Iraq Delegation to Visit India for Study of E-Governance in Indian Cities ― Meetings in Bangalore and Delhi

The Building e-Iraq National e-Governance strategic plan clearly emphasizes the need for connecting services and citizens to better access of information and services using ICTs as a leading resource/innovative force and as a contributing factor to enhancing transparency and accountability as well as facilitate the effective and efficient provisioning of essential services.  In this context, and as identified by the Iraqi e-governance ministerial steering committee, community service centers (CSCs) have been identified as having a direct bearing on sustainable social and economical changes consistent with the MDGs.

As agreed within the steering committee, the community based connectivity services centres will be hosted within existing community structures throughout Iraq in order to enhance penetration levels and provide for cost-effective strategies. Post offices and youth centres would henceforth represent the point of entry for the community centres, where the Iraqi government is rehabilitating the buildings and has already provided Internet access with the hope of introducing e-governance services. The centres will also be linked with the implementation of the pilot e-services to promote access to information resources and government programmes and services. Additionally, the centres will serve to address local issues and priorities.

UNDP in partnership with ESCWA is organizing a study tour to India that would expose senior Iraqi stakeholders to e-government and e-governance as a means to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector in service provision, and make them learn from India's experience in:

• Harnessing ICT technologies in service of community development, inclusiveness and empowerment, particularly at the local level; 

• Highlighting e-governance practices in connecting citizens to the state – at both the federal and local levels – and enhancing services;
• Presenting success stories and lessons learned from India’s experience in instigating and operating CSCs; and
• Providing the Government of India with a frame of reference in designing an appropriate, efficient and effective decentralized planning process and service delivery.

Dr. Samir Salim Raouf, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Mahmood Kasim Sharief, Director General, Ministry of Science and Technology, Zagros Fattah Mohammed Mohammed, Director General, Ministry of Planning - KRG, Najwa Saeed Fathullah, Director General, Ministry of Finance, Majeed Hameed Jassim, Director General, Ministry of Communication, Dr. Kathim Mohammed Breesam, Director General, Ministry of Planning, Majed Sadoon Jasim, Director General, Ministry of Interior, Naeef Thamer Hussien, Director General, Ministry of Education, Ismael Khaleel Murad, Chief of Information, Ministry of Higher Education, Anwer Alwan Jassim, Ministry of Higher Education, Khalaf Muhammad Khalaf, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Education, Samer Noori Taqi, Chief of Information, Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, Safaa Mohammed Kassar, Anbar Governorates, Abdulamer Abdulwahid Mubarak, Basra Governorates, Isam Hussein Ali, Ministry of Science and Technology, Sudipto Mukherjee, Head of Economic Recovery and Poverty Alleviation, UNDP, Abeer Fawaeer, E-Governance Specialist, UNDP and Dalia Zendi, Project Associate, UNDP will participate in the meetings.

Study tour structure

The delegation will hold meetings with Deepak Menon of India Water Portal, Ashok Kamath of Pratham Books, Srikanth Nadhamuni of E-governments foundation, Dr. Subbramanya of Geodesic, Parth Sarwate of Azim Premji Foundation, Abhay Singhavi of Narayana Hrydayalaya and MN Vidyashankar and DS Ravindran of Department of e-governance, Government of Karnataka.

In Delhi, the delegation will hold meetings in the Department of Information Technology, National Informatics Centre, National Institute for Smart Government, Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Expected outcomes

The study tour will be concluded in Delhi with a brainstorming session to discuss and explore the results achieved by the study tour, and ultimately formulate an integrated framework for identifying, establishing, operating and managing CSCs in Iraq with wider national and local e-governance development plan in line with overarching public sector and modernization programme and generate a list of pilots quick-win e-services applications that can be implemented in Iraq.

Other expected outputs are:

• To identify critical and relevant lessons from the Indian e-governance models, with particular emphasis on linkages between ICT and broad-based development in the areas of education, health, water and social development of rural and urban areas;
• To enhance awareness on the role and operation of CSCs at various levels and their pivotal role in facilitating access to essential services and reducing service costs;
• To improve understanding of the challenges in the effective application of ICTs for development and the key factors in the design and implementation of ICT for development projects and programmes;
  
• To enhance the understanding of the measures to be undertaken by the centre and the provinces to identify and put in place e-services;
• To highlight the successes and lessons learned from the Indian decentralized and local area planning and development model; 
• To learn about the latest development in IT industry and the infrastructure required for CSCs and e-services; and
• To explore working partnerships between the Government of India and the Indian IT companies.
  

 This study tour is in furtherance to the e-Governance Action plan prepared by the Iraq Government. The Centre for Internet and Society is assisting the delegation for the meetings held in Bangalore.