MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND THE DEMOCRACY PROCESSES
Chapter 4
4.3. ICT and Expansion of Participation in Decision Making
For Azerbaijan, which is in the process of strengthening its democracy, the main task so far is to establish key institutes of democratic management; that is, an electoral system which guarantees free and fair elections and a system of restrictions and counterbalances based on the distribution of power with independent judicial and legislative branches. Of utmost importance is the establishment of an active civil society capable of cont-rolling the state-owned and private sectors of the economy and providing for alternative forms of participation in political life and for free and independent mass media. Using IT significantly expands opportunities for achieving progress in all these spheres.
In Azerbaijan, interactive online contacts between the government and citizens are at their very initial phase. Usually, citizens contact the government officially by telephone, in written form or directly after being invited. At the same time, the government has recently been looking into new ways to interact with citizens by using methods of electronic contact, as the Internet allows more direct contacts between citizens and government institutes and authorities.
According to data from the UNPAN E-Government-Global Survey (source: unpan.org/e-government/global-leaderstables.htm), Azerbaijan is currently No. 78 among 133 countries in terms of establishing the so-called Electronic government. Around 30 percent of ministries and governmental bodies in the country have their own official Web sites. Since 2000, the Presidential Office of Information Resources & Technologies Center has been providing services on a free-of-charge registration in the domain GOV.az for government organizations. Currently, 28 government organizations have registered for such addresses.
All of these sites contain descriptions of their missions or, at least, give general information on the responsibilities and structure of the local governmental institution. However, there is no information or working hours, definite duties of departments or responsible persons or any other such information at official sites. Some Web sites contain formats of documents and the procedure of servicing. For instance, at the site of the Ministry of Taxes, citizens may ask questions and receive answers. However, only a few agencies regularly update their Web sites.
The Milli Majlis' Information Service Department has created a Website for the National Parliament. The site reflects the structure of the Parliament, its permanent commissions, its ongoing activities, international relations, biographies of MPs and legal acts.
The Turan Information Agency, with financial support from the U.S. Democratic Commission for Small Grants, has created a special Web site MMAZERI.com that highlights the Milli Majlis' activity in English, Russian and Azeri. The site announces sessions of Parliamentary commissions, drafting and adoption of laws, as well as the official meetings and visits of Members of Parliament. The site yields a monthly review of the Parliament's activity and analyzes the adopted laws. It also contains a database that includes the majority of Laws of the Azerbaijan Republic.
In order to implement the Decree of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic “On Improving the Activity for the Application of the State Language” (June 18, 2001), the national government has undertaken measures to affirm standards for using the Azeri alphabet in computer devices. These measures provide for solutions being made for long-existing problems in this field and for building an environment for the formation and exchange of information resources in Azeri.
Dissemination of knowledge about ICTs through seminars and workshops is of great importance for strengthening their use. A number of international organizations, primarily UNDP, provide important assistance to governmental bodies in introducing information technologies for management. On December 18, 2002, the Milli Majlis, jointly with UNDP, conducted a seminar entitled Information Communication Technologies in State Management. This seminar was held in line with the National Strategy in the field of ICT.
The measures undertaken by the national government foster understanding of the importance of using of IT in the process of creating democratic and strengthening of civil society. In this regard, particular attention is being paid to: strengthening the economic, social and intellectual potential of the country through improvement of the national education system, creation and development of the market of IT and knowledge; implementation of effective, transparent and manageable state regulation and activity of local authorities; formation of a developed infrastructure in the field of information technologies; creation of a favorable environment for the provision of human rights; dissemination and use of information; creation and development of the juridical basis for information society; and the conservation of national heritage. These measures are important conditions for the formation of human gold.
|
