Media Center

Press Release

E-GOVERNMENT PRIZES TO BE AWARDED

In a bid to promote greater public sector transparency and citizen participation, the Organization of American States (OAS), partnering with the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA), today launched the “excelGOV” electronic government prizes.

Public sector organizations in 32 Latin American and Caribbean countries are eligible for these awards, designed to recognize efforts to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to implement strategies to improve transparency and participation. Institutions connected to the executive, legislative or judicial branches or other central government agencies are eligible.

Winners in both categories—public transparency and citizen participation—will be awarded 10 scholarships to pursue OAS e-government training courses, as well as a trip to Canada, where the ICA is based, to observe first-hand that country’s progress in using technology for public services.

OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development Alfonso Quiñónez explained that the excelGOV Awards were created to highlight progress being made throughout the Americas in the area of electronic government. “Technology is an important tool with which governments can modernize their institutions, increase efficiency, ensure accountability and generally strengthen democratic governance,” said Quiñónez.

Individuals and institutions may submit as many nominations for the excelGOV Awards as they wish by filling out the online application form, details of which are available on the Web (www.redgealc.org). A group of experts from around the region will judge the nominations and select the top ten finalists; these will then be evaluated by a panel of distinguished experts in the field of the knowledge-based society.

In rating the applications, special attention will be paid to solutions that meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Two awards will be given in each category—for best solution and best effort, the latter intended to recognize significant achievements in countries with more limited resources.

This initiative is one of the activities of the Network of Electronic Government Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean (RED GEALC, in Spanish), an OAS-created forum for hemispheric efforts to promote the exchange of experiences and cooperation in this area. The Dominican Republic will host the next RED GEALC annual meeting, slated for May 24-25, and the excelGOV Awards will be presented at that time.

With technology in the public service becoming increasingly important in the region, last year the OAS General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo: “Good governance and development in the knowledge-based society,” which underscores the importance of ongoing use of ICTs to strengthen democratic institutions.

Reference: E-082/07