 is to help South Korea, the undisputed leader in e-government, spread “administrative Hallyu (or the Korean wave)” to the rest of the world by leading e-government into the future through “Government 3.0” (the South Korean government’s new governance paradigm based on e-government) and by spearheading the formation of international e-government standards. At the same time, the GeGF 2013 aims to promote South Korea’s e-government system to the rest of the world by serving as a great networking opportunity, where policy makers of each nation, international organizations and multilateral development banks all get together. In addition, the GeGF 2013 is anticipated to jack up South Korean IT companies’ share of the worldwide e-government market.
The GeGF 2013, largely divided into Track 1 (government) and Track 2 (international organizations), will revolve around a series of presentations and discussions, participated in by nearly 1,000 high-ranking officials (including ministers and vice ministers from 64 nations and representatives from international organizations and international multilateral development banks). Track 1 has a government perspective and consists of four sessions with each session focused on exploring one of the four keywords or concepts found in the theme of GeGF2013: “Smart Government & Smart Society: Openness, Sharing, Communication and Collaboration.”
Day1 (Mon, 21 October 2013)
Study Tour, scheduled for the first day of the GeGF 2013, will offer participants guided tours of South Korea’s e-government agencies, where they will have hands-on experiences with South Korea’s best practices of e-government (e.g. National Computing and Information Agency (NCIA), Minwon 24 (minwon.go.kr), Government Online E-Procurement System (g2b.go.kr), etc.).
Day 2: Session 1, 2, 3
The opening ceremony of the the GeGF 2013 will be held to kick off the Forum. The opening ceremony will begin with an opening address by Jeong-bok Yoo, the Minister of Security and Public Administration and then welcome speeches by UN Assistant Secretary-General Ivan Simonović and the president of the United Nations University (UNU). In the morning session (Session 1: “Openness, Open Data and Open Government” of Track 1), five participating nations, including host South Korea, will present their open data implementation strategies and best practices. In Session 1: Trends and Emerging Issues of Smart Government of Track 2, six speakers from international organizations, including the UN, will deal with “Trends and Emerging Issues of Smart Government” so as to introduce both the UN’s e-government and e-government systems by continent.
In the following afternoon session, 12 speakers from five nations (including South Korea) and UNPOG will take the podium. In Session 2: “Sharing, Customized e-Government” of Track 1, speakers will make their presentations on “Sharing, Customized e-Government” to introduce strategies for the provision of customized services and best practices. In Session 2 of Track 1, topics for presentations and panel discussions may include but are not limited to the following: Public administration information sharing strategies and best practices; Polices and strategies to link and integrate government business functions; Providing hassle-free services by sharing data across public bodies; Data driven approach to personalized service; Cloud computing; Big data analysis; and E-Government Standard Framework.
Meanwhile, in Session 2: “Whole-of-Government for Integrated Public Service Delivery” of Track 2, speakers will make presentations on “Whole-of-Government for Integrated Public Service Delivery” to introduce approaches by international organizations and leading e-government nations towards “whole-of-government” or “joined-up government.” Whole-of-Government as an essential part of Smart Government and Smart Society will be presented and discussed in depth by speakers who represent their regions. Some cases of 2013 UNPSA awardees regarding this topic are also expected to be showcased during the session in order to help participants have a deep understanding of this area and apply them to their country circumstances.
The Session 3: Communication, Citizen Participation e-Government” of Track 1, the last session of Day 2, will feature presentations and panel discussions on the following topics: Citizen participation strategies and best practices; Citizen participation and involvement in public sector governance; Communication and Citizen Participation Techniques; e-Participation and social media in democratic processes; Methods and concepts of participatory e-government processes; Legal framework for public sector information management and citizen participation; and Citizen engagement through social network services.
And in Session 3: “Public Procurement and IT Sector Development” of Track 2, six speakers from international organizations, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will introduce best practices of public procurement. The UNCTAD, which has been devoted to promoting e-procurement as an innovative governance practice, will deliver its recent study results. The Session 3: “Public Procurement and IT Sector Development” will focus on e-procurement which has been regarded as a very efficient e-government tool to increase both efficiency and transparency in public administration. The UNPOG will invite countries which it is currently working with, and invited speakers will present their country cases for the dissemination of e-procurement best practices.
Day 3: Session 4
In Session 4: “Cooperation, Collaborative e-Government” of Track 1, the last session of the GeGF 2013, speakers will talk about strategies to enhance work efficiency via e-government and best practices. In Session 4, topics for presentations and panel discussions may include but are not limited to the following: Collaborative e-Government strategies and best practices; Building e-government through public-private partnerships; Leveraging the collective competence of citizens; Government as a platform; User-driven e-government design, management, and implementation; E-infrastructure for public sector; and Citizen empowerment through collaborative tools in public service and decision-making.
In Session 4: “Innovative Public Service Delivery in Smart Society” of Track 2, six speakers from international organizations, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), will introduce best practices of innovative public service delivery. The Session 4: Innovative Public Service Delivery in Smart Society will work as a venue for international organisations, civil society, and government to introduce their polices and best practices of public service using innovative techniques. Speakers will first deal with mobile government, big data, social network services, cloud computing and open government data, and then discuss how these cutting-edge technologies could be utilised to upgrade public service delivery. Examples of leading countries and organisations will be highlighted and discussed.
In the afternoon High-level Roundtable Meeting, the finale of the GeGF 2013, each session’s wrap-up and questionnaire summery are scheduled to take place. Then, the GeGF 2013 will officially wrap up its 3-day journey with participants voluntarily making free speeches, such as each participating nation’s requests related to e-government cooperation.
