“The Lebanese ICT Strategy and A Proposal for Regional ICT Cooperation”

1. ALECSO Regional Meeting November 2-5, 2002, Cairo, Egypt “The Lebanese ICT Strategy and A Proposal for Regional ICT Cooperation” Dr. Raymond Khoury Technical Cooperation Unit Director Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR), Lebanon

2. Presentation Outline • National ICT Policy and Strategy • Major Indicators • Analysis of survey and list of Government applications • Best achievements • The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • Priority projects • Regional Framework for ICT Development

3. National ICT Policy and Strategy Background MITC established in May 24th, 1997 Lebanese ICT Policy and Strategy document published in 1998 and revised in 2001 Objectives A Strategy for ICT Defining national Goals Raising national awareness Emphasizing the Importance of Government Leadership Ensuring Private sector Support Ensuring alignment with International standards A Reference framework for international Investors and Donors

4. Vision for Lebanon • Industry • Learning and Education • Government as a major user of ICT • Government as Facilitator • Government as a Regulator • Communications • Cultural Considerations • Sector Information Services more. . .

5. ICT Development Government Support and Incentives Hard Infrastructure Soft Infrastructure Required National ICT Resources National ICT policy ICT laws and regulations Relaxed procedures Tax and labor incentives Investment / capital markets Human resources Capacity building plans Entrepreneurship progs Local ICT industry E-Society Telecommunications Systems/Applications Facilities for tech parks / zones

6. Major IndicatorsMobile phone use in the Arab Countries (2000)

7. Major IndicatorsNumber of ISP in Arab Countries (2000)

8. Internet Use Statistics in the Arab Countries (2000)

9. Internet Host Count Statistics (2001)

10. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration

11. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration (cont’d)

12. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration (cont’d)

13. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration (cont’d)

14. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration (cont’d)

15. List of Customized Applications in the Public Administration (cont’d)

16. Best Achievements • Thousands of Government Forms Available online and in a unified/coded format from a Single Access Point Customer Profile • Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) is responsible for leading the Lebanese post-war public administration into the 21st century. The agency coordinates international donor contributions, carries out public procurement and provides ICT expertise and training for the Lebanese public sector. Business Situation • Many citizens did not know which official form they required in their dealings with government, or where and how to get it. • Citizens often had to make repeated visits to a government office, wasting their time and that of officials in the process. Solution • The Informs portal provides a single resource for all government forms, with advice and instructions for completing them. Benefits • Greater convenience for citizens • Increased transparency for a more accountable public sector • Time savings and more efficient back-office processes

17. What has been achieved … Hard Infrastructure System Applications A number of vertical applications have been deployed (MoF tax system, NAJM customs system. Cadastre land registration system, Port of Beirut DMS, National Archives indexing and optical storage system, Legal Decisions DMS, .. etc.) NAJM 2 customs system expansion to cover all ports of entry (5 locations); Port tracker system application to address cargo manifest for port of Beirut. Other vertical applications recently completed include COOP medical benefits and compensation system, NSSF systems, Commercial Registration system, and Insurance Control Commission system. Some horizontal (cross agency) applications have been developed (Information offices, Budget System, ..etc.). Others in the works include HR database for the civil service, personnel and financial systems for agencies, ..etc. Multitude of General Security applications developed

18. What has been achieved … Policies and Procedures Institutionalizing needed Removal of outdated technical controls and updating reforms commercial code system Work on simplification of all government procedures Modernization of national tax system Work on new organizational structure of ministries and autonomous agencies New public sector tendering law drafted along with implementation decrees ICT laws and regulations IPR and online banking laws passed in 1999 Digital Signature law under review by special parliament committee and near enactment. Work underway for drafting certificate authentication, privacy protection and other ICT laws by MoET.

19. What has been achieved … Policies and Procedures ICT Policy and Standards Policy and strategy document prepared in 1999 Ministerial ICT committee appointed by Prime Minister in early 2001 to handle national ICT matters with private-public sector partnerships Standards guidelines for ICT projects in the public sector under preparation E-government strategy document completed and presented to Council of Ministers for approval. Soft Infrastructure Human resources Good number of civil servants trained on ICT products (OMSAR has trained in access of 2500) A sizeable number of civil servants have been trained on administration of ICT solutions (some 150+ through OMSAR projects)

20. What has been achieved … Soft Infrastructure Human resources Assessments of ICT staff requirements for a number of ministries and agencies have been made. Draft of new ICT cadre and salary scale for government at large currently under review. Capacity building plans With the support of the local industry continuous or in- service training plans are being achieved. ICT events are also being attended on a constant basis by key government staff to stay current with global ICT developments. The new Institute for Public Administration to play a key role in in-service capacity building. An E-Society ICT awareness campaigns by the government are being prepared as well as Multi-purpose community telecenters. Private sector ICT awareness through PCA PiPOP initiative and media and organizing successful conference and exhibitions such as Termium.

21. The road ahead … • Current ICT achievements are mainly the result of grants and loans from international funding organizations (IFOs) i.e. fixed programs with pre-defined project components. Some government funds provided in-kind. A number of ICT projects fully funded by government. • A “situation” map on all e-government related achievements in the government is being formulated (The National Government Map) • All government services forms and their procedures involving ministries and agencies (1600) have been consolidated and documented – the foundations of the ‘digital nervous system’ for the Lebanese E-government. A ‘One-stop-shop’ point of information portal for these forms and procedures has been developed – informs.gov.lb. • With 2 & 3, a Government of Lebanon E-government Strategy and implementation plan has been formulated and presented to senior officials. Strategy and plan cover local, national and international e-government requirements. Sent to Council of Ministers for endorsement.

22. The road ahead … • Initial implementation focus will be on revenue generating / cost reducing applications such as bill collections, tourism services and e-procurement applications. Percentage of increased revenues requested to be earmarked for an e-government fund. • Cooperation with and technology transfer from international ICT conglomerates and consulting firms will be key throughout the implementation process. • Work is to continue on gradually building the optimal ICT cadre in the government to be able to handle ICT usage and administration requirements. • The general public, academia and business community will be involved in the e-government implementation plan so as to reach an E-society status in a timely manner. Expertise from Lebanese expatriates will also be solicited. • Sharing knowledge and expertise with regional countries will also be key.

23. Front Office Citizen-Oriented Projects 2002+ Back Office Beneficiary-Oriented Projects 1998-04 Donor-Guided Projects 1994-00 Base Evolution of Lebanese E-Government Projects

24. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • Strategic Objectives: • Dissemination of all public sector information that a citizen is entitled to through various communication channels – the Internet, via hotlines, through government service centers, etc. • Fulfillment of all public sector services for citizens online through any government office or through the Internet regardless of the geographical location of this office or the residence of the citizen. • Reduction to a minimum the information and supporting documents required of a citizen to fill out a public sector formality. No re-entry of the same information is to be required. • Provision of a single point of notification for a citizen to use in informing the government of any change in personal or business information. • Realization of all government procurement processes online based on a harmonized commercial coding schema to become a lead example for electronic commerce on the national level. • Attainment of all intra-government information exchanges and communiqués online.

25. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • Underlying Principles: • Assure timely enactment of the required institutional, regulatory and legal frameworks for the administration at large. • Realize a comprehensive network and systems infrastructure throughout the administration and adopt a secure means of data entry for all system applications through the use of smart card technology and biometrics. • Give civil servants and citizens alike the opportunity to be part of the electronic or networked society notwithstanding their financial, social or educational conditions. • Work in partnership with the private sector, academia and non-government organizations (NGOs) on the proliferation of ICT literacy. • Take a leading-by-example role in the development of e-commerce through an e-procurement initiative. • Actively involve the local ICT industry in the various e-government related projects and constantly work on promoting this industry for it to be a national resource in support of the national Information Society.

26. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • KEY PLAYERS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS • - Central Government Bodies • - Ministries and Autonomous Agencies • - Mouhafazats and Municipalities • - Embassies, consulates and missions abroad • - Banking and Financial Services Sector • - National ICT Sector • - Non-Government Organizations • E-GOVERNMENT-ENABLING ACHIEVEMENTS • - Assessments and Studies • - Infrastructure • - Systems and Applications • - Training and Capacity Building • - Legislative Work • - National Awareness Module 1: Situation Analysis:

27. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy Module 2: E-Government Framework

28. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • Legalizing Electronic Information and Services • Protection of Electronic Information • Security of Electronic Services • Privacy • Authenticity • Integrityof Information • Non-Repudiation Module 2: E-Government Framework: Legal Framework No Pain No E-Gain

29. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy Internet WWW TELECENTERS Input Output NATIONAL ID OR E-GOV SMART CARD DELIVERY AND ACCESS CHANNELS S e r v i c e s TRAINING / AWARENESS STANDRADS and BRANDING INFORMATION PORTALS SERVICES PORTALS ENABLING APPLICATIONS NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EMBASSIES, CONSULATES AND MISSIONS DATA CENTERS Module 2: E-Government Framework: Technical Framework P K I

30. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • ENABLING APPLICATIONS: • Government Email and Directory Services • Workflow, Document Management and Archiving • Information and Decision Support • INFORMATION PORTALS: • Government Forms and Supporting Documents • Sector Specific portals – Tourism and Business • SERVICES PORTALS: • Government to Citizen (G2C and C2G) • Government to Business (G2B and B2G) • Government to Employee (G2E and E2G) • Government to Government (G2G) Module 2: E-Government Framework: Services Framework

31. The Lebanese E-Government Strategy • BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY: • Promoting Internet utilization by C and B • Developing and offering high quality and affordable Internet services • Supporting national ICT industry and promoting investments • Enhancing ICT curriculum at all education levels • Setting up ICT training centers or academies Module 2: E-Government Framework: Capacity Building/Promotion/Operations Framework • INTERNAL GOVERNMENT TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING: • Promoting ICT knowledge for civil servants • Setting up ICT training centers in government institutes • E-GOVERNMENT O & M STRUCTURE: • Government-wide central O & M unit • Ministry and agency specific O & M units • Establishing ICT cadre and salary scale in government

32. The Lebanese E-Gov Strategy: Priority Projects (1 to 2 years) • Legal Framework: • Drafting and enactment of ICT-related legislation and regulation along with implementation decrees. • Technical Framework: • Interconnecting through a secure network information infrastructure central government bodies, a number of key ministries and several international offices. • Services Framework: • Utilities subscription and billing services • Civil and criminal records • Completion of the online customs system • Residence and work permits for foreigners • Passport and visa petitions and issuances • Vehicle registration and excise tax payments • Capacity-building / Promotions / Operations Framework: • ICT cadre and salary scale; ICT training; training centers; promote e-gov strategy; completing O & M structure and staffing O&M central unit and a few field units. Module 3: Implementation Planning

33. Global Global Regional Regional National National Joining the Global K-Based Society

34. Regional Framework for ICT Development • Why? • To address and preserve certain cultural aspects, mainly related to the Arabic language - multimedia content, localized ICT systems (Internet, E-commerce, ..) • To share experiences and best practices on various ICT building blocks or resources for faster national ICT development • To establish common standards or principles for ICT-enabled interactions or transactions between regional countries • To collectively reduce regional tariffs between countries (telecom, online trade, ..) to globally competitive levels • To help one another and succeed in joining the global KB society as a percentage of a sizeable population (nearing 200 million)

35. Scenarios for realizing this Framework • Scenario 1: Scope and implement a regional program that addresses all ICT resources for all regional countries starting with in-country assessments and ending after several iterations / workshops with a regional framework document. • Scenario 2: Form a number of so called ‘Communities of Practice’ between regional countries so that all pertinent knowledge is shared amongst the right peers at the right time to achieve the right regional outcomes. Examples of such Communities can include: • ‘ICT Awareness / Training’ Community of Practice • ‘ICT Hard Infrastructure / Security’ Community of Practice • ‘Technology Parks / Zones’ Community of Practice • ‘ICT Legislation and Standards’ Community of Practice • ‘Entrepreneurship / Investment Funding’ Community of Practice

36. Scenarios for realizing this Framework • Scenario 2 (continued): these ‘Communities of Practice’ can function in parallel leading to common subject area understandings and agreements in the shortest time possible. These subject area agreements can then be grouped to form a regional framework document. • Scenario 2 is the most appropriate (even used in developed countries)! • Mode of Operation? • Hold inaugural and periodic community meetings as frequent as need be • Set up mail lists for each identified Community of Practice • Frequently share information online with each community member (community web site or portal) • Involve subject area international organizations when need be (mentors) and establish ties with similar subject area ‘Communities of Practice’ from other regions of the globe.

37. Scenarios for realizing this Framework • Mode of Operation (continued)? • Formulate some consensus before each meeting so that certain agreements could be announced at each meeting • Publicize the work of each community to draw in additional regional and international support and cooperation • Hold regional conferences / seminars for all identified communities to attend and cross-share various knowledge and results so that an overall regional KB society framework can be reached as quickly as possible.

38. Regional partners for this Framework • Government-supported • Arab League and related organizations • GCC • National Funds • Regional Funds • Development Banks • Universities • From each member country • Regional Organizations • Regional Policy Centers • Regional Offices of International ICT Companies • All UN Agencies!

39. Thank You!

40. Multi-purpose Community TelecenterFloor Plan

41. Multi-purpose Community Telecenter3D Perspective

42. SPECIAL PURPOSE AGENCIES The Higher Council of Central Commission Development Bank for and Central Fund of Relief Reconstruction the Displaced Agency for the People Organization of National Council South-West National for Scientific Suburb of Beirut Archiving Research City Council of the Public Agency Agency (Elissar) South for Encouraging PUBLIC MUNICIPALITIES Investment AGENCIES CIVIL SERVICE MINISTRIES Large Ministry Ministry of Foreign Municipalities Water of Ministry of Economy Affairs and Controlled by the Authorities Justice Lebanese and Trade Immigrants Court of Audit University Ministry of Beirut Information Ministry of Ministry of Ministry of Ministry of Finance + Tourism National Displaced Agricultural National Lottery Defense Scientific Ministry of CENTRAL Research Authority Interior Small BODIES and Ministry of Municipalities Municipalities Social Affairs Public Presidency Hospitals The of the Ministry of Management Presidency of Parliament Republic Public Works Council for Agency Ministry of the Council of and Execution of Public Health Ministers Transportation Major Projects Civil for the City of National Central National Central Service Beirut Employmen Inspection Institute for Disciplinary Board Ministry Of National Defense Ministry Court of t Agency Commission Ministry of Bank Deposit Board of Labor Accounts Environment Insurance Ministry of Regie National OMSAR Constitutional Agricultrure Administra Railways and Music Ministry of Religious Assembly tion Public Institute Telecommunications Judiciary Transportation Authority Ministry of Youth and Sports Ministry of Internal Fund Executive Ministry of Energy and for Technical Council Industry and Vocational Water for Major Ministry of National Education Projects OGERO and Higher Education Ministry of Culture National Exhibition of Social Agency for the President Security Establishment Rachid Fund Sports City and Karame Agency Public Management of Port of Agency of Industrial Zones Beirut Housing Cooperative of Government Oil Refineries Employees at Tripoli and Central Fund Zahrani for Social Affairs The NationalGovernmentMap

43. The Internet… www.informs.gov.lb The Hotline… 1700

44. Geographic Distribution of Ministries and Agencies

45. Data Center Data Center Digital Nerve System Information Flow between Ministries and Agencies

46. National ID Smart Cards Digital Nerve System Data Centers Data Center Data Center Data Center Principle Pillars of the Lebanese e-government…

47. National Smart Card with PKI and/or Biometrics • Principle application:National ID card with MRF containing the following information • Civil records • Medical information • Social security and/or insurance • Tax information • Driver’s license • Election card • Others