Good Practices

and Innovations in
Public Governance
United Nations Public Service Awards
Winners, 2012-2013
 ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/197

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Good Practices
and Innovations in
Public Governance
United Nations Public Service Awards
Winners, 2012-2013

asdf
UNITED NATIONS
New York, 2014
DESA MISSION STATEMENT
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is
a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental
spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas:
(i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environ-
mental data and information, on which Member States of the United Nations draw to
review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the
negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of
action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises inter-
ested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks devel-
oped in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country
level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

NOTE
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do
not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of
the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area,
or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The designations developed and developing economies are intended for statisti-
cal convenience and do not necessarily imply a judgment about the stage reached by
a particular country or area in the development process.

The term country as used in the text of this publication also refers, as appropriate,
to territories or areas.

The term dollar normally refers to the United States dollar ($).

The views expressed are those of the individual authors and do not imply any expres-
sion of opinion on the part of the United Nations.

ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/197
United Nations Publication
Sales No.: E.13.II.H.1
ISBN:978-92-1-123194-6
eISBN:978-92-1-054193-0
Copyright United Nations, 2011
All rights reserved
ii
Introduction
The quest for innovations in the public sector has been on-going for quite sometime,
but with the need for the world to achieve the commitments made by its leaders in the
Millennium Declaration, the 2005 World Summit and many other global and re-
gional conferences, it has attained a level of urgency. The global consensus on the
urgency of reinventing government is not only manifested in the research efforts that
are focusing on how to improve the performance of governance and public adminis-
tration institutions. It is also seen in the innovators readiness to come together to
share information and knowledge about their innovations to minimize wastage of
resources and time in re-inventing the wheel. It has dawned on most people con-
cerned with the improvement of performance in the public sector that although in-
novations in government are circumscribed in scope, they have the potential to trig-
ger a bigger process of transformation of the State and produce general positive
benefits for citizens through improved service delivery. There are networks of inno-
vators being formed for purposes of sharing and adapting successful practices in in-
novation.

There are also awards programmes at the national, regional and international level to
recognize and further promote innovative practices in the public sector. The most
prestigious international recognition of excellence in the public service is the United
Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA), which is managed by DPADM/UNDESA.
It was launched in 2003 to search for innovations in the public sector, reward and
motivate civil servants, as well as disseminate knowledge about successful practices
in good governance in order to provide the opportunity for peer-to-peer learning
among Member States.

In order to sustain efforts towards a better public administration, it is paramount to sup-

port each initiative of this kind, to encourage innovation in each public institution, to
motivate public servants to help bridge the gap between governments actions and citi-
zens expectations. There is no shortcut to effective delivery of services except to have
the best talent in the public sector. Ultimately, the ability of government to provide
services effectively and efficiently depends upon a competent cadre of civil servants as
good governance requires good people. The men and women who have received the
prestigious United Nations Public Service Awards are testimony to this. They represent
the best in the public service. One way to encourage them to continue in their quest for
more efficient, participatory and equitable public services is to recognize their efforts at
the highest level possible through Awards programmes such as the UNPSA.

This publication is intended for policy makers, scholars and practitioners who have a
keen interest in concrete solutions to governance challenges. Its purpose is to encourage
more women and men in the public sector who are working hard to improve citizens

iii
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

lives, to share with the world their innovations by applying to the United Nations Public
Service Awards Programme, which is held annually; to recognize the efforts of those
who have already won this prestigious Awards by showcasing their successful practices;
and to provide United Nations Member States interested in innovation in governance
with useful information and knowledge about good practices for possible replication.

In light of the above, Part One gives an overview of what the UNPSA is, who is eli-
gible and how to apply, and highlights key aspects of the selection process. Part Two
of this publication provides a description and brief analysis of the successful prac-
tices of the UNPSA Winners from 2012 to 2013. Finally, Part Three presents key
findings on the positive impact that the UNPSA has on further promoting and sus-
taining innovation in government among its winners, as well as lessons learned on
what makes innovation successful.

Box 1:
Good Practices are Available on the UNPAN Portal
Case studies and information about the UNPSA Win-

asdf
ners are also available in the UNPSA Past Initiatives
online database, which is part of the United Nations

UNPAN
Public Administration Network (UNPAN). The initia-
tives can be retrieved by country, year or thematic
area at: www.unpan.org/unpsa_cases

UNPAN is designed to help countries, especially developing countries and countries

in economic transition, to respond to the challenges that governments face in
bridging the digital divide between the haves and have-nots and to achieve their
development goals.

The long-term objective of UNPAN is to build the capacity of these regional and na-
tional institutions, so that they can access, process and disseminate relevant infor-
mation by means of up-to-date information and communication technologies (ICTs)
for the promotion of better public administration.

In short, UNPANs mission is to promote the sharing of knowledge, experiences and

best practices, throughout the world by means of ICTs, sound public policies, effective
public administration and efficient civil services, and through capacity-building and
cooperation among Member States, with an emphasis on South-South cooperation
and UNPANs commitment to integrity and excellence. It is the only network of its type
in the world today.

iv
Acknowledgments
This publication was produced under the leadership of John-Mary Kauzya, Chief
Public Administrator Capacity Branch (PACB) of the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) until 2012. The substantive editors for this
publication are Adriana Alberti and Sirkka Nghilundilua. Nathan Henninger,
DPADMs Outreach, Publishing and Communications Coordinator, has conceptual-
ized and coordinated the publication of this E-book edition, and liaised with the
United Nations Department of Information which implemented it.

Adriana Alberti, Sirkka Nghilundilua, Michelle Alves de Lima and seven DPADM
internsAlexandra Higgens, Emma Anderson, Kwame Insaidoo, Brenda Curtis
Browne, Mongoljingoo Damdinjav, Xiaoning Ning and Said Maaloufhave drafted
case studies for 2012 Winners. The 2013 UNPSA Winners cases were written by
Sirkka Nghilundilua, Anje Schubert and four interns, Djama Drame, Jade Manzano
Kuri, Orlisha Henlon and Yaa Bempa-Boateng.

In finalizing the case studies, the DPADM team relied on information submitted by
the 2012-2013 UNPSA winners as part of their evaluation, along with information
from official websites and UNDESA reports of technical meetings on innovations.
The views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the United Nations.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the
United Nations.

v
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA)
UNPSA Winners 2012-2013 At a Glance by Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
UNPSA Winners 2012 At a Glance by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii

Part One: An Overview

Genesis, Purpose and Scope of the United Nations
Public Service Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Part Two: Success Stories 2012-2013

United Nations Public Service Awards Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2013 Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

2012 Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Part Three: Lessons Learned

The Impact of the United Nations Public Service Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
How Winning the UNPSA Promotes Further Innovations in Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Lessons Learned on Innovation in Public Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

List of Graphs
Graph 1: UNPSA Regional Groups for Evaluation Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Graph 2: UNPSA Categories by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Graph 3: UNPSA Winners by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Graph 4: UNPSA Winners by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Graph 5: UNPSA Winners by Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

List of Boxes
Box 1: Good Practices are Available on the UNPAN Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Box 2: How to Apply to the UNPSA Competition? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Box 3:United Nations General Assembly Resolution Establishing Public Service Day . . . . . . 6

vi
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

UNPSA Winners 2012-2013 At a Glance by Category

Preventing and Combating Rural 57 Fostering Participation in Public

Corruption in the Public Services Policy-Making Decisions Through
INJAZ Hall 59
Innovative
2013 Category 1: Dubai eGovernment Electronic Shared
Services 61 2012 Category 3:
Integrity Reinforcement 25
Integrated Drought Prevention and
Mass Contact Programme 27
Mitigation 168
Anti-Corruption Clean Construction
system 29 Improving the Delivery of Public
Services South Australia's Strategic Plan
INPS 31 Community Engagement 170
Supervizor 33 2012 Category 2: Youth Participation Committees 172
Complaints Window 35 Electronic Single Window Procession Housing - all opinions matter 174
of Foriegn Trade and Customs
Online Asset Declaration System 37 Metro Vancouver's Public Outreach
Formalities 136
and Engagement Program 176
O-paper 139
IT-supported procedure for drafting
The use of ICT in improving service legislation 179
Preventing and Combating delivery in the DGIE 141
Participatory regional Seminars 181
Corruption in the Public Services
Aarogyam 143

2012 Category 1: MP Public Service Delivery

Act 2010 145
Preventing and Combating Promoting Whole-of-Government
Corruption in the Public Services120 Helping to empower
Approaches in the Information Age
Litigants-in-person- The
The Integrity Assessment 122 Subordinate Courts HELP Centre 147
2013 Category 4:
Promoting accountability for NYC311 149
procurement for public projects 124 1-GOV.net 76
Public Sevice Electronic Access for
New Model of Control and Audit Citizens 151 Food Coupon System 78
Public Works 126
Institutional Transformation 153 Quick Response Codes 79
National Public Procurement
Financial Inclusion Project 155 DBRAS: Korea's Integrated Financial
System 128
Management Information System 80
SMS Information System 130 Efficiency for passport services 158
GEA 82
Georgian Electronic government Simplify Procedures and Improve
Services 160 Co-creation of creative solutions
procurement System 132
through eGov initiatives 84
Democratic Reform Using ICT 162
Reform of Solcial Policy 86
Public Service Hall 165
Plan Nacional de Observacion del
Improving the Delivery of Public Teritorio/PNOT 87
Services
TTBIZLink 88

2013 Category 2: Fostering Participation in Public Abu Dhabi Government Contact

Policy-Making Decisions Through Centre 90
Communal Ablution Blocks for Innovative
Informal Settlements 40 Integrated Service delivery Platform
(ISDP) 92
Mailafiya 42 2013 Category 3:
Dubai eGoverment Electronic Shared
Child First-Work Together 44 Seoul Welfare Standards enabled by
Services 93
and for the Citizens 64
Swavalamban 46
Eco-mileage, a program to engage
Servicio attencion a personas con citizens in GHG reduction 66
Movilidad reducida 48
Increased transparency in the Advancing Knowledge Management
Integrating knowledge management decision-making process 68 in Government
systems for improved efficiency 50
Sistema Estadual de Particacao
Improving Outcomes for Children 51 Popular e Cidada/SISPARCI 70 2012 Category 4:
Dni De Menores y su Impacto en el Egypt's ICT Indicators Portal 72 eKasih 185
ejercicio de los derechos humanos y el
Develop Knowledge management
desarrollo del pais 53
policies 187
Pacto Pela Vida 55
Preventing Diabetic Blindness 189
Fomento a la Inverion en la Propiedad

vii
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

UNPSA Winners 2012-2013 At a Glance by Category

Advancing Knowledge Management Daycare Program to

in Government (cont'd) Support Mothers 217
inclusion of Women in the
2012 Category 4: Police Force 220
SiTxell 192 Reduce Childhood Morality Rate 222
geo.admin.ch 195
Integrated Workflow Management
System 197
UYAP (National Judiciary Information
System) 200

Promoting Gender-Responsive
Delivery of Public Service

2013 Category 5:
L'Integration de l'Approche Genre
dans le Plan Strategique de Formation,
de Renforcement des Capacit 97
AEDFCS, ASSNFS, and IPFA 98
Gender integration in the
water sector 100
GRLI 102
GRAAMIN HAAT 104
Comprehensive Support Initiate
for Women of Single Person
Households 105
Aktionsprogramm Perspektive
Wiedereinstieg 107
Mini*Midi*Mef 109
Catalogo Orientador de Gastos
Politicas de Equidad de Genero 110
Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer
Clinic - Women Health Outreach
Program 112
Center for Integrated Services Against
Family Violence 114

Promoting Gender-Responsive
Delivery of Public Service

2012 Category 5:
Protecting the Futures 203
Gender integration in the
water sector 205
Isage One Stop Center 207
Public participation in
peace process 210
Zero torelerance for Violence against
Women 212
Chapeu de Palha 215

viii
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

UNPSA Winners 2013 At a Glance by Year

2013 UNPSA Winners
Category 1: Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Morocco Integrity Reinforcement Enhancing transparency and improving the 25
processing of retirement fund disbursements

Asia and India Mass Contact Programme (MCP) Accelerating the response rate for citizens 27
the Pacific complaints on service delivery

Republic of Anti-Corruption Clean Construction Enhancing transparency and accountability in the 29

Korea System Korean construction industry

Europe & Italy INPS: Our fight and synergy against Enhancing transparency and accountability in the 31
North corruption social welfare system in Apulia
America

Slovenia Supervizor Creating more transparency and decreasing 33

corruption through ICT

Western Oman Complaints Window 35

Asia

Georgia Online Asset Declaration System Promoting transparency and accountability of 37

(OADS) government through public online asset
declarations of public servants

Category 2: Improving the Delivery of Public Service

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Africa South Africa Communal Ablution Blocks for Providing access to potable water and sanitation 40
Informal Settlements services to informal settlement dwellers

Nigeria Mailafiya Improving management of health data and access 42

to primary health care through ICT

Asia & the Thailand Child First-Work Together (CF-WT) Providing early assessment of children with special 44
Pacific needs and investing into their skills development

India Swavalamban Improving efficiency in disbursement of pensions 46

through ICT

Europe & Spain Servicio atencion a Personas con Enhancing access for travelers with disabilities 48
North Movilidad Reducida-PMR
America

Spain Modernization of local Integrating knowledge management systems for 50

adminstration through the use of improved efficiency
new technologies

USA Improving Outcomes for Children Improving child welfare services through enhanced 51
monitoring systems

Latin Peru Dni De Menores Y Su Impacto En El Improving the management of social benefits for 53
America & Ejercicio De Los Derechos Humanos children through provision of an identification
the Y El Desarrollo Del Pas document
Caribbean

Brazil Pacto Pela Vida-PPV Improving safety and security for the people of 55
Pernambuco

Mexico Fomento a la Inversin en la Improving livelihoods through facilitating 57

Propiedad Rural / FIPP investment opportunities to benefit local
communities

ix
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 UNPSA Winners (cont.)

Category 2: Improving the Delivery of Public Service

Western Oman INJAZ Hall Improving the delivery of municipal services 59

Asia through a one-stop centre

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

United Arab Dubai eGovernment Electronic Improving management of health data and access 61
Emirates Shared Services to primary health care through ICT
Category 3: Fostering participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Asia and Republic of Seoul Welfare Standards enabled Improving welfare services for citizens 64
the Pacific Korea by and for the Citizens

Republic of Eco-mileage, a program to engage Improving energy supply through incentives for 66
Korea citizens in GHG reduction reducing energy consumption

Europe & Moldova Increased transparency in the Facilitating citizen participation in public policy 68
North decision-making process making
America

Latin Brazil Sistema Estadual de Participao Citizen engagement for public policy planning, 70
America & Popular e Cidad / SISPARCI implementation and monitoring through ICT tools
the
Caribbean

Western Egypt Egypt's ICT Indicators Portal Facilitating participation to ensure accuracy and 72
Asia relevance of key ICT indicators

Category 4: Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Africa Nigeria 1-GOV.net Harmonizing ICT services across government 76
entities to reduce costs and create synergies for
public service delivery.

Botswana Food Coupon System Revamping the food distribution system to simplify 78
the associated administrative process and to treat
beneficiaries with dignity

Morocco Quick Response Codes Increasing the efficiency of information-sharing on 79

urban planning and design through new
technology: bar codes.

Asia & the Republic of DBAS: Korea's Integrated Financial Integrating fiscal systems to allow for improved 80
Pacific Korea Management Information System planning and use of resources across government.

Republic of GEA Improved transparency, accountability and service 82

Korea delivery through integrated e-government service
delivery.

Singapore Co-creation of creative solutions New technological solutions for collecting and 84
through eGov initiatives sharing environmental data for better public
services

Europe & Slovenia Reform of Social Policy Integrating the social rights system for consistent 86
North and transparent service delivery
America

Spain Plan Nacional de Obsevacin del Creation of an integrated Geographical Information 87

Territorio/PNOT System for integrated and high quality information
for government and citizens

x
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 UNPSA Winners (cont.)

Category 4: Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age

Latin Trinidad and TTBIZLink Creation of e-services for trade and business related 88
America & Tobago services to improve the ease of doing business.
the
Caribbean

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Western United Arab Abu Dhabi Government Contact Improving and harmonizing standards of customer 90
Asia Emirates Centre service across government through a One Stop
Shop contact centre.

Bahrain Integrated Service Delivery An integrated service delivery platform for better 92
Platform (ISDP) services to citizens

United Arab Dubai eGovernment Electronic Creating cross-entity electronic shared services to 93
Emirates Shared Services (ESS) incentivize collaboration and synergies for
whole-of-government policy making and
implementation.

Category 5: Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of Public Services

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Africa Morocco LIntgration de lApproche Genre Empowering women for more participation in 97
dans le Plan Stratgique de decision-making processes.
Formation, de Renforcement des
Capacit

Ethiopia AEDFCS, ASSNFS, and IPFA Improving access to public service and academia 98
for women from marginalized groups through an
alternative admission program.

Kenya Gender integration in the water Improving access to healthcare for women in 100
sector remote areas through mobile clinics.

Asia & the Pakistan GRLI Creating more awareness for improving the 102
Pacific conditions of womens participation in the labour
market by providing relevant information through a
toolkit.

India GRAAMIN HAAT Empowering rural women to participate in local 104

governance

Republic of Comprehensive Support Initiate for Attending to the needs of female single person 105
Korea Women of Single Person households through tailored policy initiatives
Households

Europe & Germany Aktionsprogramm Perspektive Assisting women to re-integrate into the labour 107
North Wiedereinstieg (PWE) market after extended career breaks.
America

Italy Mini*Midi*Mef (MMM) Facilitating womens full participation in the 107

workplace by providing child care services during
school breaks.

Latin Ecuador Catalogo Orientador de Gastos Institutionalizing gender budgeting 110

America & Politicas de Equidad de Genero
the
Caribbean

Western Egypt Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Enhancing the delivery of breast cancer prevention 112
Asia Clinic - Women Health Outreach services through a multi-disciplinary approach
Program

Jordan Center for Integrated Services Assisting victims of domestic violence by creating a 114
Against Family Violence neutral and safe place and providing professional
assistance

xi
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

UNPSA Winners 2012 At a Glance by Year

2012 UNPSA Winners

Category 1: Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Mauritius Preventing and Combating Institutionalizing anti-corruption measures in the 120
Corruption in the Public Service public service of Mauritius to prevent and combat
corruption

Asia and Republic The Integrity Assessment Assessing corruption and integrity levels among 122
the Pacific of Korea targeted service users to detect corruption and
enhance transparency in the public sector

Singapore Promoting accountability for Improving transparency and accountability for 124
procurement of public projects procurement of public projects

Latin Mexico New Model of Control and Audit Preventing corruption in Mexicos public 126
America & Public Works procurement system through policy reform and
the design of monitoring tools that detect corruption
Caribbean timely

Mexico National Public Procurement Improving public procurement through overhaul of 128
System polices and ICT

Western Turkey SMS Information System Improving timeliness and access to information on 130
Asia legal cases for citizens in Turkey, through the use of
mobile technologies

Georgia Georgian Electronic Government Increasing transparency and for public 132
Procurement System procurement through ICT

Category 2: Improving the Delivery of Public Services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Senegal Electronic Single Window GAINDE 2000 implemented the Single Window 136
Procession of Foreign Trade and (Guichet Unique) ORBUS that is in operation since
Customs Formalities 2004 in Senegal, and the use of which became
mandatory for pre-clearance customs formalities.

Morocco 0-paper Improving deliver of pension related services and 139

reducing cost through the creation of a paperless
on-line system

Rwanda The use of ICT in improving service Using ICT to improve the delivery of immigration 141
delivery in the DGIE and emigration services

Asia & the India Aarogyam Initiated in Bagpat & JP Nagar district of Uttar 143
Pacific Pradesh, Aarogyam aims to provide healthcare
services to citizens at their doorsteps, with special
focus on mothers and children to bridge the gap
between citizens and service delivery. Aarogyam
caters to both safe motherhood and child survival
components RCH.

India MP Public Service Delivery Act 2010 Improving public service delivery through a 145
strenghtened regulatory framework and grievance
mechanism for citizens

Singapore Helping to Empower Litigants-in- Providing legal representation to disadvantaged 147

Person The Subordinate Courts groups through a HELP Centre
HELP Centre

xii
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012 UNPSA Winners (cont.)

Category 2: Improving the Delivery of Public Services

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Europe & Unite States NYC311 New Yorks Citys 311 has a mission to provide the 149
North of America public with quick, easy access to all New York City
America government services and information while
maintaining the highest level of customer service.
311 is New York Citys single number for
non-emergency services and information in the
City of New York.

Spain Public Service Electronic Access for Creating electronic access for citizens to public 151
Citizens services

Latin Dominican Institutional Transformation Serving the most vulnerable sectors of the 153
America & Republic Dominican population, providing quality and low
the cost medicines, medical supplies and laboratory
Caribbean reagents to users of the National Public Health
System.

Mexico Financial Inclusion Project Creating access to financial services to disadvanted 155
groups

Grenada Efficiency for passport services Computerizing the issuance of passports services 158
for speedy services

Western Lebanon Simplify Procedures and Improve Automating the delivery of medical and social 160
Asia Services compensation system to public employees.

Egypt Democratic Reform Using ICT Facilitating and improving electoral processes 162
through ICT

Georgia Public Service Hall Reforming public service delivery through 165
one-stop-shop technology service platforms

Category 3: Fostering participation in public policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Asia & the Thailand Integrated Drought Prevention and The name of the institution that started this project 168
Pacific Mitigation: The Mae Yom that acquired such wide recognition is called Royal
Operation and Maintenance Office Irrigation Department. The initiative, integrated
drought prevention and mitigation. It calls for
participation from all stakeholders and related
public agencies.

Australia South Australias Strategic Plan Engaging citizens into strategic planning 170
Community Engagement

The Republic Youth Participation Committees Increasing the participation of youth into 172
of Korea policy-making

Europe & Spain Housing all opinions matter Promoting the participation of the Basque 174
North community for the enrichment of housing
America legislation and strategy.

Canada Metro Vancouvers Public Outreach Engaging citizens into finding solutions for public 176
and Engagement Program transportation problems

Slovenia IT-supported procedure for drafting Using ICT for drafting and adopting legislation and 179
legislation (ITDL) including contributions by the public for greater
transparency

xiii
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012 UNPSA Winners (cont.)

Category 3: Fostering participation in public policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms

Region Country Initiative Institution Pg

Latin Brazil Participatory Regional Seminars Engaging civil society in regional seminars as a 181
America & mechanism for the development of strategic State
the Government plans with regional and citizen-centric
Caribbean focus.

Category 4: Advancing Knowledge Management in Government

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Asia & the Malaysia eKasih Improving management and implementation of 185
Pacific poverty reduction efforts through an integrated
national poverty data bank

The Republic National Science and Technology Sharing of Research & Development related 187
of Korea Information Service information across government entities and with
citizens through a one-stop service

Thailand Preventing Diabetic Blindness Preventing diabetic blindness by creating local 189
community health care teams

Europe & Spain SITxell Conducting a province-wide territorial analysis to 192

North improve coordination and reduce duplication of
America work between urban and land use planning
agencies.

Switzerland geo.admin.ch Giving citizen access to information on federal 195

spatial data infrastructure through a central
platform

Western Bahrain Integrated Workflow Management Integrated knowledge management though ICT 197
Asia System (IWMS)

Turkey UYAP (National Judiciary Establishing a quicker and more reliable justice 200
Informatics System) system through ICT

Category 5: Promoting Gender-responsive Delivery of Public Services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa South Africa Protecting the Futures Educating young girls about adolescent 203
reproductive health and puberty to decrease high
absenteeism and drop-out rates

Kenya Gender integration in the water Closing gender gaps in the water sector through 205
sector training and the creation of gender focal points

Rwanda Isange One Stop Center Improving access to service for victims of sexual 207
and gender-based violence

Europe & Bosnia & Public participation in peace Increasing women representation and gender 210
North Herzegovina processes balance in the armed forces to enhance gender
America responsiveness in the design and delivery of
security services

Spain Zero Tolerance for Violence against Improving prevention and care for survivors of 212
Women domestic violence through multi-sector
intervention

Latin Brazil Chapeu de Palha Training and equipping women with skills to access 215
America & broader employment opportunities
the
Caribbean

xiv
2012 UNPSA Winners (cont.)
Category 5: Promoting Gender-responsive Delivery of Public Services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Latin Mexico Daycare Program to Support Improving the economic situation of mothers by 217
America & Mothers providing more child care services
the
Caribbean

Western Bahrain Inclusion of Women in the Police Promoting gender-responsive delivery of public 220
Asia Force services, and initiating a human rights approach to
the work of the Dubai Police.

Oman Reduce Childhood Mortality Rate: Reducing childhood mortality rate by proving 222
Infants and Children under 5 years holistic primary care for pregnant women
of Age

xv
Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance

Overview

1
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Box 2:
How to Apply to the UNPSA Competition?
Who is Eligible?
All public organisations/agencies at national and sub national
levels are eligible for nomination, and;
Self-nominations are not accepted.

How to Apply?
All application forms must be completed online at:
www.unpan.org/unpsa
Only online nominations are accepted;
Nominations deadline is in the fall of each year. Please visit
UNPANs site (www.unpan.org) for the exact date; and
Applications can be made in any of the United Nations six official
languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, or Spanish.

How are Winners Selected?

The Division for Public Administration and Development
pre-selects the applications to create a short-list;
Short-listed candidates are asked to submit additional
information, including a cover letter, letters of reference and
supporting documentation (e.g., evaluation and audit reports,
results of client surveys); and
The United Nations Committee of Experts on Public
Administration (CEPA) (www.unpan.org/cepa.asp) advises the
United Nations Secretary-General about the winners.

2
Genesis, Purpose and Scope of the United Nations
Public Service Awards
This chapter provides an overview of the rationale for establishing the United Na-
tions Public Service Awards, and it outlines the objectives, the categories and criteria
of its annual competition, and its selection process.

1. What is the United Nations Public Service Awards Programme?

The United Nations Public Service Awards Programme is the most prestigious interna-
tional recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements
and contributions of public service institutions to a more effective and responsive pub-
lic administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the United
Nations Public Service Awards Programme promotes the role, professionalism and vis-
ibility of public service. It encourages exemplary public service and recognizes that
democracy and successful governance are built on a competent civil service.

2. Why was the United Nations Public Service Awards Programme Established?
Governments from around the world are required to respond to increasingly complex
demands from their citizens and significant changes in their global environments. At
the national level, they are grappling with several difficult social and economic is-
sues; including poverty eradication, unemployment, poor education systems; health
epidemics (including HIV/AIDS and the avian influenza), and environmental degra-
dation. At the same time, they are attempting to readjust their policies and skills to
integrate effectively into the world economy.

Overall, governments face three main challenges:

First, they must operate and provide more far-reaching and higher-quality ser-
vices with reduced resources and limited operational capacities. That is to say,
governments must use their resources and build capacities not only more ef-
fectively but also more creatively by, for example, enlisting the support of the
private sector and civil society in service delivery.
Second, they must make public institutions more accountable, responsive, and
effective by promoting a more citizen-oriented public administration.
Third, and most importantly, they must respond more adequately to citizens
demands for greater participation.
Although government still plays a central role in society, it is now widely recognized
that civil society and the private sector also have an important role to play in this
sphere. Citizens no longer perceive themselves as passive consumers of govern-
ment services but as part of the solution to handle emerging issues more effectively.
Deepening democracy to provide opportunities not only for improved representation

3
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

but also for more active participation and engagement in public affairs requires in-
novative institutional mechanisms, processes, and policies.

As a consequence, several countries around the world are attempting to revitalize

their public administration and make it more proactive, more efficient, more account-
able, and especially more service oriented. To accomplish this transformation, gov-
ernments are introducing innovations in their organisational structure, practices, ca-
pacities, and working on how to mobilize, deploy, and utilize the human, material,
information, technological, and financial resources for service delivery to remote,
disadvantaged, and challenged people.

While there are efforts all over the world to find innovative ways to improve the per-
formance of public administration and to empower it to effectively initiate, plan and
implement national development policies and programmes as well as international
and regional agreed development strategies, including the Millennium Development
Goals; there is, also, a strong need to acknowledge and share them at the interna-
tional level.

In light of the above, the United Nations Public Service Awards Programme was
launched to promote and support Member States efforts to improve public sector
performance. The importance of this international recognition has later been recalled
in 2005, when the United Nations General Assembly agreed that the United Nations
should promote innovation in government and public administration and stressed the
importance of making more effective use of United Nations Public Service Day and
the United Nations Public Service Awards in the process of revitalizing public ad-
ministration by building a culture of innovation, partnership, and responsiveness
(UN/2005, A/60/L.24, para.7). To capitalize on existing knowledge on how to achieve
development and the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations General
Assembly in 2003 also recommended in Resolution 57/277 that the exchange of ex-
periences related to the role of public administration in the implementation of inter-
nationally agreed goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, be
encouraged (United Nations, 2003, A/RES/57/277).

4
 GENESIS, PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

3. When and How was the UNPSA Established?

The United Nations Public Service Awards Programme was launched as a result of
the deliberations of the fifteenth meeting of the Group of Experts on the United Na-
tions Programme in Public Administration and Finance (GA Resolution 49/136).
During this session, the Group of Experts recommended that an annual event be or-
ganized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations
Secretariat through its Division for Public Economics and Public Administration
(now the Division for Public Administration and Development Management) to rec-
ognize and encourage excellence in public administration. This recommendation was
subsequently reflected in the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the
Group of Experts on the United Nation Programme in Public Administration and
Finance at its fifteenth meeting (E/2000/66) and endorsed by the Economic and So-
cial Council in its decision 2000/231 of 27 July 2000.

As reiterated by the General Assembly in its resolution 57/277 in 2003, efficient

accountable and transparent public administration, at both the national and interna-
tional levels, has a key role to play in the implementation of internationally agreed
goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and
in that context stresses the need to strengthen national public sector administrative
and managerial capacity-building, in particular in developing countries and countries
with economies in transition.

Therefore, in line with the above, 23 June has been designated the United Nations
Public Service Day to celebrate the value and virtue of service to the community.
The Economic and Social Council established the United Nations Public Service
Awards to be bestowed on the Public Service Day for contributions made to the cause
of enhancing the role, prestige and visibility of public service.

5
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Box 3:
United Nations General Assembly Resolution
Establishing Public Service Day

General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/57/277)

of 7 March 2003
The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 50/225 of 19 April 1996, 53/201 of 15 De-

cember 1998 and 56/213 of 21 December 2001 on public administra-
tion and development, as well as Economic and Social Council reso-
lution 2001/45 of 20 December 2001,

Stressing the need for capacity-building initiatives aimed at institu-

tion building, human resources development, strengthening finan-
cial management and harnessing the power of information and tech-
nology:

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the role

of public administration in the implementation of the United
Nations Millennium Declaration;

Reiterates that efficient, accountable, effective and transparent

public administration, at both the national and international
levels, has a key role to play in the implementation of
internationally agreed goals, including those contained in the
United Nations Millennium Declaration, and in that context
stresses the need to strengthen national public sector
administrative and managerial capacity-building, in particular
in developing countries and countries with economies in
transition;

6
GENESIS, PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

Decides that 23 June will be designated United Nations Public

Service Day, and encourages Member States to organize
special events on that day to highlight the contribution of
public service in the development process;

Expresses its deep appreciation for the generous offer of the

Kingdom of Morocco to host the fourth Global Forum, at
Marrakesh, in December 2002;

Welcomes the substantive support that the Secretariat has

provided to the Global Forum, and invites it to extend such
support to any future forums of a similar kind that may take place;

Reiterates its appreciation for the role that the United Nations
Online Network in Public Administration and Finance performs in
promoting information sharing and exchange of experience and
in building the capacities of developing countries to utilize
information communication technologies for this purpose, and
reiterates that particular emphasis should be given to the
exchange of experience related to the role of public administration
in the implementation of internationally agreed goals, including
those contained in the Millennium Declaration; and

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General

Assembly at its fifty-eighth session, in the manner he deems
appropriate, on the implementation of the present resolution.

7
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

4. What is the Overall Purpose of UNPSA?

The overall purpose of the United Nations Public Awards is to recognize the institu-
tional contribution made by public servants to enhance the role, professionalism and
visibility of the public service (Economic and Social Council decision 2000/231). It
can be translated into the more specific following objectives:
To promote efficient and effective service delivery for citizens and motivate
public servants worldwide to sustain the momentum of innovation and the
improvement of the delivery of public services;
To collect and disseminate successful practices and experiences in public ad-
ministration in order to support efforts for improvements in country level pub-
lic service delivery;
Through success stories to counterbalance any negative image of public ad-
ministration, raise the image and prestige of public servants and revitalize
public administration as a noble discipline, on which development greatly
depends; and
To enhance professionalism in the public service by rewarding the successful
experiences in innovations and excellence in the public service.

In brief, the Awards aim to:

Discover innovations in governance;
Reward excellence in the public sector;
Motivate public servants to further promote innovation;
Enhance professionalism in the public service;
Raise the image of public service;
Enhance trust in government; and
Collect and disseminate successful practices for possible replication.

5. Who Manages the UNPSA Programme?

The Programme is managed by the Division for Public Administration and Develop-
ment Management of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

8
 GENESIS, PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

6. What are the Eligibility Criteria?

All Public organisations/agencies at national and sub-national levels, as well as pub-
lic/private partnerships and organisations performing outsourced public service func-
tions, are eligible for nomination. The United Nations Public Service Awards Pro-
gramme takes into consideration a geographical distribution of five regions. In order
to level the playing field for nominations received from countries with varying levels
of development and income, the following five regions have been established:
Africa;
Asia and the Pacific;
Europe and North America;
Latin America and the Caribbean; and
Western Asia.
Nominations have to be made by another entity than the institution being nominated,
i.e., self nominations will not be accepted. Eligible nominators include: government
departments and agencies; universities, non-governmental organisations, profession-
al associations, etc. Purely scientific innovations, e.g., in medical or environmental
science, do not qualify for the United Nations Public Service Awards.

9
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007- 2009-

2008 2010
Improvement of
Public Service Results

Improvement of
the Quality of the
Public Service Process

Initiatives in the
Public Service

Application of Information
and Communication
Technology in Government

Improving Transparency
Accountability, and Res-
ponsiveness in the
Public Service

Improving the Delivery

of Public Services

Special Award
in Innovation

Fostering Participation
in Policy-making Decisions
through Innovative
Mechanisms
Advancing Knowledge
Management in
Government

Preventing and
Combating Corruption
in the Public Service

Promoting Gender-
Responsive Delivery
of Public Services

Promoting Whole of
Government Approaches
in the Information Age

10
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2011 2012 2013

11
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

7. What are the Categories and Criteria for Selection?

The UNPSA categories and criteria for selection are hereafter described by year.

2013 Categories: 5. Promoting Gender-Responsive

1. Improving the Delivery of Public Delivery of Public Services
Services 2009 & 2010 Categories:
2. Fostering Participation in Policy- 1. Improving Transparency,
making Decisions through Innovative Accountability, and Responsiveness
Mechanisms in the Public Service
3. Advancing Knowledge Management 2. Improving the Delivery
in Government of Public Services
4. Preventing and Combating 3. Fostering Participation in Policy-
Corruption in the Public Service making Decisions through
5. Promoting Gender-Responsive Innovative Mechanisms
Delivery of Public Service 4. Advancing Knowledge
2012 Categories: Management in Government.
1. Improving the Delivery of Public 2007 & 2008 Categories:
Services 1. Improving Transparency,
2. Fostering Participation in Policy- Accountability, and Responsiveness
making Decisions through Innovative in the Public Service
Mechanisms 2. Improving the Delivery of Public
3. Preventing and Combating Services
Corruption in the Public Service 3. Fostering Participation in Policy-
4. Preventing and Combating making Decisions through
Corruption in the Public Service Innovative Mechanisms
5. Promoting Whole of Government
Approaches in the Information Age

2011 Categories:
1. Preventing and Combating
Corruption in the Public Service
2. Improving the Delivery
of Public Service
3. Fostering participation in policy-
making decisions through
innovative mechanisms
4. Advancing Knowledge
Management in Government

12
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2006 Categories:
1. Improving Transparency,
Accountability, and Responsiveness
in the Public Service
2. Improving the Delivery of Public
Services
3. Application of Information
and Communication Technology
in Government
4. Special Award in Innovation

2005 Categories:
1. Improving Transparency,
Accountability, and Responsiveness
in the Public Service
2. Improving the Delivery
of Public Services
3. Application of Information
and Communication Technology
in Government

2004 Categories:
1. Improvement of Public
Service Results
2. Improvement of the Quality
of the Public Service Process
3. Initiatives in the Public Service
4. Application of Information and
Communication Technology in
Local Government

2003 Categories:
1. Improvement of Public
Service Results
2. Improvement of the Quality
of the Public Service Process
3. Initiatives in the Public Service

13
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

8. What are the Main Steps of the UNPSA Application Process?

The process of the United Nations Public Service Awards starts with the an-
nouncement of the competition and call for nominations. Then it continues with
receipt of the nominations, analysis of the nomination documents, pre-selection
assessment of the nominations, selection of the winners, verification and an-
nouncement of the winners. The process ends with the celebration of United Na-
tions Public Service Day and the Awards ceremony. The application process con-
sists of two stages.

Step 1: An application form has to be completed online in one of the six offi-
cial United Nations languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or
Spanish). The deadline for application is 31 December of each year (please
check UNPAN portal for deadlines updates).
Step 2: Upon receipt of the applications, DPADM pre-selects nominations.
Pre-selected candidates are asked to submit additional information such as
letters of reference, supporting documents (e.g., evaluation and audit re-
ports, results of client surveys), etc. DPADM then shortlists candidates on
the basis of the documents provided. The short-listed are subsequently con-
sidered by the United Nations Committee of Experts in Public Administra-
tion (www.unpan.org/cepa.asp). After due consideration, the Committee
advises the United Nations Secretary-General concerning the winners of
the Awards.
The Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) is a subsidiary
body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Committee, which
was established by ECOSOC in its resolution 2001/45, comprises twenty-four
experts appointed for four years who serve in their personal capacity. The
experts are nominated by the United Nations Secretary-General, in consulta-
tion with Member States, and approved by the Economic and Social Council
(www.unpan.org/cepa.asp).
A process of verification and validation is implemented to ascertain
congruence between the documents submitted and what happens on
the ground.
The CEPA submits its recommendations concerning the winning cases
to the United Nations Secretary-General for declaration of the winners.
The winners of the awards are officially announced.
Reviewers assess each nomination according to an evaluation form
designed for each category of the Award. This form features a certain
number of questions, and a mark is given for each question.

14
 GENESIS, PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

9. Awards Ceremony on the United Nations Public Service Day 23 June

Winners of the United Nations Public Service Awards are celebrated every year at
United Nations Headquarters on 23 June and awardees are invited to participate in
the ceremony. The United Nations General Assembly, in its Resolution 57/277, des-
ignated 23 June as Public Service Day (A/RES/57/277).The United Nations Public
Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the com-
munity; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process;
recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue ca-
reers in the public sector. Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Na-
tions has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.
The Awards Ceremony is also web-cast live through the United Nations web-site at:
www.un.org

The Award: The Winners of the United Nations Public Service Awards receive a
United Nations certificate of recognition and they are awarded with the prestigious
United Nations Awards Trophy.

Information regarding the past Ceremonies of United Nations Public Service Day is
available online at: www.unpan.org/dpepa_psaward.asp

10. Dissemination of Information About the Awards and Winners

Information about the Awards (including eligibility criteria, and methods of nomina-
tion) is widely disseminated among all Permanent Missions to the United Nations,
government ministries or other government agencies in charge of public service in
Member States, institutional partners of DPADM, United Nations Development Pro-
gramme Country Offices; UNPAN Regional Centres and the Regional commissions.

The United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) is a useful means for
transmitting information about the Awards to the various stakeholders. All relevant
documents regarding the Awards are posted on the UNPAN website (www.unpan.org).

Finally, the Division also requires winners to publicize around them and through the
media the Award they received, in order to further promote the United Nations Public
Service Day and Awards, to raise awareness of this event among public institutions
in their country and to encourage them to apply for an Award. The media coverage is
ensured, for example, through press releases and interviews in magazines, newspa-
pers, and other means of communication.

15
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Australia India Japan Malaysia

2012, 10, 8, 7, 6, 4 2013-12, 2010-5 2010 2012

Philippines Rep of Korea Singapore Thailand

2013, 2012 2013-12, 2010- 3 2013-12, 2008-5, 3 2013, 2012

Botswana Cameroon Ethopia Kenya

2008 2004 2013 2013-12, 7

Mauritius Morocco Nigeria Rwanda

2013 2013-12, 7, 5, 4 2013 2012, 8, 6

Senegal South Africa Tanzania Tunisia

2012 2013-12, 9, 8, 7, 4 2010 2010, 2008

Bolivia Brazil Chile Dominican

2003 2013-12, 10, 8, 6, 4 2007, 2003 Republic 2012
Zambia
2009, 6, 3

Ecuador Grenada Mexico Trinidad

2013 2012 2013-2012, 5, 3 2013

Albania Austria Belgium Bosnia

2010 2007, 2004 2006 2012

Canada Germany Greece Italy Azerbaijan Bahrain Egypt Georgia

2012, 10, 9, 2007-3 2013,10, 8 2003 2013, 10, 7, 3 2007 2013-12, 10 2013-12, 9, 3 2013, 2012

Netherlands Poland CO Puerto Rico Solvenia Jordan Lebanon Oman Pakistan

2006 2009 2008 2013-12, 9, 7 2013, 2008 2012-10, 7, 3 2013-12, 10, 9, 3 2013

Spain Sweden Switzerland USA Saudi Arabia Turkey UAE

2013-12, 8, 5, 3 2009, 2008 2012, 2007 2013-2012, 8 2010, 2008 2012 2013-12, 7, 6

16
Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance

Part Two:
Success Stories from the
United Nations Public Service Awards
Winners (2012-2013)

17
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Bahrain Botswana Brazil Ecuador

Egypt Ethiopia Georgia Germany

India Italy Jordan Kenya Brazil Canada Colombia Dominica

Mexico Moldova Morocco Nigeria Egypt India Rep. of Korea Mexico

Oman Pakistan Peru Rep. of Korea Netherlands Oman Peru Poland

Sinapore Slovenia South Africa Spain Portugal Romania Saudi Arabia Slovakia

Thailand Trinidad UAE USA South Africa Tansania Thailand Tunisia

2013 2011
UAE

Australia Bahrain Bosnia Brazil Albania Australia Bahrain Brazil

Dom Rep Egypt Georgia Grenada Canada Germany India Italy

India Kenya Lebanon Malaysia Japan Rep. of Korea Lebanon Oman

Mauritius Mexico Morocco Oman Saudi Arabia Sinapore Spain Tansania

Rep. of Korea Rwanda Senegal Sinapore Tunisia United Kingdom USA

2010
Slovenia South Africa Spain Switzerland

Thailand Turkey UAE USA

2012
Canada Egypt India Rep. of Korea

Oman Poland Slovenia South Africa

Sweden Thailand Zambia

2009
18
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Australia Botswana Brazil Germany

India Jordan Rep. of Korea CW Puerto Rico

Rwanda Saudi Arabia Sinapore South Africa Australia Austria Brazil Cameroon

Spain Sweden Thailand Tunisia Canada Malaysia Morocco Philippines

2008 2004
USA South Africa

Australia Austria Azerbaijan Canada Bolivia Canada Chile Egypt

Chile Italy India Kenya Greece Italy Rep. of Korea Lebanon

Rep. of Korea Lebanon Morocco Sinapore Mexico Oman Sinapore Spain

2003
Slovenia South Africa Switzerland UAE Zambia

2007

Australia Belgium Brazil Canada

India Rep. of Korea Netherlands Rwanda

Sinapore UAE Zambia

2006

Canada India Mexico Morocco

2005
Sinapore Spain

19
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 United Nations Public Service Day

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs facilitates the search for innovations in
governance and public administration through the
Public Service Awards Programme. This year, 47 public
asdf
organizations were awarded with the most prestigious
recognition of excellence in public service on 23 June,
during the United Nations Public Service Day. The
programme has five categories for which nominations
of public institutions are submitted every year. The
winners are from the following countries: in 1st place
and 2nd place, respectively:
1st place winners: Brazil; Ecuador; Egypt; Germany;
India; Italy; Moldova; Morocco; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan;
Peru; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain; Thailand; Trinidad &
Tobago; United Arab Emirates.
2nd place winners: Bahrain; Botswana; Brazil; Ethiopia;
Georgia; Grenada; India; Italy; Jordan; Kenya; Mexico;
Morocco; Nigeria; Republic of Korea; Singapore;
Slovenia; Spain; United Arab Emirates; United States of
America.

2013 Winners

Bahrain Botswana Brazil Ecuador Egypt Ethiopia

Georgia Germany India Italy Jordan Kenya

Mexico Moldova Morocco Nigeria Oman Pakistan

Peru Rep. of Korea Sinapore Slovenia South Africa Spain

Thailand Trinidad UAE USA

20
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012 United Nations Public Service Day

1st place winners: Bahrain; Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Brazil; Dominican Republic; India; Lebanon; Malaysia;
Mauritius; Mexico; Republic of Korea; Senegal; South
Africa; Spain; Thailand; Turkey; United Arab Emirates;
asdf
United States of America.
2nd place winners: Australia; Canada; Egypt; Georgia;
Grenada; India; Kenya; Mexico; Morocco; Oman;
Republic of Korea; Rwanda; Singapore; Slovenia; Spain;
Switzerland; Thailand; Turkey.

2012 Winners

Australia Bahrain Bosnia and Brazil Dominican Egypt

Herzegovina Republic

Georgia Grenada India Kenya Lebanon Malaysia

Mauritius Mexico Morocco Oman Rep. of Korea Rwanda

Senegal Sinapore Slovenia South Africa Spain Switzerland

Thailand Turkey UAE USA

21
 5

pg. 27, 46, 104,

pg. 170 143, 145 pg. 53 pg. 51, 149
Australia India Peru USA

pg. 29, 64, 66, 80,

82, 105, 122, 172,
pg. 92, 197, 220 pg. 31, 109, 187
Bahrain Italy Rep. of Korea

pg. 210 pg. 114 pg. 141, 207

Bosnia Jordan Rwanda

pg. 78 pg. 100, 205 pg. 136

Botswana Kenya Senegal

pg. 55, 70, 181,

215 pg. 160 pg. 84, 124, 147
Brazil Lebanon Sinapore

pg. 176 pg. 185 pg. 33, 86, 179

Canada Malaysia Slovenia

pg. 153 pg. 120 pg. 40, 203

Dom Rep Mauritius South Africa

pg. 57, 126, 128, pg. 48, 50, 87,

pg. 110 155, 217 151, 174, 192, 212
Ecuador Mexico Spain

pg. 72, 112, 162 pg. 68 pg. 195

Egypt Moldova Switzerland

pg. 98 pg. 25, 79, 97, 139 pg. 44, 168, 189
Ethiopia Morocco Thailand

pg. 37, 132, 165 pg. 42, 76 pg 88

Georgia Nigeria Trinidad

pg. 107 pg. 35, 59, 222 pg. 130, 200

Germany Oman Turkey

pg. 158 pg. 102 pg. 61, 90, 93

Grenada Pakistan UAE

22
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013
United Nations
Public Service Awards Winners

Category 1 pg

Morocco India Rep. of Korea Italy Slovenia Oman Georgia

Category 2 pg

South Africa Nigeria Thailand India Spain USA

Peru Brazil Mexico Oman UAE

Category 3 pg

Rep. of Korea Moldova Brazil Egypt

Category 4 pg

Nigeria Botswana Morocco Rep. of Korea Singapore

Slovenia Spain Trinidad and UAE Bahrain

Tobago
Category 5 pg

Morocco Ethiopia Kenya Pakistan

India Rep. of Korea Germany Italy

Ecuador Egypt Jordan

23
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 1

Category 1: Preventing and Combating

Corruption in the Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Morocco Integrity Reinforcement Enhancing transparency and improving the 25
processing of retirement fund disbursements

Asia and India Mass Contact Programme (MCP) Accelerating the response rate for citizens 27
the Pacific complaints on service delivery

Republic of Anti-Corruption Clean Construction Enhancing transparency and accountability in the 29

Korea System Korean construction industry

Europe & Italy INPS: Our fight and synergy against Enhancing transparency and accountability in the 31
North corruption social welfare system in Apulia
America

Slovenia Supervizor Creating more transparency and decreasing 33

corruption through ICT

Western Oman Complaints Window Striving for accountability and transparency 35

Asia through strengthening the State Audit Institution
and by creating dialogue channels with the public.

Georgia Online Asset Declaration System Promoting transparency and accountability of 37

(OADS) government through public online asset
declarations of public servants

Morocco India Rep. of Korea Italy Slovenia Oman Georgia

24
 2013 CATEGORY 1

AFRICA
Morocco 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Integrity Reinforcement

Institution:
RCAR - Rgime Collectif dAllocation de Retraite

Description
Enhancing transparency and improving the processing of retirement fund disburse-
ments

Summary
Integrity Reinforcement is a customer-oriented initiative seeking to enhance trans-
parency and in the process of retirement funds allocation. A user-friendly portal was
developed to automate the process for transactions that are more vulnerable to cor-
ruption as well as to improve access to information. Due to the Parliaments recent
recognition of legal protections for whistle-blowers and the information that is now
easily accessible through the government portal corruption could be reduced .

The Problem
Before the initiative, several processes required human interaction between RCAR
and all its stakeholders as they had to be managed manually. With limited informa-
tion available online, pensioners could only receive information on their transactions
through telephone calls, which were not automatically traced and recorded. The fund
faced risks of potential ghost pensioners and collusion between managers and cus-
tomers for fraudulent claims. At times, fund officials received gifts compromising
their impartiality and integrity. Overall, there was limited transparency in the man-
agement of the funds causing a lack of confidence among clients. Taking into account
that RCAR manages fourteen funds, with 632,529 contributors and 200,221 pension-
ers the impact of potential mal-operation was significant.

The Solution
The system was computerized to reduce the need for manual processes as well as to
enable clients to access to their personal information. The initiative also introduced
whistle-blower policy and a feedback mechanism by which clients can submit com-
plaints. As the integrity and level of skills of the team members are a key factor in
enhancing the integrity of the process and to fight corruption. much emphasis has
been placed on building the capacity of the team that manages the various processes.

25
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact
Paper based and manually managed processes have been reduced thus increasing the
transparency and efficiency of fund disbursements. A help desk is now available for
clients' questions and concerns on 7 days a week around the clock. Additionally, of-
ficials and citizens benefit from a whistle-blower policy. The computerization of the
process has also resulted in cost-savings. The initiative has improved accountability
and has enhanced data integrity through increased protection of data.

26
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Asia and the Pacific

India 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Mass Contact Programme (MCP)

Institution:
Chief Ministers Office of Kerala Stae

Description
Improving government response rate to citizens complaints on service delivery

Summary
This initiative is the Mass Contact Programme (MCP) in the local government of
Kerala, India (a state located in the South-West region of India on the Malabar coast.
The follow-up rate on complaints received from citizens was very low causing di-
minished trust in government. MCP was launched to address this issue and to in-
crease the level of direct engagement with citizens.

The Problem
Bureaucracy was very high in Kerala state. The low level of response to citizens' re-
quests and concerns caused a large volume of complaints. The most affected people
were the middle class and low income people. Complaints about government offi-
cials were not addressed adequately by senior government officials and citizens were
faced with limited opportunity to find satisfactory solutions to the problems they
experienced with public service delivery. The piles of files in various offices of de-
partments and government secretariat increased up to 132,000 files pending in the
spring of 2011.

The Solution
A programme, named the Mass Contact Programme (MCP) was launched in 2012. It
aimed at combating red tape in public administration in the State of Kerala by en-
abling more interaction between the people and the government. In particular, the
program encourages citizens to approach the government directly to address their
concerns without delay or corrupt practices. As part of the program, the Chief Min-
ister of Kerala State visits each town and organises open meetings at which people
can address their queries personally. So far, MCP was conducted in all 14 districts of
the state and lasted for an average of 16 hours in each district. In addition, the Chief
Ministers Chamber and Office also has a 24 x 7 Live Webcast at www.keralacm.gov.
in that allows citizens to watch the proceedings of the Chief Ministers Chamber and
Office around the clock.
27
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact

This programme has reduced the time usually taken to respond to complaints and
actions and has solved many problems which existed over a long time. The initiative
takes an innovative approach, encourages transparency and enhances interaction be-
tween government and citizens'. The large turn out at the Mass Contact programmes
of Chief Minister in Districts were illustrative of citizens' interest in such opportuni-
ties for dialogue. Many problems were resolved quickly. The direct access to the
Chief Minister has also had a positive impact on the accountability of officials.

28
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Republic of Korea 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Anti-Corruption Clean Construction System

Institution:
Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters

Description
Enhancing transparency and accountability in the Korean construction industry

Summary
Since the mid-1990s, Korea has taken a number of measures to improve the transparency
level of its construction industry. However, the construction industry continued to have
very limited transparency. According to data released by the Supreme Public Prosecutors
Office (SPO) and the Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), a local civic group,
412 corruption cases out of a total of 765 cases in Korea were in the construction industry.
This amounts to over 50 %, of corruption cases covered by Korean media between March
1993 and July 2006. Payment systems were automated to enhance efficiency.

The Problem
The domestic construction industry scored an approximate 50% on the transparency
scale , which pointed to a significant level of corruption. Back pay owed in construc-
tion was significantly higher than that of other industries in Korea. According to a
survey conducted by the Ministry of Labor, 18,000 construction workers reported
that they didnt receive wages in total amounting to 86 billion won 2011. The esti-
mated number of unpaid working including the cases that were not reported is even
at 68.8%. The situation is perpetuated by the pyramid structure of the local construc-
tion industry whereby contractors often did not pay subcontractors, leaving workers
vulnerable.

The Solution
A first step for the anti-corruption clean construction system was to establish a sys-
tem preventing fundamental construction corruption. The city wanted to ensure that
construction work was completed as planned, false reporting on the input of materi-
als and substandard construction work was prevented. Primary contractors and sub-
contractors, were paid separately and payment information was available online to
all as soon as a payment was made, making it more difficult to re-direct funds meant
for workers wages to other purposes. Progress reports can now be made on line and
all stakeholders of a project can monitor project information in real time.

29
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact

The initiative has resulted in the creation of an exemplary system that has shown to
be effective in preventing systemic corruption in the construction industry. This new
measure protected the worker as the weakest link in the chain, improved construction
work efficiency and increased citizens convenience through easy access to critical
information. While the system is largely designed to protect subcontractors, the city
of Seoul took also measures to make the system accessible to disadvantaged groups
of citizens such as the disabled and the elderly who required special measures for
easy access to the systems information on the computer. Text, voice information and
special keyboards were made available to such groups of people.

30
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Europe and North America

Italy 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
INPS: Our fight and synergy against corruption

Institution:
INPS Regional Management (National Institute of Social Welfare), Apulia, Bari

Description
Enhancing transparency and accountability in the social welfare system in Apulia

Summary
INPS (National Institute of Social Security) is the countrys main institute providing
social security and welfare. In particular in the south of Italy there is a higher concen-
tration of economic and social problems and in the past years INPS noticed an in-
crease in the fraudulent registration of welfare benefits as well as corruption. In re-
sponse to the problem, INPS launched a program to create more transparency and
accountability.

The Problem
The Italian regions of Apulia, Calabria and Lazio are areas characterized by high
social security fraud. Many individuals provided false information to the Instituto
Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS) to claim retirement benefits, welfare, un-
employment benefits and pensions from the social security system.

The Solution
The initiative, Instituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS) - National Social
Security Institute: Our fight and synergy against corruption of Italy focused on ways
to detect misuse of social security and assistance benefits, including retirement ben-
efits and pensions. Measures such as training of inspectors and streamlining and
standardization of inspection procedures were introduced. Process engineering, up-
grading ICT technologies, prompt reporting and a well-established corporate culture
of transparency and impartiality have made it possible to set up a modern manage-
ment control system that has improved efficiency and adherence to rules.

Impact
The programme has enhanced transparency and accountability in social welfare ser-
vices. A number of senior officials were arrested and separated from service for re-
ceiving concessions for contributory benefits to local companies. The project has
made it possible to uncover fictitious employment relationships and large-scale ben-
efit fraud. A recovery procedure for payments that had been collected after the hold-
31
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

ers death amounted to 3 million euros. 16,000 fictitious employment contracts in the
agricultural sector were discovered; several thousand claims submitted by lawyers
were turned down by the courts and four lawyers from the Puglia region were charged
with serious, ongoing fraud against INPS.

32
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Slovenia 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Supervizor

Institution:
Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (CPC)

Description
Creating more transparency and decreasing corruption through ICT

Summary
Analysis of public finance indicated that there was a noticeable level of corruption in
the country. However, transparent financial information was not available. The Com-
mission for the Prevention of Corruption created on online application that provides
information on business transactions to the public as well as regulatory bodies. This
new level of information about financial flows significantly increased transparency
and lowered corruption.

The Problem
The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (CPC) had gathered and analysed
data about all payments of the public sector bodies during the period 1 January 2003
till 31 December 2010. The analysis showed controversial practices in budget expen-
diture indicative of corruption. The data also revealed that the Slovenian business
environment lacked transparency. Overall, there was only minimal or no data about
public expenditures accessible to the public and no proactive approach towards creat-
ing transparency of public finances.

The Solution
Supervizor is an online application that provides information to users on business
transactions of the public sector bodies. This includes direct and indirect budget us-
ers such as the bodies of all three branches of power, independent judicial and state
bodies, local communities and their parts with legal personality, public institutes,
public funds, public agencies etc.). The data is updated daily and provides the gen-
eral public with information on public sector spending. It combines relevant data
from different sources in a more user-friendly format and thus represents an impor-
tant step towards more transparent state operations. The application also indicates the
ownership and management structures of the Slovenian companies and provides data
from their annual reports. It enables insight into financial flows among the public and
private sector not only to the public, media and business sector but also to regulatory
and supervisory bodies.
33
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact
Supervizor resulted in an increased level of transparency and accountability of public
finances in the Republic of Slovenia and by extension has a positive impact on the
more efficient use of public funds and the prevention of systemic corruption in the
country. The initiative had multiple positive effects including at the local level where
it is now used by people to actively participate in the creation of policies and in the
allocation of public financial resources. The application continues to be used for de-
tecting new cases of alleged corruption by analyzing the financial flows. Overall,
CPC has received positive feedback on its web application from a wide range of us-
ers.

34
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Western Asia
Oman 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Complaints Window

Institution:
State Audit Institution

Description
Striving for accountability and transparency through strengthening the State Audit
Institution and creating dialogue channels with the public.

Summary
The State Audit Institution (SAI) was largely perceived as lacking impact due to its
limited mandate and its lack of interaction with the public in the receipt of com-
plaints. Subsequently, SAI mandate was strengthened and a multi-channel com-
plaints mechanism was introduced for the public. The changes had a positive impact
on the effectiveness of audits as well as on the level of confidence in government
among citizens.

The Problem
There are a total of 220 government entities that are auditable by the State Audit In-
stitution (SAI) in Oman. In addition, SAI has authority to audit private companies in
which the government has a stake of more than 51%. However, SAI was limited to
conducting financial audits of organizations and companies and to issuing recom-
mendations without a mandate to enforce and monitor the implementation of its find-
ings even in the case of malpractices. The responsibility to implement the recom-
mendations made by SAI would be solely with the audited entities, limiting its
overall effectiveness in creating more transparency. There were also no effective
channels for the public to submit their complaints to the SAI contributing to the per-
ception of lack of transparency and accountability.

The Solution
SAI was reformed to strengthen its mandate to conduct financial and administration
audits in all fields including administrative audit, performance audit, auditing of de-
cisions relating to financial contraventions, investments. SAI also received a mandate
to be able to audit all accounts of government entities and private companies. In ad-
dition, a Department of Social Community (DSC) was established to enhance the
relationship between SAI and the community. DSC key functions include collating,
registering, tracking and monitoring of public feedback, concerns and complaints
35
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

through various channels such as email, online forms, hotline, online forums and
chat rooms, newspaper, social media. Through the SAI portal, the public can submit
their complaints, feedback or concerns as well as the necessary related documenta-
tion. SAI can also be contacted via dedicated hotlines, complaints windows, special
emails in addition to receive information through twitter and other social media net-
works.

Impact

As a result of this initiative, close to 400 feedbacks from the public were registered
since the launch of the electronic feedback/compliance system in July 2011. Since its
reform, SAI conducted a total of 350 audits as compared to 177 audits in 2009/10.
This amounts to an increase of 98% in the number of audits. Between 2010 to 2011
approximately 1.3 billion OMR (3.38 USD) of public funds were recovered and
saved because audits were more effective and targeted based on the feedbacks re-
ceived. Most importantly, SAI was able to strengthen the level of transparency and
accountability in the government entities, thus boosting public confidence in public
service.

36
 2013 CATEGORY 1

Georgia - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Online Asset Declaration System (OADS)

Institution:
Civil Service Bureau

Description
Promoting transparency and accountability of government through public online as-
set declarations of public servants

Summary
The lack of transparency around the financial assets of public sector officials in Geor-
gia left room for corruption and negatively impacted on the confidence in govern-
ment. In 2010, the Civil Service Bureau launched an online system to collect finan-
cial information of public officials. This availability of such information has greatly
contributed to accountability and transparency in Georgia.

The Problem
The assets and income of top government officials have long been the subject of
public interest in Georgia, However, Georgian society was largely unaware of the
financial situation of their public officials. The government did not provide such in-
formation on the assets of public officials. Such conditions were conducive to corrup-
tion and the media and civil society were unable to monitor the activities of public
officials with view to unlawful behaviour or conflict of interest. Overall, this im-
pacted the publics confidence in government and candidates in government posi-
tions.

The Solution
In 2010, the Civil Service Bureau of Georgia (CSB) launched the Online Asset Dec-
laration System with the aim of replacing the out-dated and paper based declaration
system. The main purpose of the new system was to enable the online submission
and public disclosure of asset declarations of high-ranking government officials.
Through this online system government officials are required to fill out an asset dec-
laration on an annual basis, reflecting the position of the assets owned by them and
their family members. In total, there are more than 2,800 senior officials who are
obliged to submit an online asset declarations annually.

Impact
According to a survey conducted by the OSCE in 2010, Georgia has made significant
37
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

efforts in the fight against corruption. An important step towards more public scruti-
ny has been the publication of asset declarations on the Bureaus website since the
end of 2009. The principal goal of the Online Asset Declaration System, to ensure
accessibility and public disclosure of the financial information of high ranking public
officials, has been accomplished. It promotes transparency and accountability of the
government and increases public monitoring and control.

38
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 2

Improving the Delivery of Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg
Africa South Africa Communal Ablution Blocks for Providing access to potable water and sanitation 40
Informal Settlements services to informal settlement dwellers

Nigeria Mailafiya Improving management of health data and access 42

to primary health care through ICT

Asia & the Thailand Child First-Work Together (CF-WT) Providing early assessment of children with special 44
Pacific needs and investing into their skills development

India Swavalamban Improving efficiency in disbursement of pensions 46

through ICT

Europe & Spain Service for people with limited Enhancing access for travelers with disabilities 48
North mobility
America

Spain Modernization of local Integrating knowledge management systems for 50

adminstration through use of new improved efficiency
technologies

USA Improving Outcomes for Children Improving child welfare services through enhanced 51
monitoring systems

Latin Peru Exercising Human Rights through Improving the management of social benefits for 53
America & access to National Identification children through provision of an identification
the Document for Minors document
Caribbean

Brazil Pacto Pela Vida-PPV Improving safety and security for the people of 55
Pernambuco

Mexico Investment promotion in Rural Improving livelihoods through facilitating 57

Property investment opportunities to benefit local
communities

Western Oman INJAZ Hall Improving the delivery of municipal services 59

Asia through a one-stop centre
Morocco India Rep. of Korea Italy Slovenia Oman Georgia
United Arab Managing customer service at Improving customer satisfaction with police 61
Emirates Dubai Police services in Dubai

South Africa Nigeria Thailand India Spain USA

Peru Brazil Mexico Oman UAE

39
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

AFRICA
South Africa 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Communal Ablution Blocks for Informal Settlements

Institution:
E Thekwini Metropolitan Municipality Water and Sanitation Services

Description
Providing access to potable water and sanitation services for informal settlement
dwellers

Summary
Informal settlements in Durban, with an approximate population of 1 million people
had inadequate provision of water and sanitation services. With an ever-increasing
influx of people into the city, searching for employment opportunities, lack of sanita-
tion has resulted into unhygienic and hazardous living conditions, which pose health
risks for the shack dwellers.

The Problem
Providing sustained water and sanitation systems in South Africa is a daunting task
due to water scarcity, water stress and high urbanisation rate (UNDEP, 2002). In the
urban and peri-urban areas of Durban, approximately 1 million people live in dense-
ly populated informal settlements without proper water supply and sanitation ser-
vices. 150,000 families are estimated to occupy 417 informal settlements in eThek-
wini, living in basic shacks and suffering from poor water and sanitation conditions.
Standpipes and water tanks are the main sources of water supply. Open defecation,
pit latrines or Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines are the most common sanitation
options, creating environmental pollution and making residents vulnerable to water-
borne diseases. Women and children walk long distances in poorly lit areas to obtain
water or use toilets, making them vulnerable to crime.

The Solution
The eThekwini Municipality in Durban has designed an effective temporary solu-
tion to address this problem, known as the Communal Ablution Blocks (CABs).These
are modified shipping containers, each having 2 showers and 2 flush toilets. Attached
to the outside of each container are 4 basins used for washing clothes. Lighting is
provided at night and improves the safety of users, particularly the safety of women
and children. The CABs are connected to the municipal sewerage and water systems
and are provided on 350 sites in informal settlements in pairs - one for women and
40
 2013 CATEGORY 2

one for men with 300 caretakers. Gardens were also designed and piloted to fit in
small places so that grey water could filter directly to the roots of vegetables to im-
prove food security for poor families.

Impact

1,000 households, and an estimated 200,000 residents of informal settlements in

Durban now have access to sanitation services. According to the results of the 2010
and 2011 University of Kwazulu Natal surveys to measure the effectiveness of the
program, a high 82,2% of households stated that the CABs significantly improved
their lives. This initiative has significantly reduced costs of building and maintaining
sanitation facilities in the informal settlements and reduced environmental pollution.

41
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Nigeria - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Mobile Integrated Primary Health Care Service Delivery
"MAILAFIYA"

Institution:
Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja, Nigeria

Description
Improving management of health data and access to primary health care through ICT

Summary
The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria faced challenges in the provision of
primary health care services. At the forefront of these challenges were limited avail-
ability of medical commodities, lack of comprehensive policies, poor data manage-
ment practices and poor inter-departmental cooperation. The project sought to ad-
dress these through integrating data banks into a central database and improving
health care services using mobile teams to reach remote areas with extremely diffi-
cult terrain.

The Problem
There was a general perception that the Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6
targets would not be met by 2015. A baseline survey conducted within the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) in 2008 revealed that 60% of residents of over 800 communi-
ties were poor and 74% of communities did not have access to health care services.
Out of the operational health care centres, only 17% were fully functional. The World
Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in FCT,adequately serving the popula-
tionwould require 434 Primary HealthCenters (PHCs). Unfortunately only 179 ex-
isted,many of which were operating atsub-optimal levels. Rural populations had to
travel long distances to reach these centres and they often die of simple ailments like
Malaria which is the most common ailment in these areas, constituting more than
70% of out-patient department (OPD) cases.

The Solution
MAILAFIYA was established to improve health care by managing key health data in
an integrated manner and provision of mobile health services to the rural and poorest
communities, particularly those in remote and difficult to reach settlements. This re-
sulted in the reduction of the cost of providing healthcare delivery of services. The
platform created enhances planning and evaluation of the health system and controls
loss of medical inventory. The mobile teams educate communities on preventive
42
 2013 CATEGORY 2

health measures with particular emphasis on promotion of child and maternal health
care . The programme generates real time data from the field using the Intel powered
Net- Book-HAWK Pick.

Impact

Since its inception, the program has seen and treated seventy-five thousand cases of
tropical diseases.Access to health care has been increased, improving the response
rate to disease outbreak in the communities and the quality of healthcare services.
The programme is providing platforms for health systems research particularly com-
munity based studies in the FCT. The programme has created a dependable database
for improved management of health care. A preliminary survey report revealed that,
there has been an increase in access to health care from 17% to 71% in all the com-
munities of the Federal Capital Territory. 94% of respondents of the assessment at-
tested to improved delivery of health services.

43
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Asia and The Pacific

Thailand 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Child First-Work Together (CF-WT)

Institution:
Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development - Ministry of Public Health

Description
Providing early assessment of children with special needs and investing into their
skills development

Summary
The public health care in Thailand had limited provisions for children with delayed
development and mainly focused on provision of primary health care. Families had
limited support from the public health care system to ensure that they receive appro-
priate training and are equipped with skills necessary for their future employment.
The initiative addressed this by training parents, school teachers and health personnel
on assessment and treatment for children with special needs.

The Problem
Before the project started, Thailand health care services for children focused largely
on giving vaccination to prevent communicable diseases. The health personnel had
little knowledge and skills on screening or assessing child development and there
were no targeted interventions for children with delayed development. The situation
was exacerbated by inadequate health care facilities that led to congestion at the
centres and limited treatment time for patients. In the year 2007, there were an esti-
mated 1,269,483 Thai children with special development needs, and 209,393 of these
children were in the northern part of Thailand. However, 57.% of children with
delayed development had no chance to access screening services and get proper di-
agnosis of their special development needs from health care facilities. Families
struggled with high expenses of looking after children with delayed development,
and in some instances had to leave their jobs in order to look after their children on a
full time basis, losing much needed income.

The Solution
Located in northern Thailand, the Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development
(RICD) is an Institute under the supervision of the Department of Mental Health and
the Ministry of Public Health, tasked with providing treatment and rehabilitation for
children with delayed development. The institute implemented a project called
44
 2013 CATEGORY 2

Child First Work together or CF-WT to enhance awareness of health personnel

and people who work with children, on the importance of assessing their childs de-
velopment. A manual on child development promotion, training courses and other
materials were developed, leading into skills development among public health per-
sonnel, teachers and parents. The materials were integrated into the public health
service system.

Impact

Early screening for childhood development has enabled health personnel and parents
to better support the needs of their developmentally delayed child. As a result the
assessed child was able to study in school with peers and develop normally. Upon
completion of their education, they are significantly more employable and able to be
self sufficient. From 2008 2011, it was found that 75% (2008) to 87% (2011) of
children, who were discharged from the RICD had better development. Services for
children with special needs were brought closer to the communities, saving money
and time for families.

45
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

India - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Swavalamban

Institution:
District Administration, Dhanbad

Description
Improving efficiency in disbursement of pensions through ICT

Summary
The initiative improved disbursement of pensions in the District of Dhanbad. The
system was largely manual, with a lot of paper work and tedious processes for reg-
istering new pensioners and disbursing payments of existing pensioners. Payments
took up to three months, and the initiative has cut down this time to a maximum of
three days, through automating payment and creation of direct cash transfers into
pensioners bank accounts. The system was also riddled with corruption, with a num-
ber of fictitious pensioners on the system and retention of pensioners who have since
died.

The Problem
Before the implementation of the SWAVALAMBAN initiative, the process of dis-
bursement in the payment of pensions, particularly registration of new pensioners
was very cumbersome, tedious, involved lot of paper work, inefficient, non transpar-
ent, and provided unreliable information. A pensioner had to wait days, weeks or
months and sometimes had to pay bribes to get entitlements. It used to take about 3
months to complete one cycle therefore, disbursement of monthly pension was not
done on monthly basis violating the order passed by the Honble Supreme Court of
India. Disbursement happened approximately every six months. For this the benefi-
ciaries had to run from pillar to post to know the date of disbursement and the amount
to be received.

The Solution
The main achievement of the initiative is the creation of a direct cash transfer (DCT)
into the account of the pensioners before the 7th of every month. For this purpose
accounts for pensioners were opened. Access was granted to them either in a Bank or
local post office. The opening of personal accounts in Bank/Post Office in the prox-
imity of the beneficiary cut down the cost and time in getting pension amount. Pay-
ment through Business Correspondent in remote rural areas has dramatically im-
proved the delivery of services. In addition, the database of all pensioners was
46
 2013 CATEGORY 2

digitized with the help of newly developed software. Online advice was generated
and advice sent to the treasury & Treasury Bank for adequate responses.

Impact

The new system has reduced the number of pensioners by 20% through the data au-
thentication process and bogus registrations were eliminated as well as pensioners
who had passed away but were still on the system. The time of processing was re-
duced from 2-3 months to 2-3 days and timely disbursements have improved satis-
faction with the service among pensioners. In addition to this they are also receiving
interest on the amount and timely information through CSC/Website. The project
has drastically reduced the workload of Panchayat and Block. Their time is now
spent on other functions and in expediting the timely processing of pensions for new
beneficiaries. Monitoring at district and government level has been simplified mak-
ing it only a mouse click away.

47
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Europe and North America

Spain 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Service for people with limited mobility

Institution:
Aena Aeropuertos

Description
Enhancing access for travelers with disabilities

Summary
The initiative sought to ensure smooth travel of people living with disabilities through
airports in Spain. AENA, the Spanish public body that owns and operates the major-
ity of the airports in Spain improved accessibility of all airport areas, including
equipping elevators with Braille control.

The Problem
Until 2008, Aena Airports were not sufficiently adapted to travelers with reduced
mobility. This problem had become increasingly important due to three main factors.
First, the proportion of people with reduced mobility (PRM) in Spain is structurally
increasing, on account of the aging of the population in particular. Secondly, the
travelers transportation industry is subject to increasing requirements in terms of
comfort, safety and social responsibility. Thirdly, the juridical framework now guar-
antees PMRs right to assistance at no extra cost, with trained staff and appropriate
technical capabilities for each passenger at airports.

The Solution
The answer to this problem came in 2008 with the creation of the Service of Assis-
tance for People with Reduced Mobility. This initiative of the AENA provides com-
prehensive services to persons with disabilities at the Aena airports. Over 8 per cent
of the Spanish population is comprised of persons with disabilities, and with the ag-
ing structure of the population this number is going to get higher. The initiative en-
sures equal rights and opportunities for good services to the disabled, and complies
with the European Commission regulation from 2006 on rights of the disabled when
traveling by air. The comprehensive and free service to the disabled at the Aena air-
ports includes for example special meeting points and service desks, access ramps,
special parking space, automatic doors, elevators with Braille control, possibility to
request special service through the Aena website and call centre, etc. 1500 specially
trained staff members assist disabled people at the airports in all aspects of their
48
 2013 CATEGORY 2

travel. From 2008, approximately 5 million people with disabilities benefited from
these services. Aena has collaborated extensively with the Spanish national organiza-
tion of disabled people and other disabled peoples organizations in the planning and
implementation of the initiative, ensuring that the needs of people with different
kinds of disabilities are catered for.

Impact

According to the feedback Aena is receiving from travelers with reduced mobility as
well as from PMR associations, the implementation of the Service of Attention to
PMR has had a strong impact on PMR as it has enabled them to access air transpor-
tation without an escort. The service is highly valued by Aena passengers, and has
been recognized by various institutions as one of the top Best Practices developed
by companies to promote the integration of people with disabilities in public servic-
es. The overall user satisfaction rate was 4.7 out of 5 (5 being the maximum score).

49
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Spain 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Modernization of local adminstration through the use of
new technologies

Institution:
BiscayTIK Fundation

Description
Integrating knowledge management systems for improved efficiency

The Problem
Before the implementation of BiscayTIK, every one of Biskaias 112 municipalities
had a different Municipal Information System, most of them provided by different
vendors. What is more, these initial differences had been sharpened across time, as
the municipalities adjusted their system to their specific needs. As a result of such a
poor integration between so many databases, services to citizens suffered from a low
efficiency, wastes of time and human errors.

The Solution
Following a decision made in 2007, and in order to comply with the Law on Citizens
Electronic Access that as enacted that same year, the Provincial Council of Biskaia
issued in 2008 a public tender for a new municipal management tool. This tender was
finally won by Microsoft. By the end of 2008, the six municipalities that had worked
on the definition of the solution were the first to implement the BiscayTIK System,
which is based on two main points. The first step consists in the implementation of
the Municipal Administrative Manager (MAM), a fully integrated solution that cov-
ers most of the municipalities needs in terms of IT. Once the MAM is implemented,
the following step consists in offering citizens the possibility to complete telematic
procedures through the web portal of their municipality, wherever and whenever they
want.

Impact
The most immediate impact of the BiscayTIK project was to increase management
efficiency by eliminating unnecessary redundancy caused by the lack of integration
between the previous systems and to prevent the existence of inconsistent informa-
tion. This contributed to providing better service to citizens and to reducing waiting
times. The integration of all the municipal systems into one centralized application
also enabled the realization of scale economies and spared travel to many of the sys-
tems 65,000 users.

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 2013 CATEGORY 2

United States of America - 2nd Place

Winner
Initiative:
Improving Outcomes for Children

Institution:
Philadelphia Department of Human Services

Description
Improving child welfare services through enhanced monitoring systems

Summary
The initiative improved the delivery of child welfare services in Philadelphia, through
review of internal processes and putting in place enhanced monitoring systems. Im-
proved monitoring of childrens welfare has resulted into accurate reporting and ad-
dressed the challenge of falsifying reports, a practice that left children very vulnera-
ble to abuse and neglect.

The Problem
In 2006, Philadelphias child welfare system was in dire crisis. Children placed in the
care of Philadelphias Department of Human Services (DHS) the municipal agency
charged with protecting children at risk for abuse and neglect, were not properly
taken care of. A 14-year old girl with cerebral palsy, was such an example and she
died of neglect, severely emaciated, weighing only 46 pounds, and covered in bed-
sores. At the time of her death, DHS was providing in-home services to approxi-
mately 6100 children at risk for abuse and neglect and monitoring the care of ap-
proximately 6,000 in dependent out-of-home placement. Contracted agencies
submitted false reports on the number of visits paid to the children. Among the prob-
lems underscored was the overlap and a lack of clarity in the roles of social workers
employed by DHS and its contracted agencies.

The Solution
The agency has instituted comprehensive organizational and structural reforms, re-
sulting in increased accountability, improved internal processes and most important-
ly, significantly enhanced child safety and wellbeing. The Division of Performance
Management and Accountability (PMA), created in 2009 improved practice by re-
viewing cases to examine the quality and consistency of safety assessments and rec-
ommend improvements. Since 2009, PMA has conducted over 4500 case file re-
views, and today, children served by DHS are more closely monitored. To further
ensure the safety of children, in 2010 DHS implemented a protocol requiring work-
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

ers to visit children in placement at least once a month. Key components of the
safety model are a Hotline Guided Decision Making (HGDM), an evidence-based,
standardized decision-making model for screening and investigating abuse and ne-
glect and an Electronic Case Management System.

Impact

In six years, Philadelphias child welfare system has transformed from a national
disgrace to a national model. Today, DHS is accountable, proactive and keenly fo-
cused on its mission of child safety. The safety model of practice enables the agency
to better identify and focus its resources on those children at greatest risk of abuse
and neglect. As a result, the number of children in dependent placement decreased
32% between 2006 and 2011. DHS also significantly reduced out-of-state dependent
placements, enabling social workers to effectively monitor child safety and children
to maintain contact with their biological families as appropriate. This program has
connected children to relatives they previously did not know they had.

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 2013 CATEGORY 2

Latin America and The Caribbean

Peru 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Exercising Human Rights through access to National
Identification Document for Minors

Institution:
National Register for Identification and Civil Status

Description
Improving the management of social benefits for children through provision of an
identification document

Summary
From 2002 to 2012 the initiative has increased the documentation of children (under
18) across the country. The main aim was to enhance the distribution of social ben-
efits. The procedures are now easier, as multiple government entities use the identifi-
cation card for verification, unlike before, when each entity required its own identifi-
cation document. The initiative covered nearly 9 million minors and has shown
consistency and tangible results.

The Problem
In 2002, children from Peru did not have a DNI (National Document of Identifica-
tion) and the identity card was only given to adult people. Before the implementation
of this initiative it was a problem for social programs and public services to confirm
that the children who were obtaining the benefits were the ones for which those were
meant. Also the lack of a DNI used to facilitate children trafficking. The government
needed to stop those situations and provide its citizens with better protection and
benefits.

The Solution
The implementation began in 2001 with the proposal of the National Office to start
the project of civil registers and minors identification. In 2002, the National Register
for Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) launched the expedition of DNI to
minors (from 0 to 17 years). Besides providing an identity right, this identification
document facilitated children the access to services and public social programs. Ten
years later, in 2012 more than 93.22% of the Peruvian children have a DNI.

Impact
The initiative has resulted in providing a digital national identity card from 0.1% to
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

93.22% of children in Peru, especially among vulnerable groups who were excluded
from social services. One of the main benefits of this initiative is that of ensuring that
children and adolescents have a right to social services, including health, education,
nutrition, etc. Prior to this initiative, children without a national identity card could
not apply for any social service. According to UNICEF, which provided a letter of
recommendation, this is a very good initiative which ensures the respect of the rights
of children and adolescents. The National Identity Card/Key opens up many doors to
citizens between 0 and 17 years old. The initiative has been implemented through
awareness and media campaigns, seminars, meetings and other means to raise aware-
ness among poor segments of the population. The initiative enhances efforts to track
kidnapped, trafficked or missing children.

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 2013 CATEGORY 2

Brazil 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Pacto Pela Vida-PPV (Pact in Favor of Life)

Institution:
Government of the State of Pernambuco

Description
Improving safety and security for the people of Pernambuco

Summary
The state of Pernambuco had one of the highest homicide rates in Brazil for decades,
reaching its highest level at 58.8 deaths by violent assault per 100,000 inhabitants.
The public safety measures were fragmented and did not deter crime. The state un-
dertook a situation analysis and developed an integrated public security plan which
all stakeholders committed to implement. The crime rate has decreased significantly,
falling from 58.8 to 38.7 in 2011, creating a better sense of security.

The Problem
For decades, the state of Pernambuco was known as one of the most violent in Brazil.
Studies show that in the 30 years prior to 2007, Pernambuco consistently maintained
a level of violent crime among the highest in Brazil, reaching in 2001 a rate of 58.8
deaths by violent assault per 100,000 inhabitants. The state capital, Recife, be-
tween 2000 and 2005, had the highest murder rate among all 27 state capitals in five
of those six years, reaching levels above big cities like So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and
Braslia. In 2006, the year before the launch of the States Program to Fight Violence,
known as Pacto pela Vida (Pact in Favor of Life), Pernambuco registered 4,478
deaths by intentional homicide, following an upward curve since the beginning of the
decade. The studies also showed that during the same period, crime and violence in
the state were concentrated in more urbanized municipalities with higher population.
Pernambuco also showed record levels of violence against women, averaging one
murder per day from 2003 to 2006. There was little Government presence in the re-
gions of greatest social vulnerability and the public security system was inefficient.

The Solution
In 2007, the Governor of Pernambuco, brought all stakeholders i.e. representatives of
civil society organizations, the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, the
prosecutors, the Universities and the Lawyers Bar Association to a forum to identify
a solution to the security risks in the state. The forum produced the Pacto pela Vida,
an integrated management model which was the states first Public Security Plan.An
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

important element of the Program is the fact that it is constantly monitored by the
organized civil society, through blogs and discussion forums on the topic of crime in
the state, which were created since the launch of the program. The key indicator for
monitoring crime rates is the called CVLI, which refers to intentional homicide rate
per 100,000 inhabitants.

Impact

The efforts undertaken have resulted in reduction in crime rates in Pernambuco after
its implementation, whether in crimes against life or in crimes against property. The
violence curve, which used to be ascending is now continuously descending. Per-
nambuco is no longer one of the most violent states in Brazil. A feeling of increased
safety among Pernambucos population resulting from more effective Government
actions. The implementation of the program allow crimes that victimized part of the
population, and that were not even investigated to become a priority target for the
police force.

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 2013 CATEGORY 2

Mexico 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Investment Promotion in Rural Property

Institution:
Procuradura Agraria

Description
Improving livelihoods through facilitating investment opportunities to benefit local
communities

Summary
The initiative was an information system to facilitate rural investments in Mexico.
Close to 4000 private investment projects were formalized throughout the country
benefitting about 400,000 farmers through an estimated total investment of US$150
million. The project has also generated over 40,000 direct jobs and an estimated
55,000 indirect jobs.

The Problem
Comprising communities, 51% of Mexicos territory is communally-owned proper-
ty. Communities have full legal rights, with 94,517, 811 hectares out of the total 100
million acres of communal land regularized. However, rural areas of Mexico are
generally characterized by a lack of land productivity derived in part by the lack of
economic resources and financing, lack of awareness of the potential and vocation of
the land, and peasants and landowners lack of business knowledge.

The Solution
The initiative sought to bring more investments to the communally owned areas of
Mexico is a very encouraging example of successfully bringing together the needs
and rights of communities that own their lands communally and attracting both for-
eign and national investments to ensure the development of the regions and enhanced
income to the inhabitants of the communally owned land areas. This project collects
information from investors on the type of investment opportunities they are looking
for, and information from the inhabitants of the communally owned areas on the type
of investments they want to host in their land. When the right match is made the
project helps in the drafting of a legal document protecting both the rights of the
communal land owners and the legal rights of the investors and in ensuring the con-
tracts are clear and transparent. During the four years of the project 400,000 people
have benefited from the programme and 3,778 investment programmes have been
finalized.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact
Hundreds of thousands of people in rural areas of Mexico have benefited by the ad-
vises and supervision of the program through development that takes into account
local landowners rights. Peasants benefit economically which improves their quality
of life. The investor has no problem with finding the property and has legal certainty
of where his investment will be and those investments have brought benefits to the
national economy. The initiative has ensured that sustainable development of com-
munal areas can be achieved through investments while protecting communal land-
owners rights. It has also encouraged other communities to register their properties.

58
 2013 CATEGORY 2

Western Asia
Oman 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
INJAZ Hall

Institution:
Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources

Description
Improving the delivery of municipal services through a one-stop centre

Summary
The project was an establishment of a one-stop centre to provide municipal services
in a client-oriented environment. Prior to that, municipal services were provided in a
time consuming way and people had to make multiple trips to different offices to ac-
cess services. Through streamlining and standardization of services, the time taken to
process applications has been reduced considerably.

The Problem
Citizens and business owners had to make multiple physical trips to the respective
municipality offices to request for services, follow-up and make their complaints or
provide feedback. Some had to make numerous trips and travel long distances to
follow-up on their issues. They had to visit different officers depending on their is-
sues and very often they had to meet several officers before they were finally referred
to the right department. Such processes frustrated both the staff and the customers.
For example, to obtain a permit to build a new house, the citizen would have to make
at least 4 minimum trips to the Municipality office nearest their vicinity and it took
an average of 30 working days to complete each transaction. In addition, there was
no standardized procedure to process the various municipality services.

The Solution
The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) developed
and implemented the one-stop municipal services concept of the Injaz (Achievement
in Arabic) Hall to house all the municipal services under one roof. Applications and
approval processes were streamlined and standardized through all the municipalities.
Customer service agents at the Injaz Hall are the first line personnel who attends to the
needs and requests of the citizens and residents. The agents will register all requests
and feedback into a client-server IT-based system. The customers are notified by SMS
once their requests are accepted and they can follow-up on the status of their applica-
tion via telephone call instead of having to travel personally to the municipality office.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact

The backlog in processing applications has been cleared, resulting in increased cus-
tomer satisfaction and revenue collected. Through the Injaz Hall, the application and
transactions are completed electronically, thus reducing the need for customers to
make multiple trips and wait for a long time for approval.Knowledge management
improved real-time data and information from the 44 municipalities and 9 Governor-
ates which enables the HQ to strategically plan future infrastructure and related proj-
ects in each region. In addition by empowering each municipality with the Injaz Hall
services, data is collected accurately and back end bottleneck is eradicated.The ap-
proval process for permits and licenses has been standardized and streamlined
throughout the 44 municipalities, providing more accurate data and better services.
Through standardization, now it only takes an average of 1 week to process an ap-
plication for permits and licenses instead of 5 weeks previously.

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 2013 CATEGORY 2

United Arab Emirates 2nd Place

Winner
Initiative:
Managing customer service at Dubai Police

Institution:
Dubai Police General Headquarters

Description
Improving customer satisfaction with police services in Dubai

Summary
The initiative improved the provision of security in Dubai, through enhancing cus-
tomer responsiveness.

The Problem
Established in 1956, the General Command of the Dubai Police, has been providing
safety and security services to communities. There has been customer dissatisfaction
with the way service was delivered, manifested in complaints from the residents.

The Solution
The department in charge of managing services provided by the Dubai Police, over-
sees quality of delivery of services. Its task is to unify and standardize the delivery of
services all across the board, in compliance with international standards like (ISO
9001-2008). The department worked on maintaining high standards of services by
reacting to customers complaints, in a swift and professional way. Among the most
important success factors of the department in charge of customer service, was the
creation of the service line in 2010 and the Manual of e-Services, as well as the for-
mation of a work group in charge of developing service sites, and customer com-
plaints. The creation of this new service line, took the pressure off the (999) line,
which is only specialized in emergency cases. The target of the department in 2010
was to have at least 86% of customer satisfaction, to improve 100% of services and
follow up on 100% of complaints.

Impact
Customer service improved signicantly in Dubai, demonstrated through feedback re-
ceived from official correspondence and customer satisfaction surveys. , The follow-
up mechanism put together along with the supervision of services provided by the
Dubai Police, and the provision of financial and technical and human resources, as
well as the decision for developing and improving the services of the Dubai Police.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Among the key factors that led to the successful management of customer service is
the standardization of service, in addition to the existence of global systems and spec-
ifications, documenting work procedures, including ISO 9001, and a management
systems, such as: Balanced Scorecard, and performance indicators, a private mail
messaging system, specialized courses offered to existing staff to provide the services
up to international standards, as well as reward systems stimulus provided by the de-
partments to their employees.

62
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 3

Fostering Participation in Public

Policy-Making Decisions Through Innovative

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Asia and Republic of Seoul Welfare Standards enabled Improving welfare services for citizens 64
the Pacific Korea by and for the Citizens

Republic of Eco-mileage, a program to engage Improving energy supply through incentives for 66
Korea citizens in GHG reduction reducing energy consumption

Europe & Moldova Increased transparency in the Facilitating citizen participation in public policy 68
Morocco
North India decision-making process Italy
Rep. of Korea making Slovenia Oman Georgia
America

Latin Brazil State System of Public and Citizen Citizen engagement for public policy planning, 70
America & Participation (SISPARCI) implementation and monitoring through ICT tools
the
Caribbean

South Africa Egypt

Western Nigeria Egypt's ICT Indicators PortalIndia
Thailand Facilitating participation to USA
Spain ensure accuracy and 72
Asia relevance of key ICT indicators

Peru Brazil Mexico Oman UAE

Rep. of Korea Moldova Brazil Egypt

Nigeria Botswana Morocco Rep. of Korea Singapore

Slovenia Spain Trinidad and UAE Bahrain

Tobago

63
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Asia and The Pacific

Republic of Korea 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Seoul Metropolitan Government

Institution:
Seoul Welfare Standards enabled by and for the Citizens

Description
Improving welfare services for citizens

Summary
The initiative was established to curb high suicide rates in the country, which mainly
occurred in the capital, Seoul. While the country and the city achieved impressive
economic growth, it has not necessarily been pro-poor and research had revealed that
most of the suicides were attributable to difficult living conditions and poverty. The
Seoul Metropolitan Government therefore undertook to provide welfare in a system-
atic manner.

The Problem
Korea has the highest suicide rate and the lowest fertility rate among the OECD
countries. The capital Seoul is the biggest contributor to the tragic reality of the coun-
try. An increasing number of people in Seoul are taking their own lives and reluctant
to have children. While cities in other developed countries have shifted the focus of
their development policies to provide sufficient social safety nets with expanded wel-
fare benefits for the underprivileged once their economic growth reached a certain
level, Seoul has long neglected its citizens lives while pursuing the fastest economic
growth and development. As a consequence, the middle class has collapsed, more
people have fallen below the poverty line, and the economic polarization has become
aggravated in Seoul.

The Solution
The new city administration of Seoul has prepared new welfare directions for the city
and named the document the Seoul Citizens Welfare Standards. These standards are
a new charter that asserts welfare benefits are a basic right of citizens. They are the
guidelines for any future welfare policies of the city. The standards present the goals
of Seouls welfare programs in five major areas on income, education, health, hous-
ing and care, with respect to the minimum and ideal levels of percentage of income
spent on those necessities, with the income thresholds indicating what level of in-
come is necessary to live a decent life in Seoul. Citizens actively participated in the
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 2013 CATEGORY 3

policy making processes for the first time in Korea, mainly through meetings and
online discussions. They had a variety of opportunities to participate through several
communication channels and occasions. Citizens opinions were collected by wel-
fare expert researchers and reflected in the new policies.

Impact

Through the announcement of the new welfare standards, the city of Seoul has had a
paradigm shift regarding welfare and has committed 30% of its budget to welfare.
Both welfare providers and receivers now see welfare as a universal right, not a favor
granted by the government. Priority of the city administration has clearly shifted to
welfare.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Republic of Korea 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Eco-mileage, a program to engage citizens in GHG
reduction

Institution:
Seoul Metropolitan Government

Description
Improving energy supply through incentives for reducing energy consumption

The Problem
According to a survey on the characteristics of greenhouse gas emissions in the city
of Seoul, households and buildings account for 67% and transportation 24%. The
most effective way of reducing emissions in the city in the short-term was for house-
holds and businesses to voluntarily implement energy conservation efforts consis-
tently. There was however limited participation of citizens in the efforts for improv-
ing energy conservation. The government therefore offered incentives to households
and organizations that implement energy conservation measures to reduce green-
house gas emissions. Citizens participation decreased once they realized they could
no longer reduce their energy consumption. In spite of this, the system could not
detect that, resulting in continued payment of incentives and a reduction in actual
energy conservation in the long run.

The Solution
The Eco Mileage Card System was set up to offer mileage on energy conservation,
the purchase of environment-friendly products and the use of public transportation.
The mileage benefits have become possible through the city administrations MOU
with BC Card, Koreas biggest credit card company, and six commercial banks, such
as Woori Bank, SC (Standard Chartered) Bank and NH Bank. If citizens become Eco
Mileage members and take part in energy conservation efforts, they can monitor their
conservation efforts in figures, while also receiving economic incentives. The incen-
tives are given in goods and facilities that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions or improve energy efficiency. The incentives have worked as a significant mo-
tivating factor for energy conservation for many citizens. Along with the provision of
incentives, the Eco Mileage program promotes two-way communication with citi-
zens.

Impact
The city promoted the benefits of the mileage card system and as a result, 3,249,252
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 2013 CATEGORY 3

cards have been issued nationally. The card mileage system benefits citizens remark-
ably and enhances their commitment to environmental protection. The benefits are a
result of the collaboration of the city administration, a card company, financial insti-
tutions, manufacturers and retailers. The system costs the city administration very
little while bringing about significant effects. During 2012, members have volun-
tarily reduced 100,715 TOE in electricity, water and city gas (1 TOE is approxi-
mately 107 kcal). They have also reduced 119,947 tons in CO2 emissions during the
same period. In terms of eco-rights and energy cost reduction, the above figure is
equivalent to the monetary gains of 69.394 billion won. The Eco Mileage System is
the first citizen-participating greenhouse gas reduction program implemented by a
local government in Korea. The city of Busan, Gyeonggi and Jeollanam-do Prov-
inces have also introduced and implemented the system to their citizens. In January
2010, the Ministry of Environment designated the Seoul Eco Mileage System as a
model for the government-enterprise cooperation in the implementation of environ-
ment-friendly measures.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Europe and North America

Moldova 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Increased transparency in the decision-making process

Institution:
State Chancellery

Description
Facilitating citizen participation in public policy making

Summary
The country had a fragmented approach towards citizen engagement, with each min-
istry having a distinct approach on solving different issues and public policy making.
Confidence in public policy and decision making process declined significantly. The
initiative enhanced transparency and participation through an online portal of public
policies which gave citizens a chance to make inputs. A National Council for Par-
ticipation was also created to promote strategic partnership between public authori-
ties, civil society and the private sector and institutionalize dialogue to enhance par-
ticipatory democracy in Moldova.

The Problem
There was limited participation and inclusion of citizens in development of public
policy in Moldova. Until 2009, the decision-making process generated ignorance and
distrust of citizens because central public authorities had no desire to engage citizens.
The mechanism that existed was very cumbersome and did not encourage participa-
tion. Each of the 24 public institutions maintained their own database of policies and
one had to check all the websites of all the authorities to access a policy. Most of the
time, ministries and central public administration bodies had no designated person
responsible for the consultation process, which also created obstacles for citizens if
they wanted to participate in the process. There was no partnership between Govern-
ment, civil society and private sector, resulting in very sporadic dialogue without
systematic, continuous and permanent connection. One of the main reasons for not
promoting active citizen participation was the lack of guidelines in elaborating a
public policy.

The Solution
The first step was to convince the main decision makers that opening the Government
to citizens will deliver tangible benefits for both citizens and civil servants. The State
Chancellery engaged ministers to change the usual way of doing things and coached
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 2013 CATEGORY 3

civil servants in engaging citizens to reform the central public administration. In or-
der to streamline the process of public consultations and reduce the number of web-
sites, the State Chancellery introduced the Participation module which is the tech-
nical solution for organizing public consultations online which are simple and
transparent. With the Participation module everyone can see all projects on one
page and post their comments. The website contains a public consultation agenda
and videos of past meetings are available on the site.

Impact
The initiative shifted focus from consultation to citizen engagement in decision mak-
ing process. Civil servants are now interested in receiving feedback and offering
feedback to all commentaries and proposals offered by interested stakeholders. The
traffic on the integrated website increased from 2,000 unique visitors at the launch of
the site to over 18,000. The partnership that was built between the Government and
National Council for Participation proved once again that a constructive dialogue can
exist among politicians, civil servants and citizens.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Latin America and the Caribbean

Brazil 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
State System of Public and Citizen Participation (SISPARCI)

Institution:
State Government of Rio Grande do Sul

Description
Citizen engagement for public policy planning, implementation and monitoring
through ICT tools

Summary
The State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil has pioneered citizen participation and this
initiative represents the next step taken by the State to further deepen and extend its
citizen engagement policies and practices. It addresses the issues of strengthening
the participation of citizens in planning, implementation and monitoring of public
policies, as well as better coordination of different citizen engagement mechanisms
and actors through the Popular and Citizen Participation System and the Digital
Office a website where citizens can ask questions to the governor, participate in
chats with the governor and participate in online discussions.

The Problem
There was limited access to participatory structures for a large part of the population
and lack of an organized system that addresses the relationship between different
participatory processes by a number of public entities. This resulted in a fragmented
approach of engaging citizens and affected the quality of participation in the formu-
lation, implementation, control and evaluation of public policies.

The Solution
The solution to the problem was the proposal to introduce the system of Citizen Par-
ticipation and the State of Rio Grande do Sul, promoting a new model of state-soci-
ety relationship, involving the authority and provided to all citizens, and the rating
of participatory processes through coordination of different stakeholders and existing
structures at various levels (Federal, State, Municipal, Civil Society, among others),
allowing better interaction of citizens in public service improvement in the formula-
tion, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies of the State, valu-
ing the Planning and bearing in mind the modern information technologies and com-
munication. In addition to public hearings, the state created a Digital Office, where
the Governor answered questions asked by the public. The 2012 edition of Ask the
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 2013 CATEGORY 3

Governor, a public consultation on violence in digital transit proposals received

more than one thousand and 200 thousand votes. In 2012, 16 thematic dialogues
were conducted in 12 regions of Rio Grande do Sul.

Impact

Training of public officials on public policy was completed. The main achievement
of the initiative is enhanced inclusion of citizens in policy development. The efforts
have also brought about efficient use of resources in the development of public poli-
cy at the regional level. Another achievement was gender mainstreaming in the for-
mulation and implementation of public policies. There is now systematic communi-
cation and dialogue between the different actors and social groups.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Western Asia
Egypt 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Egypts ICT Indicators Portal

Institution:
Information Center - Ministry of Communication and Information Technology

Description
Facilitating participation to ensure accuracy and relevance of key ICT indicators

Summary
The Information center (IC) of the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology (MCIT) had conducted a focus group survey for the purpose of identify-
ing the extent of satisfaction of the ICT companies of the Egypts ICT Indicators
Portal. The survey is carried out on a regular basis to ensure that the portal remains
relevant to all stakeholders and informs development planning.

The Problem
Despite the important role played by the ICT sector in Egypt, it notably lacked the
presence of many indicators reflecting its performance and contribution to the econ-
omy, in addition to the inconsistency of some published indicators. For example, the
rate of growth of ICT revenues was mistakenly used to reflect the growth of the ICT
component of GDP. In addition, indicators for measuring the characteristics of using
ICT within households, business, government and education sectors through surveys
(soft indicators) were unavailable. This represented a huge gap in Egypts ICT data,
noting that this type of indicators was found to be especially crucial for policy mak-
ers in their policy design for the ICT sector, as well as many international organiza-
tions, which rely heavily on these soft indicators in their published reports. On the
other hand, even when indicators were available they were not easily accessible as
they were scattered around different sources with no single pool of data that can be
used and accessed by different parties.

The Solution
The portal provides the necessary, accurate and meaningful data about ICT sector in
Egypt. It has the broadest scope, as it is measuring ICT usage in different fields:
Households, Businesses, Government, Education, Health, IT Clubs and internet ca-
fes. In addition, it pools together sets of hard and soft data with different frequencies;
monthly, quarterly, and annually. It also allows display of indicators by multiple cat-
egories and sub-categories both graphically and in a tabular form. This database also
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 2013 CATEGORY 3

provides a friendly interface for ease of use for all types of beneficiaries which in-
clude policy makers, researchers, academia, the media, investors, businessmen and
international organizations.

Impact

The project has played a crucial role in supporting the policies and decisions taken
by policy makers to make better deployment of the ICT services in a way to boost the
Egyptian economy as well as the overall wellbeing of the Egyptian citizen. The avail-
ability of the ICT indicators and their usage among the different categories such as
sex, age and geographical distribution has permitted the policy make to draw the
right path of the initiatives formulated to them. In 2012, the Arab ICT Indicators
Portal was launched, upon request from the ITU Regional Office; a project that takes
Egypts ICT Indicators Portal as a model for the Arab countries to implement.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 4

Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches

in the Information Age

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Nigeria 1-GOV.net Harmonizing ICT services across government 76
entities to reduce costs and create synergies for
public service delivery.

Botswana Food Coupon System Revamping the food distribution system to simplify 78
the associated administrative process and to treat
beneficiaries with dignity

Morocco Quick Response Codes Increasing the efficiency of information-sharing on 79

urban planning and design through new
technology: bar codes.

Asia & the Republic of DBAS: Korea's Integrated Financial Integrating fiscal systems to allow for improved 80
Pacific Korea Management Information System planning and use of resources across government.

Republic of Government Wide Enterprise Improved transparency, accountability and service 82

Korea Architecture in Korea (GEA) delivery through integrated e-government service
delivery.

Singapore Co-creation of creative solutions New technological solutions for collecting and 84
through eGov initiatives sharing environmental data for better public
services

Europe & Slovenia Reform of Social Policy Integrating the social rights system for consistent 86
North and transparent service delivery
America

Spain Nacional Plan for Territory Creation of an integrated Geographical Information 87

Observation (PNOT) System for integrated and high quality information
for government and citizens

74
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 4

Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches

in the Information Age

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Morocco
Latin India
Trinidad and TTBIZLinkRep. of Korea Italy Creation ofSlovenia Oman
e-services for trade Georgia 88
and business related
America & Tobago services to improve the ease of doing business.
the
Caribbean

Western United Arab Abu Dhabi Government Contact Improving and harmonizing standards of customer 90
Asia Emirates Centre service across government through a One Stop
Shop contact centre.
South Africa Nigeria Thailand India Spain USA
Bahrain Integrated Service Delivery An integrated service delivery platform for better 92
Platform (ISDP) services to citizens

United Arab Dubai eGovernment Electronic Creating cross-entity electronic shared services to 93
Peru Brazil
Emirates Mexico(ESS)
Shared Services Oman incentivizeUAE
collaboration and synergies for
whole-of-government policy making and
implementation.

Rep. of Korea Moldova Brazil Egypt

Nigeria Botswana Morocco Rep. of Korea Singapore

Slovenia Spain Trinidad and UAE Bahrain

Tobago

Morocco Ethiopia Kenya Pakistan

75

India Rep. of Korea Germany Italy

GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Africa
Nigeria 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
1-GOV.net

Institution:
Galaxy Backbone

Description
Harmonizing ICT services across government entities to reduce costs and create syn-
ergies for public service delivery.

Summary
Recognizing the loss of potential synergies and the high cost of separate ICT systems
across government entities, the government of Nigeria endorsed the creation of the
common platform 1-GOV.net to offer shared services to the whole of the Federal
Government. The initiative has significantly reduced cost and improved the delivery
of services.

The Problem
The Federal Government was spending over 120 million USD on ICT infrastructure
projects championed by different Ministries, Departments or Agencies (MDAs).
Most of these projects were duplications. At the same time valuable information cre-
ated in one MDA was not accessible to the next. Overall, there was lack of a coordi-
nated approach to e-Government. The Federal Government was receiving little value
for money while paying a high price for the connectivity services: about $6.7m a year
for what was no more than a total of 50 Mbps to different MDAs. In addition, the
security of information was at risk with Government data being hosted in several
open access infrastructures offshore.

The Solution
A common ICT platform for the Federal Government was proposed by an inter-
ministerial committee on harmonization of ICT initiatives of all MDAs and approved
by the President of Nigeria. This common platform called 1-GOV.net has now be-
come a secure government cloud consisting of software, hardware and network infra-
structure offering shared services to the whole of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Over 85% of the MDAs are now integrated into a secure, exclusive network. Inter-
agency voice and video conferencing is now available through 3,600 connected loca-
tions nationwide reducing the need to travel across and between the cities for meet-
ings.
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

Impact

The initiative eliminated the duplication of ICT projects and infrastructure within
government and reduced costs. The connection of MDAs through a common ICT
infrastructure greatly facilitates process automation and contributes to overall im-
provements of service delivery. Examples are the automation of Government payroll
and improvements in the process for the issuance of driver licenses by Federal Road
Safety Commission.

77
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Botswana 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Food Coupon System

Institution:
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

Description
Revamping the food distribution system to simplify the associated administrative process
and to treat beneficiaries with dignity

Summary
Botswanas decentralized food distribution system was redesigned with view to ease the
administrative burden on local administrations, to limit abuse of the system and to allow
beneficiaries to shop with dignity.

The Problem
Botswana faced the problem of an inefficient food distribution programme to provide
monthly food rations to its approximately 103,000 beneficiaries from low-income groups
across the country. The process of distribution was cumbersome: Local Councils would
publish tenders and contract local merchants on a yearly basis to provide food rations on
a particular day per month. Social workers were delegated the task of overseeing the
process, taking significant amounts of time away from performing their core functions.
Beneficiaries would gather in long queues causing the food collection to become an un-
dignified and demeaning process. Council accounts departments found themselves over-
burdened with the administrative processing of the monthly bills from the merchants.
Merchants in turn would face delays in payments prompting increased prices on food
rations. Other merchants supplied poor quality products including expired foods. The
system was also open to corruption and abused by so-called ghost beneficiaries.

The Solution
The SmartSwitch solution is a biometrically-driven smart card system which utilises a
nation-wide network of point of sale devices that are all connected to a central switch
which processes the transactions. Beneficiaries are issued a smart card containing per-
sonal details and fingerprints. The card enables beneficiaries to buy food at pre-approved
merchants anywhere in the country, to deposit and withdraw cash and earn interest on
saved money. Participating merchants undergo a stringent process to ensure quality of the
products.

Impact
Through this initiative the need for annual tenders was eliminated, thus releasing local
council staff from an undue administrative burden. Beneficiaries no longer suffer the indig-
nity of having to queue up in a demeaning manner but can now purchase food items when-
ever they choose to. Merchants now receive their payments within 48 hours of the sale.
Some cost-savings were achieved as only about 70,000 persons out of the previous 103,000
beneficiaries registered for the new finger-print based system. Overall, the level of corrup-
tion was reduced as well.
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

Morocco 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Quick Response Codes

Institution:
Agence urbaine dEssaouira

Description
Increasing the efficiency of information-sharing on urban planning and design though
new technology: bar codes.

Summary
The agency and the public were faced with insufficient means of information ex-
change on urban planning and studies projects. The implementation of a Quick Re-
sponse Code (barcode) resolved the problems of an ineffective technical system.
Communication between the public and the agency was strengthened through the
availability of information that then became easily accessible and reliable.

The Problem
This problem involves two aspects: urban planning through technical training of build-
ing permits for the local authorities, and the development of urban studies. The con-
tracting authority had no means of providing the public with the necessary data on the
status of projects. When users submitted information and application they had not
means of knowing when their project would be appraised and the results be announced.

The Solution
To address the problem, the Quick Response Code Defined was introduced. The bar-
code has two dimensions: 1) storing data and 2) information for mobile users from the
website of the Planning Agency of Essaouira. Such information includs results of the
technical commissions, tenders, publications, studies, and best practices. The new tech-
nology was promoted widely in the media and since the introduction of the QR codes
for the public, the average visits to the website has doubled and the visits via mobile or
tablet has almost tripled.

Impact
The initiative has resulted in improved information sharing between the agency an the
public. It has also increased the visibility of the agency with a very low investment. The
agency has gained an innovative image through the modernization of tools and proce-
dures in the public eye. The new technology has also positively contributed to the level
of transparency and proximity to the citizen.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Asia and The Pacific

Republic of Korea 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
DBAS: Koreas Integrated Financial Management
Information System

Institution:
Ministry of Strategy and Finance

Description
Integrating fiscal systems to allow for improved planning and use of resources across
government.

Summary
The Republic of Korea was faced with the problem of a fragmented fiscal system
preventing it from effective strategic planning and utilization of its budgetary re-
sources. The problem was addressed by introducing an integrated Digital Budgeting
and Accounting System (DBAS) that has greatly contributed to improvements in
governance and administration.

The Problem
Prior to 2007, the financial management system of the Korean government was high-
ly fragmented and a comprehensive picture of public finance was not available.This
was caused by a lack of linkages between different systems and the lack of integra-
tion of financial information from local government and other public entities. Addi-
tionally, policies were implemented differently by individual ministries and their ac-
counts were disconnected from the larger financial picture leading to uncertainty as
to overall budget scales and benefits of individual policies.In addition, the existing
Financial Information Systems could not ensure transparency and accountability.
Overall, potential misuse or waste of government budget could not be controlled
adequately.

The Solution
To address this issue, the Digital Budget and Accounting System (DBAS) was cre-
ated to integrate all existing financial systems and to create fiscal transparency. As an
innovative tool, the DBAS manages the entire fiscal process, from budget formula-
tion to accounting. It also links the fiscal information of all public entities thus allow-
ing for a comprehensive view of public finance. This consolidation of fiscal pro-
cesses of 44 central government agencies and links with 63 other public entities
including local government enabled the government to fulfill the requirements of the
80
 2013 CATEGORY 4

IMFs 2001 Government Finance Statistics (GFS) Manual. Most importantly, the
new system is also linked to the management of government activities through a
Project Management System (PMS) and thus allows to align 700 programs and
8,000 projects according to the purposes of their policies preventing overlapping and
waste of the budget.

Impact

The DBAS initiative has helped transform Korean public governance.Resources are
now handled more efficiently and savings are redirected to the welfare programs for
social minorities. In designing the Business Strategic Plan, public servants with thor-
ough knowledge of fiscal affairs help formulate business processes. Records of the
reforms are kept to be utilized as teaching material to boost understanding of the
system and its history.

81
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Republic of Korea 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Government Wide Enterprise Architecture in Korea (GEA)

Institution:
Ministry of Public Administration and Security

Description
Improved transparency, accountability and service delivery through integrated e-
government service delivery.

Summary
A disintegrated approach to e-government services posed problems for users. By
way of a whole-of-government approach and new technological solutions, services
to citizens could be significantly improved and cost-savings be achieved.

The Problem
While the Korean e-government projects had individually achieved significant im-
provements in the quality of public services information systems became more com-
plex as each government agency widened the scope of e-government services thus
creating many problems for the government both internally and externally. Citizens
experienced inconvenience as e-government systems were neither integrated nor
aligned at the whole-of-government level. With over 40 central government minis-
tries and administrations, 246 local governments, and thousands of public agencies,
this presented a complex problem in terms of transparency, accountability, adaptabil-
ity, and compatibility in internal management, as well as in citizen services.

The Solution
A new whole-of-government enterprise architecture, named GEA, was established
with the approach to provide integrated services to citizens, businesses corporations
and government agencies. The redesign process entailed elaborate collaboration
across departments and different levels of government through the use of human re-
sources capacity-building, new institutional frameworks and technological solutions.
The GEA analyzed the e-government services and planned target service architecture
for citizens. As a result, processing times have been shortened and quality of services
has been improved.

Impact
The initiative has improved transparency and accountability of e-government invest-
ments.It has reduced time to deliver services, enhanced efficiency and transparency
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

and diminished investments in technology utilizing and sharing what was already
available. In the past, it took four weeks and seventy-five different stages for busi-
nesses to complete the international trade process. Now, the business procedures
were reduced to only fifteen stages and only one week to complete. The GEA re-
duced the information technology investments by reusing hardware and software and
saved the public budgets for new investment opportunities. As a result, approxi-
mately 240 million US dollars were saved between 2009 and 2011 years by eliminat-
ing unnecessary investments which helped secure financial resources for new invest-
ments. As of October 2012, information about 15,000 e-government systems of more
than 1,400 institutions are shared through the GEAP, thus through a single window.

83
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Singapore 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Co-creation of creative solutions through eGovernment
initiatives

Institution:
National Environment Agency

Description
New technological solutions for collecting and sharing environmental data for better
public services

Summary
The issues caused by urban and population advancements along with land scarcity
and environmental complexities lead to a collaborative system towards a workable
situation. The initiative brought together all data relevant to a central platform for
governments, agencies, and the public to interact.

The Problem
Over the years the government of Singapore has had increased pressures placed on
their administration. Besides having to manage competing land uses in land-scare
Singapore, the government has had to manage the pressures on Singapores environ-
ment over the years. This has been largely due to the rapid pace of urbanization, as
well as, with recent high population growth.

The Solution
The initiative used a series of smart technologies to share environmental data, such
as, air quality, public health and weather, with government agencies and public. Na-
tional Environment Agency (NEA) contributed to the creation of 86 environment
datasets and 17 spatial datasets to the Singapore Government datahub, SG-Data/Geo-
Space, for inter-agency sharing. In addition, 75 datasets and 8 map layers to the
Singapore Governments one-stop portal service, www.data.gov.sg, was added.
These datasets permitted public usage and collaborated with the Public Utilities
Board to provide integrated environmental information (e.g. water level information,
sms alerts for flash flood, and heavy rain warnings) to the public via mobile applica-
tions. In addition, NEA works with several Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to
develop a gaming platform (Operation MACE -www.macecommand.com.sg), to cre-
ate awareness among the youths.

Impact
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

The National Environment Agency worked with the private sector to develop Smart-
phone applications such as CleanLah, which empowers the public to snap photo on
cleaning lapses in public areas. This provides a bigger perspective in analyzing the
root cause for environmental lapses. This resulted in better delivery of public ser-
vices.The key success factor of this initiative was the creation of collaborative com-
munities between the government, public, and private sectors. This actively attracted
environment champions to co-created solutions for everyone. As a result Singapore
as been positioned as one of the Data Collection or Product Centres (DCPC) in the
region under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) umbrella. In this man-
ner information is shared through meteorological datasets to aid countries to better
handle environmental crisis or issues.

85
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Europe and North America

Slovenia 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Reusable IT Building Blocks for Electronic Data Exchange
Implementation for e-Social Security

Institution:
Ministry of Justice and Public Administration

Description
Integrating the social rights system for consistent and transparent service delivery.

Summary
The existing social system of rights and distribution of benefits was not meeting the needs
of the public. The system was made up of various departments not working in a collabora-
tive manner. As such information and decision making was not standardized. This resulted
in exploitation of the system.

The Problem
The Slovenian system of managing social rights had a number of procedures, based on
different legal foundations and conducted by different authorities (schools, social work
centres, Pension and Invalidity Insurance Institute, local communities). Databases for re-
cipients of social rights were not linked. In addition, the system was not transparent and
had allowed unjustified accumulation of rights. Means-tested benefits and subsidies were
granted on a variety of inconsistent criteria. The system did not help those who truly
needed it. As well it was unable to prevent the exploitation and abuse of governmental
social assistance.

The Solution
To resolve this issue a reform of social policy was initiated including a new system of de-
cision-making on social rights. This project integrated the system of accessing social
grants in Slovenia. It connected a number of government institutions through an interoper-
able system. As such, it has improved service delivery through the whole-of-government
approach. Citizens no longer have to collect information from individual institutions to
submit to the next institution, such information is now accessible in a unified database.

Impact
The project has improved the framework conditions for interoperability between institu-
tions. In addition, services were enhanced with increased efficiency and effectiveness. As
a result reductions in time, energy, and costs were saved, as well as improving transpar-
ency. Improvements were also seen in the quality of life for decision makers and for ap-
plicants for social benefits. The intiative has achieved fairness in distribution of money for
social benefits.
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

Spain 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
National Plan for Territory Observation (PNOT)

Institution:
National Geographic Institute

Description
Creation of an integrated Geographical Information System for integrated and high
quality information for government and citizens .

Summary
Until recently geographical information in Spain was generated and handled locally with-
out integrating it at the national level. To address the costly duplication of efforts, the Na-
tional Plan for Observation/Monitoring of the Spanish Territory was put in place. The re-
sult is a collaborative process across the country to the benefit of all stakeholders.

The Problem
In Spain until 2004, various departments of the Central Government and each of the re-
gional administrations managed the acquisition and production of geography information
according to their individual needs and requirements, without consideration of the na-
tional dimension. This resulted in the generation of information gaps, duplication of effort
and expenses as well as lack of continuity in work plans.

The Solution
To improve the situation, the National Plan for the Observation/Monitoring of the Spanish
Territory was initiated. The main objective of this plan is to provide accurate information
to citizens, the private sector and NGOs whose work relates to agricultural infrastructure,
public works, tourism, migration, fires, environmental changes etc. The initiative now
plays an essential role in developing environmental policies, in conducting socio-econom-
ic studies about the density of the population, in improving tourism through an assessment
of historical monuments. It is implemented through the cooperation of seven ministries,
universities and the private sector and was also successful in invoking the spirit of collab-
orative governance.

Impact
This initiative has become an innovative model of inter-administrative management based
on partnership and co-ownership. It includes the co-financing of projects on geographic
information and the free distribution of its products. The initiative was successful in meet-
ing the needs and requirements of all stakeholders while fostering inter-governmental col-
laboration to launch a Geographical Information System (GIS) in Spain. Through the use of
improved technology it is now easier to capture and make available geographical informa-
tion for better services and at a lower cost. The initiative has already become a role model.
87
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Latin America and The Caribbean

Trinidad and Tobago 1st Place
Winner
Initiative:
TTBIZLink

Institution:
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment

Description
Creation of e-services for trade and business related services to improve the ease of
doing business.

Summary
The provision of trade and business related services in Trinidad & Tobago was time-
consuming and cumbersome impacting the competiveness of the country. To address
this issue, a comprehensive suit of e-services for trade and business was launches
simplifying the process and reducing the time required to process applications.

The Problem
In 2009, the World Banks Annual Ease of Doing Business Survey had ranked Trini-
dad & Tobago 80th out of 181 countries (as compared to 67th in 2007). Trinidad and
Tobagos declining global competitiveness position was in part due to the inefficien-
cies in delivering key business services to the citizens and the private sector. The inef-
ficiencies resulted primarily from lack of coordination among the agencies involved
in trade and business facilitation, resulting in unnecessary delays, excessive costs,
uncertainty and low levels of transparency and accountability. For example, firms
could only apply for various trade and business related services using the manual/
paper process. This required the submission of multiple copies of essentially the
same information to multiple government agencies. Citizens spent undue amounts of
time on paper work, commuting, waiting for in-person services. Frequently, docu-
ments were misplaced and applicants had to start all over again.

The Solution
To find a solution, TTBizLink was created. TTBizLink is a comprehensive suite of
national e-services for trade and business related services online from applicant to
approving entity. It can be accessed anytime from anywhere in the world. Citizens
and firms no longer have to visit an agency in-person but can log onto the system and
complete and submit e-applications as needed.

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 2013 CATEGORY 4

Impact

The project has resulted in considerable reductions in the times required to process
applications for business services. Examples are: 1) e-Company Registration Module
under the Ministry of Legal Affairs (Registrar General-Company Registry): The pro-
cessing time was reduced from 7 days to 3 days; 2) e-Work Permit Module under the
Ministry of National Security (Work Permit Secretariat): The processing time was
reduced from 6 weeks to 2.5 weeks; 3) e-Fiscal Incentives Module under the Minis-
try of Trade, Industry and Investment (Investment Directorate): The processing time
was reduced from 6 weeks to 11 days. The implementation of TTBizLink has also
accelerated the National Legislative Reforms required to ensure a safe e-commerce
and e-government environment in Trinidad and Tobago.

89
GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Western Asia
United Arab Emirates 1st Place
Winner
Initiative:
Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre

Institution:
Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre

Description
Improving and harmonizing standards of customer service across government
through a One Stop Shop contact centre.

Summary
Customer care was fragmented taking place at entity level with no streamlined and
professionalized approach to customer relationship management. Through the cre-
ation of the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre citizens now have a single entry
for the inquiries and are provided with high quality service.

The Problem
The government of Abu Dhabi was faced with a fragmentation in customer experi-
ence and lack of cross-government policies across the more than 50 government de-
partments responsible for providing hundreds of services to customers. This was
mainly due to a lack of accessibility to phone channels and heavy reliance on a
counter channel with limited availability. Customer care for each entity took place in
silo, provided at the entity level, and subject to its own standards of customer service,
with minimal or no coordination among departments or with the central government.
No comprehensive and professional customer relationship management was in place.

The Solution
To elevate customer service to a new level, the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre
(ADGCC) was created. ADGCC is aimed at modernizing service delivery based on four
key pillars: Efficiency Focus, Cross Government Design, End User Focus and Compre-
hensive Design. It provides a single point of access to all government services using
phones as primary channel and supported by Email, SMS, Self Service (www.abudhabi.
ae), Chat, and Mobile Apps as peripheral channels. This One Stop Shop initiative aligns,
standardizes and consolidates customer care processes, people and technology across
the government. It also includes a customer relationship management (CRM) platform
that provides key capabilities such as case management, campaign management and
business analytics and is also a centralized repository of customer data.
90
 2013 CATEGORY 4

Impact

The new customer services program has significantly improved the accessibility to
government services while at the same time increasing transparency and account-
ability. It has resulted in a higher rate of answering calls and provided seamless
customer experience. Customer satisfaction is monitored and improved by feedback
collection. ADGCC is also promoting and realizing the vision of One Government
through collaboration with more than 50 government departments currently onboard
to standardize and continuously improve customer care functions.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Bahrain 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Integrated Service Delivery Platform (ISDP)

Institution:
eGovernment Authority

Description
An integrated service delivery platform for better services to citizens.

Summary
The number and types of services delivered by The Kingdom of Bahrain faced a number
of limitations in terms of services and type of access to services. The creation of an Inte-
grated Service Delivery Platform to provide end-to-end services through a choice of chan-
nels has greatly elevated services delivery to citizens.

The Problem
The Kingdom of Bahrain faced limitations in offering government online services. The
services available on its website were limited and the website did not fully integrate ser-
vices from various ministries and agencies. It also did not offer users a variety of choices,
such as a web and mobile portal. However, the key philosophy, of Bahrains eGovernment
strategy and programme, was to provide alternate and convenient channels of choices for
delivery of eServices to citizens and residents. Such initiative demanded the implementa-
tion of a strong platform for service delivery.

The Solution
To address the situation, an Integrated Service Delivery Platform (ISDP) was established
for the public. ISDP is an end-to-end initiative that provides an integrated platform for
eService delivery across the spectrum of Bahrains government services through numer-
ous alternate channels - leading to a no wrong door policy and ultimately achieving
higher customer satisfaction. The platforms include the national government web portal
(www.bahrain.bh), mobile portal (www.bahrain.bh/mobile), national contact center, eSer-
vice centers (eSC) and electronic self-operated kiosks. Numerous interaction channels and
mediums are offered by the platform including special features for the physically chal-
lenged users - audio and video assistance). It also has a mobile portal; mobile apps; kiosks;
eService centers; and the national contact center.

Impact
The integrated platform is the first of its kind in the country and has significantly improved
service delivery to customers and citizens, who can now choose from a variety of
channels to access services.
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 2013 CATEGORY 4

United Arab Emirates 2nd Place

Winner
Initiative:
Dubai eGovernment Electronic Shared Services (ESS)

Institution:
Dubai eGovernment

Description
Creating cross-entity electronic shared services to incentivize collaboration and syn-
ergies for whole-of-government policy making and implementation.

Summary
The Dubai Government was faced with the lack of an institutionalized approach of
cross-entity electronic shared services resulting in duplicate efforts and resources
while loosing out on potential synergies. By instituting comprehensive electronic
shared services the government was able to create an environment in which entities
collaborate for better performance.

The Problem
Dubai Government as a whole is composed of several specialized entities (depart-
ments, authorities, committees, councils, etc.) established through independent legal
mandates. As there was no institution clearly mandated with cross-entity electronic
shared services (ESS) there was no whole-of-government approach in this area. Al-
though there were examples of a few ad-hoc projects among a small number of gov-
ernment entities, most activities were carried out in silo with government entities
individually investing in various information and communication technology (ICT)
solutions and electronic services capabilities resulting in duplication of efforts and
resources. Furthermore, there was no sharing of knowledge and practices across the
government entities resulting in loss of synergies.

The Solution
Seeking to address the problem Dubai Government launched a comprehensive elec-
tronic shared services (ESS) initiative under its Dubai eGovernment program. An
extensive centralized whole-of-government approach was adopted for the common
aspects of core and administrative services electronic enablement, referred to as ESS.
A total of 56 ESS were implemented over the years and rolled out to more than 40
entities by mapping the required ESS to meet their actual business needs. This cen-
tralized whole-of-government approach played a critical role in facilitating and in-
centivizing Dubai Government entities (DGEs) to collaborate and to cooperate.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Impact

The impact of ESS was measured at a consolidated initiative level and at service
levels; both quantitatively and qualitatively. ESS intrinsically enabled data and infor-
mation collection and benchmarking at the government and entity levels. For exam-
ple, Dubai Government can consolidate its finances at the government level for better
planning due to its centralized GRP system. The use of EES by the government enti-
ties expedited government level implementation timelines and reduced implementa-
tion delays due to resources availability in each entity. Overall, ESS created an envi-
ronment whereby government-level rather than entity level planning and
implementation became pervasive. Naturally formed silos were gradually replaced
with ESS serving the common needs of DGEs.

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 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 5

Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of

Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Morocco LIntgration de lApproche Genre Empowering women for more participation in 97
dans le Plan Stratgique de decision-making processes.
Formation, de Renforcement des
Capacit

Ethiopia Creating Access to Education for Improving access to public service and academia 98
Disadvantaged Female Civil for women from marginalized groups through an
Servants alternative admission program.

Kenya Gender and Health Improving access to healthcare for women in 100
remote areas through mobile clinics.

Asia & the Pakistan GRLI Creating more awareness for improving the 102
Pacific conditions of womens participation in the labour
market by providing relevant information through a
toolkit.

India GRAAMIN HAAT Empowering rural women to participate in local 104

governance

Republic of Comprehensive Support Initiate for Attending to the needs of female single person 105
Korea Women of Single Person households through tailored policy initiatives
Households

Europe & Germany Prospects for Reentering the Assisting women to re-integrate into the labour 107
North Workforce market after extended career breaks.
America

Italy Mini*Midi*Mef (MMM) Facilitating womens full participation in the 109

workplace by providing child care services during
school breaks.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2013 Category 5
Morocco India Rep. of Korea Italy Slovenia Oman Georgia

Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of

Public Service
South Africa Nigeria Thailand India Spain USA

Peru Brazil Mexico Oman UAE

Region Country Initiative Description Pg
Latin Ecuador Catalogo Orientador de Gastos Institutionalizing gender budgeting 110
America & Politicas de Equidad de Genero
the
Caribbean

Western Egypt Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Enhancing the delivery of breast cancer prevention 112
Rep. of Korea Moldova Brazil Egypt
Asia Clinic - Women Health Outreach services through a multi-disciplinary approach
Program

Jordan Center for Integrated Services Assisting victims of domestic violence by creating a 114
Against Family Violence neutral and safe place and providing professional
assistance

Nigeria Botswana Morocco Rep. of Korea Singapore

Slovenia Spain Trinidad and UAE Bahrain

Tobago

Morocco Ethiopia Kenya Pakistan

India Rep. of Korea Germany Italy

Ecuador Egypt Jordan

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 2013 CATEGORY 5

Africa
Morocco 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
LIntgration de lApproche Genre dans le Plan Stratgique
de Formation, de Renforcement des Capacit

Institution:
La DFCAT du Ministre de lIntrieur (DFCAT the Ministry of the Interior)

Description
Empowering women for more participation in decision-making processes.

Summary
Womens participation in important decision-making processes at the municipal level was
limited. Through a comprehensive outreach program to create gender awareness and to
build womens capacity, more women were elected and appointed to government func-
tions.

The Problem
Women in the municipalities do not have the equal opportunities for training, capacity
building and networking like men. In particular, women are underrepresented in the deci-
sion-making process at the local level and thus have limited impact on the outcome of such
processes. Several socio-economic factors and complex composites contribute to this situ-
ation and require a concerted and sustainable global approach to solve them.

The Solution
In response DFCAT has developed, implemented and executed a strategic plan for the sup-
port and assistance of Local Authorities in Morocco, including the Gender Approach as a
fundamental societal transformation based on equality and equal participation of women
and men in decision-making processes. Over a hundred activities such as presentations,
workshops, study trips, participatory governance training, were undertaken to create and
train gender awareness and to build local capacity building in and outside Morocco. Ap-
proximately, 8,000 Moroccan and African women benefited from the project. Several net-
works were created among locally elected women from the Maghreb, locally elected
women of Morocco, locally elected African women and locally elected women of Mauri-
tania.

Impact
DFCAT has provided women with the opportunity to develop their own resources
and potential. Women who participated in the project were appointed to senior posi-
tions or have been elected to Parliament in November 2011. The DFCAT promoted
and publicized its Strategic Plan at the international level and has won several awards.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Ethiopia 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Creating Access to Education for Disadvantaged Female
Civil Servants

Institution:
Ethiopian Civil Service University

Description
Improving access to public service and academia for women from marginalized
groups through an alternative admission program.

Summary
Women of certain ethnicity in Ethiopia are especially marginalized by society not
only due to gender but also because of their ethnicity. Acknowledging the obstacles
that such women face in accessing adequate education for careers in public service
and academia, the Ethiopian Civil Service University put a targeted programme in
place to grant access its program.

The Problem
Ethiopia is composed of more than 80 ethnic groups many of which have long been
marginalized from political and socio-economical aspects of the country. In particu-
lar, nations, nationalities and peoples living in the regional states of Afar, Beni Shan-
gul Gumz, Gambela and Somali have been identified as the most disadvantaged
groups in terms of their political participation, access to infrastructure and other so-
cial service provisions. Although gender inequality has been a salient feature of Ethi-
opia, female civil servants from these marginalized ethnic groups have suffered
based on gender and ethnic identity. Therefore, this situation demanded a special
type of intervention to address gender inequality.

The Solution
The Ethiopian Civil Service University decided to provide an alternative admission pro-
gram for female civil servants from marginalized ethnic groups. Subsequently, 52 women
were admitted to attend the undergraduate program. The initiative was based on a holistic
approach in addressing barriers to womens participation. It incorporated elements such as
access to technology, addressed reproductive health service needs and access to academic
positions. For example, the University provided computer and internet accesses to the fe-
male students in the vicinity of dormitories to ensure 24 hours accessibility. The services
of a gynaecologist were engaged to ensure that female students receive regular gynaeco-
logical check-ups as well as pregnancy and family planning related consultations. The
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University also issued vacancies specifically addressed to female applicants.

Impact
Due to this initiative, the percentage of women academic staffs in the University has
reached 25%. This is by far more than the national average of less than 10%, accord-
ing to the 2011 report by the Ministry of Education. The initiative is illustrative of the
impact of systematic public sector action and institutional investments in response to
identified challenges related to gender parity. It achieved clear targets for womens
share of key public service positions.

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Kenya 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Gender and Health

Institution:
Nikumbuke-Health by Motorbike

Description
Improving access to healthcare for women in remote areas through mobile clinics.

Summary
Women in rural areas who suffer from preventable illnesses often do not have access
to adequate health care services. The Nikumbuke-Health by Motorbike initiative ad-
dressed this problem by reaching out to rural areas not only for conventional health
care services but also by illness prevention measures through knowledge transfer and
local capacity building.

The Problem
Women across Kenya suffer from preventable illnesses that pose a significant health
burden not only to them but also to their families and their communities. In rural
communities, these problems are exacerbated due to lack of health education, limited
access to medical care, and community mistrust towards the government medical
system. A 2009 health needs assessment for women in four rural communities in
South-East Kenya identified major health concerns: 1) Life expectancy of women
had dropped from 60.1 years in 1990 to around 45.6 years in 2009; 2) Early marriage
and teenage pregnancy had contributed to high infant mortality and maternal death
rates; 3) Pregnancy, especially in adolescents, put women at higher risk of malaria
infection than any other adult group and problems such as hemorrhage, shock and
bacterial infections from female genital cutting on young women. For health care
women had to travel long distances, often by foot or bicycle, to access a government
clinic. Some preventable diseases spread easily and treatable illnesses often became
endemic.

The Solution
Nikumbuke-Health by Motorbike was introduced to provide a comprehensive commu-
nity-health and wellbeing program with distinct focus on women and girls. Its innova-
tive value lies in the participatory application of health care in a rural context and in
adapting to access challenges of remote locations by providing mobile services and
respecting local beliefs, attitudes and practices. The program also includes knowledge
transfer, continuous monitoring and building referral capacity in rural areas.
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Impact

Since 2009, N-HbM has reached approximately 60,000 people, which is approxi-
mately two thirds of the rural population of the Kwale District. In addition, more than
3000 families per year have directly benefited from the health services of the Mama-
Toto Mobile Clinic (9000 in 3 years). Maternal health has greatly improved by en-
couraging pre-natal visits and the delivery of babies at the government Health Center
for those who can afford the transportation and fee, and by providing knowledge and
tools for safe home deliveries for those who do not. These locally-led approaches are
an important contribution to sustainable transformation of communities and progress
towards national development indicators in the African context.

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Asia and The Pacific

Pakistan 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
GRLI

Institution:
Gender Unit Department of Labour Punjab

Description
Creating more awareness for improving the conditions of womens participation in
the labour market by providing relevant information through a toolkit.

Summary
Women in the Pakistani labour market often work under precarious occupational
health, safety and social protection conditions. By way of a toolkit containing the
relevant references to laws and labour standards inspectors and worker are made
aware as to the conditions to be met by employers.

The Problem
A large number of small and medium scale industries such as textile, leather, metal
and pharmaceutical factories are operating in Pakistan without any moral and legal
obligation for workers occupational health, safety and social protection. Employers
may deny medical treatment and financial compensation in case of permanent injury
or death in an industrial accident.Workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals and
other harmful substances with no concept of workers health and safety at the work-
place. Women are even further disadvantaged because of their marginalization and
isolation to specific trades and processes that are often neglected remaining invisible.
Overall, the status of women is characterized by discrimination, the glass ceiling,
occupational segregation, unequal wage payment, and sexual harassment in the work
place.

The Solution
The Gender Responsive Labour inspection toolkit was developed to provide an over-
view of national labour laws and international labour standards which are key to
achieving gender equality. It further provides practical checklists and tips to make
labour inspection gender-responsive in accordance with the provisions in these laws
that apply to both women and men. The kit only includes areas that are overlooked in
the traditional labour inspection system such as maternity benefits, sexual harass-
ment, and trainings for equal employment opportunity amongst others. The addition
of these indicators will help labour inspectors recommend employers to introduce
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worker friendly practices at workplace that help in worker retention and increased
productivity.The toolkit provides answers to questions of workers or their represen-
tatives relating to working conditions, occupational safety and health, social security,
and labour rights and obligations.

Impact
Overall, women are provided improved chances to participate in the labour industry
on an equal basis. Most of all the GRLI toolkit has benefitted women in raising their
concerns and the labour inspectorate in designing interventions to facilitate women
by ensuring workplace environment and working conditions are at par with the inter-
national standards.The gender responsive labour inspection tool has also helped em-
ployers to assess their level of compliance with national labour legislation and pro-
mote innovative legal and/or technical solutions. It will also ensure that workers
rights as explained in the legislation are better understood accepted and, therefore,
better applied.

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India 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
GRAAMIN HAAT

Institution:
Dept. of Cottage and Rural Industries

Description
Empowering rural women to participate in local governance

Summary
Traditionally, women in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh are excluded from decision-
making processes and in their communities. Through a local initiative that created
opportunity for women to operate village markets, they could become more active
participants of their communities.

The Problem
Madhya Pradesh is considered a feudalistic, patriarchal and socio-economically
backward state. Although women comprise almost 50% of the population, their par-
ticipation in the decision-making process at all levels very limited. Women also have
no control over resources. Their contribution to the family and society remains large-
ly unrecognized causing low self-esteem and level of empowerment.

The Solution
The Haat Development Committee that operates weekly markets (haats) decided to
create Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) that would operate its own haats. The first
such initiative took place in village Digwar. It was the first time that a haat was man-
aged by rural women who were illiterate and inexperienced in managing such enter-
prise. The initiative included the allocation of land to set up 150 shops. The fees for
members of the self help group were fixed at a concessional rate (50%). Basic ameni-
ties like cleanliness and drinking water were provided free of cost. Half of the profits
were given to the village Panchayat and the remaining amount was added to the sav-
ings of the WSHG every week. Women now not only had an important place in the
haat and thus in the society but also control over resources.

Impact
Started in village Digwar district Sehore, more than 10 years ago, the initiative has now
expanded to 1775 shops in 36 haats benefitting almost 1800 sellers and 415,000 villag-
ers from 217 villages. The initiative provided women an opportunity to acquire man-
agement skills and to operate a business on their own. This in turn created a new sense
of self-confidence and earned them respect in the family and society. It also allowed
women to gradually become part of the governance of their community. The profit re-
ceived from this initiative allows the WSHGs to sustain their existence. The villagers in
turn profited from more opportunities to buy and sell products, services and trade lead-
ing which led to overall improvement of living conditions due to economic growth.
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Republic of Korea 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Comprehensive Support Initiative for Women of Single
Person Households
Institution:
Seoul Metropolitan Government

Description
Attending to the needs of female single person households through tailored policy
initiatives

Summary
The number of single households of women has seen significant increases in Seoul.
However, government housing policies remained focused on multi-person house-
holds thus putting single women at a disadvantage. Through a special initiative, the
Seoul Metropolitan Government formulated a tailored response to the needs of this
category of households and was able to improve the housing conditions for women
in single households.

The Problem
The number of single person households in Seoul has been rapidly growing in the
last two decades. It increased from 9.1% to 24.4% of the total households with wom-
en accounting for 53% of the single person households. Despite this trend, the design
of important housing policies such as for taxes, housing, social safety are still fo-
cused on benefitting multi-people households thus putting female single house holds
at a disadvantage.

The Solution
The Comprehensive Support Initiative for Women of Single Person Household was
the first one to formulate a response to this social change. It devised a strategy divid-
ing single womens needs into six categories: housing, safety, health, job, commu-
nity activities, and resolving inconvenience and anxiety. In response to each of these
needs the initiative identified tailored solutions. Such solutions included for example
expanding the market for small-sized rental housing; creating environments free
from violence and crime; providing customized health care service; creating more
specialized jobs; promoting local community activities.

Impact
The initiative helped about 2,000 women of single person households to move into a
safer housing environment. It has created safety zones around campus or residen-
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tial areas with a high population of women single person households.Security de-
vices such as security grille & key, emergency bell were set up in areas vulnerable to
crime. Guidelines were draft for crime prevention measures in future public rental
housing construction. More importantly, a Memorandum of Understanding was
signed with the National Police Agency in September 2012 to implement an initiative
called Violence-free Seoul for Women which engaged in developing preventive
measures, including reinforcing patrol around districts populated with women of
single person households.

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Europe and North America

Germany 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Aktionsprogramm Perspektive Wiedereinstieg (PWE)
Institution:
Prospect for Reentering the Workforce

Description
Assisting women to re-integrate into the labour market after extended career breaks.

Summary
Women in Germany often take longer career breaks to care for their children or el-
derly family members. The re-entry into the labour market is often difficult after a
longer break and little tailored assistance is provided by government job centres. The
initiative PWE design special measures to address the special requirements of such
women seeking to take up employment again.

The Problem
The vast majority of women and men aspire to have a fair and even balance between
their work and personal life. However, this is not the case in many parts of Germany,
especially its western part. Unlike their spouse or partner, many women interrupt
their own career in order to raise a family or care for relatives. After an extended
career break, often ranging between 7 and 10 years, returning to the workforce can
pose a complex challenge for women and their families. There has been a structural
lack of information, advice and support, as well as a lack of job opportunities tailored
specifically to this target group of women who have had a career break for a longer
period of time.

The Solution
The initiative Aktionsprogramm Perspektive Wiedereinstieg (PWE) Prospects for re-
entering the workforce addressed this issue by providing easy access to information,
advice, training and other measures for re-integration into the labor market. It founded
the Prospects for re-entering the workforce network which is a forum in which program
participants can interact. This includes the internet portal www.perspektive-wiederein-
stieg.de that offers a wide range of information, ideas and guidance related to the process
of re-entering the workforce. In 2012, a cooperation with the online career platform Xing
was added to the portfolio and a special online platform has been set up. In 2011 a rein-
tegration calculator was integrated in the website as an innovative online tool enabling
individuals to calculate the economic benefits of re-entering the workforce.
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Impact

Thus far, the project provided a total of 17,300 women with information and advice
on re-entering the workforce. Of these, 4,660 women took part in an intensive coach-
ing program, while others received special assistance in taking up work. Of 3,645
participants who completed the program a total of 2,504 were integrated into the
workforce. This represents 69 per cent of participants. Another, 12 per cent became
self-employed and 23 per cent began further training. The findings also show that the
satisfaction levels of program participants (73%) was significantly higher than that of
non-participants assisted only by government job centers and social assistance cen-
ters (35%). Participants in the program were also significantly more motivated to find
work than non-participants (51% compared to 23%).

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Italy 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Mini*Midi*Mef (MMM)

Institution:
Ministry of Economy and Finance

Description
Facilitating womens full participation in the workplace by providing child care ser-
vices during school breaks.

Summary
Many working mothers experience difficulties in providing adequate child care ser-
vices during school breaks impacting their opportunity for equal participation in the
workplace. Recognizing this challenge for women as well as for the employer, the
Italian Ministry of Economics and Finance launched a cost-free child-care service on
its premises for the duration of school breaks.

The Problem
A gap existed in the provision of child care services for working mothers in particular
during school holidays. During school breaks, many female employees had no better
alternatives than bringing their children to work, to take leave or work on a part-time
basis to be able to provide the necessary child care. Particularly during the summer
months this situation posed manifold challenges for employers, parents and their
children.

The Solution
Mini*Midi*Mef (MMM) is a free care and entertainment service that was created to
take care of children (4 to 12 years) of working mothers. It launched on 22 December
2011 to coincide with the closure of schools for the Christmas and New Year holi-
days. MMM is located in a specifically allocated facility at the Ministry of Econom-
ics and Finance in Rome. It is operational on weekdays during those times of year
when school services are interrupted. The service takes place in two shifts per day,
each 5hrs 45min, and accepts up to 40 children.

Impact
To date, MMM has welcomed the children of about 200 employees. This service has con-
tributed to the advancement of gender equality. Women are the primary users of the ser-
vice. Due to MMM, women now have the opportunity to participate in work processes in
the same manner as their male colleagues all year round. Women do not have to worry
anymore about being late for meetings due to child care needs. Neither do they have to
forego job activities that take place in the afternoons.
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

Latin America and The Caribbean

Ecuador 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Catalogo Orientador de Gastos Politicas de Equidad de
Genero

Institution:
Ministry of Finance

Description
Institutionalizing gender budgeting

Summary
Ecuador was lacking an appropriate framework to implement gender budgeting.
With the assistance of UN Women and through internal advocacy and capacity build-
ing the necessary conditions for including gender diversity into budgeting processes
were created.

The Problem
The state budget of Ecuador was lacking an institutionalized approach to including
gender aspects into its budgeting process. It was difficult to discern what level of re-
sources is invested in gender and whether this was done at all. Also, such concept as
gender budgeting was new and required a change of mind-set to recognize its val-
ue.

The Solution
To tackle the problem, the ministry created a Gender Unit to operationalize a Memo-
randum of Understanding signed with UN Women, to serve as the framework for
implementing gender budgeting and other guidelines. By bringing together gender
equality advocates, and key national stakeholders (parliamentarians, planning and
budgeting officers and other government actors) and building their capacities to en-
sure that budget policies and outcomes are gender-responsive, the unit created the
necessary awareness and capacity within the public sector. The Ministry also estab-
lished technical tools and methodologies to incorporate a gender perspective in the
national budget and continuously provided guidance to key public sector institutions
for implementation.

Impact
A major impact is establishing institutional culture of accountability and transpar-
ency in the use of public resources for reducing gender gaps. The gender responsive
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 2013 CATEGORY 5

budgeting initiative in Ecuador since 2005, has made significant contribution towards
ensuring that national planning and budgeting processes incorporate a gender per-
spective; and has been recognized as a good practice in other countries in the region
at local and national levels. Overall, the initiative was able to introduce strategic and
sustainable changes into budgetary processes,

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Western Asia
Egypt 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic - Women Health
Outreach Program

Institution:
Ministry of Health

Description
Enhancing the delivery of breast cancer prevention services through a multi-disci-
plinary approach

Summary
Despite the existence of free of charge services for breast cancer diagnostics and
prevention, more than half of the Egyptian women opted not to use the services. In
order to address the concerns of the women the services where enhanced taking a
multidisciplinary approach which resulted in higher utilization rate.

The Problem
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women worldwide, yet, 75% of
global deaths attributed to breast cancer occur in the developing world.Women in
low and middle income countries are unduly undereducated, underserved and under-
insured as well. These women suffer from the limited resources, inadequate health
education and above all, they do not have an organized access to preventive and di-
agnostic procedures. The Women Health Outreach Program (WHOP) was the first
Government funded Egyptian National Breast Cancer Screening Program to combat
this issue. Yet, despite the fact WHOP offers completely free of charge post mam-
mography diagnostic services for all Egyptian women joining the program, 65.6% of
the women decide not to use these services as they have concerns regarding mam-
mography.

The Solution
The Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic was created to enhance the delivery of
post mammography services. The breast clinic is a practical unit based on the col-
laboration of various professionals: breast cancer experts; radiologists and surgeons,
technologists, nursing staff, data managers, clerks, IT engineers and the Ministry of
Health breast pathologists. Their mission is to the best available breast cancer care in
a timely and orderly fashion by way of a multidisciplinary one stop. This approach
also based on the philosophy that the smaller the number of steps patients should
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 2013 CATEGORY 5

pass among different health care providers, the better will be compliance/capacity to
complete the required screening steps. As such, ultrasounds, surgical examinations,
and biopsies are all conducted in one place and on the same day.

Impact
The idea of the multidisciplinary one stop breast clinic has saved time, efforts and
cost burden. It has also alleviated many womens concerns about mammography. By
providing accessible and high quality post mammography screening services for
these women, access to health care was increased, and the costs and efforts on the
part of the patient minimized. Through the project 106,000 women where screened
for breast cancer in Egypt, 24,500 of them, living in Cairo, were candidates to receive
free of charge services offered in the Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic. The Breast
clinic has supplied actual services and diagnostic investigations to 2175 women. 210
cases completed their operative intervention and their post operative therapy in the
NCI and in Cairo University Hospitals and the rest were referred to Insurance Hospi-
tals.

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Jordan 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Integrated Services Center against Domestic Violence/
Family Reconciliation

Institution:
Center for Integrated Services Against Family Violence

Description
Assisting victims of domestic violence by creating a neutral and safe place and pro-
viding professional assistance

Summary
In Jordan, victims of domestic violence have no safe place to turn to in order to over-
come the trauma and to find solutions. The initiative by the Centre for Integrated
Services against Family Violence addressed this gap by creating a centre that pro-
vides an integrated set of services to assist victims in every aspect.

The Problem
Women who were victims of domestic violence (physical, psychological, sexual,
economic) were faced with only two options, either to accept the acts of violence by
members of the family, or to resort to the police which had to keep victims in a safe
place which is a prison for women. Because of this, many women rather endured
domestic violence to not spend time in prison. The lack of a safe place that offers
comprehensive services for victims (women and their children) makes it hard for
them to break their silence, and to stand up for themselves in front of their commu-
nity.

The Solution
An authority was created that is capable of protecting women and providing them
with comprehensive integrated services that they needed. The most important aspect
of the initiative, is that it follows an innovative work methodology that offer victims
of domestic violence and their families, a team of qualified, specialized members,
highly qualified to help victims of domestic violence and perpetrators of violence at
the same time, and to break the cycle of domestic violence. And at the same time
victims are assisted in building healthy family relationships. It also provides inte-
grated services, inside the center, from social, psychological, medical, legal, and ju-
dicial to hosting. The initiative also works on strengthening partnership and network-
ing with governmental institutions, and non-governmental organizations in order to
unify efforts.
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Impact

The initiative resulted in providing victims with a safe place and the needed services
including aftercare programs to ensure that the victim and her children remain safe.
The critical factor for success is the participatory approach adopted with public sec-
tor institutions (government) and civil society organizations (Ministry of Social De-
velopment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Family
Protection Department and legal organizations, the High Commissioner for refugees
(UNHCR), the Noor Al Hussein Foundation and the Institute for womens solidari-
ty).

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 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012
United Nations
Public Service Awards Winners

Category 1 pg

Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico Turkey Georgia

Category 2 pg

Senegal Morocco Rwanda India Singapore USA Spain

Dominican Mexico Grenada Lebanon Egypt Georgia

Republic

Category 3 pg

Thailand Australia Rep. of Korea Spain Canada Slovenia Brazil

Category 4 pg

Malaysia Rep. of Korea Thailand Spain Switzerland Bahrain Turkey

Category 5 pg

South Africa Kenya Rwanda Bosnia and Spain Brazil

Herzegovina

Mexico Bahrain Oman

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

118
 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012 Category 1

Category 1: Preventing and Combating

Corruption in the Public Service

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Mauritius Preventing and Combating Institutionalizing anti-corruption measures in the 120
Corruption in the Public Service public service of Mauritius to prevent and combat
corruption

Asia and Republic The Integrity Assessment Assessing corruption and integrity levels among 122
the Pacific of Korea targeted service users to detect corruption and
enhance transparency in the public sector

Singapore Promoting accountability for Improving transparency and accountability for 124
procurement of public projects procurement of public projects

Latin Mexico New Model of Control and Audit Preventing corruption in Mexicos public 126
America & Public Works procurement system through policy reform and
the design of monitoring tools that detect corruption
Caribbean timely

Mexico National Public Procurement Improving public procurement through overhaul of 128
System polices and ICT

Western Turkey SMS Information System Improving timeliness and access to information on 130
Asia legal cases for citizens in Turkey, through the use of
mobile technologies

Georgia Georgian Electronic Government Increasing transparency and for public 132
Procurement System procurement through ICT

Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico Turkey Georgia

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

AFRICA
Mauritius 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public
Service

Institution:
Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC)

Description
Institutionalizing anti-corruption measures in the public service of Mauritius to pre-
vent and combat corruption

Summary
The Independent Commission against Corruption was established under the Preven-
tion of Corruption Act 2002 to fight corruption in Mauritius. The initiative aims to
institutionalize anti-corruption measures across the public service of Mauritius and
take a preventive instead of a reactive approach to corruption. The Civil Service Divi-
sion and the Mauritius Police Force both undertook the challenges to improve their
institutions by taking anti-corruption measures through adopting anti-corruption
policies, establishing an excellent framework and embedding integrity in their orga-
nizational culture. As a result, corruption levels went down, resulting in fewer public
complaints. An additional 10 public bodies have adopted the measures, and other
institutions are following by implementing anti-corruption measures with the assis-
tance of the Independent Commission against Corruption.

The Problem
Public bodies in Mauritius have had a reactive rather than proactive approach to cor-
ruption prevention, viewing it as a collateral activity given due consideration only
upon occurrence. Corruption opportunities were not systematically identified and
measures to support organizations in increasing their orientation to the principles of
integrity, transparency and accountability were lacking. Numerous requests to build
corruption prevention infrastructure from organizations were received. A number of
areas for intervention were also highlighted. Inevitably, a tool had to be developed to
build capacity in public sector institutions to take up ownership of building corrup-
tion resistance in their organizations and sustain these anti-corruption preventive
measures on their own

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The Solution
The Independent Commission against Corruption implemented a Public Sector Anti-
Corruption Framework (PSACF) at the Civil Status Division (CSD) and the Mauri-
tius Police Force (MPF) in the year 2010. Top management of both organizations
signed an Anti-Corruption Commitment to implement the PSACF through which
corruption prevention was incorporated in structures and processes of organizations
and in behaviours of its employees to entrench anti-corruption action and achieve
sustainable action against corruption on a long-term basis.

The PSACF provides a strategic approach to corruption prevention in public bodies

and formalizes their commitment to fight corruption and enables them to take up
ownership of building corruption resistance. It provides the foundation for develop-
ing, implementing and sustaining anti-corruption initiatives in public organizations
and contains necessary policies, systems and plans to combat corrupt practices.

The initiative was driven by an Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) set up at the level
of the public body. The ACC sets the priorities, provides advice when ethical issues
arise and is responsible, amongst others, for, formulation of an anti-corruption policy
(ACP), development of a corruption prevention plan, development and implementa-
tion of an integrated corruption risk management plan, overseeing and coordinating
implementation of corruption prevention strategies, implementation of the recom-
mendations proposed by the ICAC in Corruption Prevention Reviews (CPRs), build-
ing and sustaining an ethical culture to promote integrity of staff within the organiza-
tion and reporting to the Director-General of the ICAC twice yearly.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The workings of the ACCs have led to the development and adoption an anti-corrup-
tion policy in both organisations. Each policy is available on the corporate website of
the respective organisations. The ACCs are now embarking on a CRM exercise and
are monitoring the implementation of the recommendations proposed in CPRs in
their respective organisations.

Key lessons learned from designing and implementing the corruption prevention
plans and strategies are that total involvement of the implementing organization is
requisite and management commitment is crucial to drive the initiative. It emerged
from engaging the first public institutions that close collaboration with key ministries
such as Ministry of Civil Service and the Ministry of Local Government could have
accelerated the application of the PSACF across the public service and is vital for
future implementation of the prevention policies at other institutions.

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Republic of Korea 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
The Integrity Assessment

Institution:
Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission

Description
Assessing corruption and integrity levels among targeted service users to detect corruption
and enhance transparency in the public sector

Summary
The Integrity Assessment was developed to curb corruption in a preventive manner. The
initiative has affected a wide range of government agencies and their officials by engaging
them in voluntary efforts to fight corruption. The Integrity Assessment is designed to as-
sess corruption status of organizations, making it possible to pinpoint and focus on corrup-
tion in specific tasks, improving relevant legal and institutional frameworks. As a result,
since the assessment officially started in 2002, the overall integrity index of the Korean
public sector has increased consistently from 6.43 in 2002 to 8.43 in 2011. Corruption
experienced by citizens dealing with public service has also substantially decreased. Ac-
cording to the public official survey conducted in May 2011 by the Anti-corruption and
Civil Rights Commission, the Integrity Assessment made the greatest contribution to pre-
venting corruption in the public sector among all of their anti-corruption measures.

The Problem
A number of assessments carried out on the Republic of Korea indicated that the country had
persistent levels of corruption, which undermined economic efficiency, as well as government
transparency and accountability. Recognizing this, the Korean government made strenuous
efforts to solve the corruption problem. However, integrity levels of Korea in the late 1990s
and early 2000s did not appear to get better. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index
(CPI) released by Transparency International in 2000, Korea ranked 48th among 90 countries,
and a survey conducted by the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (KICAC)
in 2002 showed that 48.1% of Korean people believed civil servants were corrupt.
Limited progress in curbing corruption was attributed to the reactive and passive anti-corrup-
tion measures that focused heavily on detection and punishment. In general, the chances of
detecting corrupt public officials were little. These circumstances made it imperative to shift
the policy paradigm from punishment toward prevention in order to address corruption in a
more fundamental way and minimize the cost of corruption. Consequently, the Korean gov-
ernment started new attempts to fight corruption by focusing on preventive and proactive
measures.
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The Solution
The Integrity Assessment was developed as one of such preventive initiatives to assess
the integrity levels and corruption-prone tasks of public organizations objectively so that
public organizations can make voluntary efforts to prevent corruption.

Before the development of the Integrity Assessment, the various tools used to diagnose
corruption, such as the CPI mainly covered areas such as national defense, education, and
taxation. The methods used did not identify specific causes of corruption and it was diffi-
cult to reflect the result of surveys into policies. The Integrity Assessment was designed to
assess the corruption status of individual organizations and their specific tasks, rather than
areas of public service in general. The assessment surveyed immediate service users and
internal staff of public organizations about their corruption experience and perception. The
surveys excluded perceptions of the general public who do not use a particular service, as
this often distorted results of the actual corruption levels.

The assessment results point out areas where corruption is most severe in each orga-
nization, making it possible for public organizations to focus their efforts on address-
ing corruption in those specific areas and improving relevant legal and institutional
frameworks. The scores calculated from these results, showing the integrity level of
each public organization are disclosed to the public through the media.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Public disclosure of the results caused competition among public organizations to
make voluntary efforts to improve their integrity levels. As a result, since the assess-
ment officially started in 2002, the overall integrity index of the Korean public
sector has increased consistently from 6.43 in 2002 to 8.43 in 2011. Service users
have highlighted a substantial decrease in corruption, with the rate of respondents
who had offered money or other valuables to public officials to access services stand-
ing at 4.1% in 2002 and decreasing to 0.8% in 2011. These results indicating the
improvement of integrity level can be regarded as strong evidence for positive impact
of the Integrity Assessment. According to the ACRCs survey conducted in May
2011, the public officials surveyed said that the Integrity Assessment made the great-
est contribution to preventing corruption in the public sector among the ACRCs anti-
corruption measures. The Integrity Assessment has made improved integrity levels
and has contributed to enhancing transparency in the public sector in the Korean
public sector, benefiting people in both direct and indirect ways.

It was noted that assessment and preventive measures in curbing corruption that in-
volve service users are more effective than assessments that include people who do
not use the specific services. The Integrity Assessment revealed that availability of
data on corruption levels to the public motivated and induced competition among
public officials to do better in reducing corruption in their organizations.
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Singapore 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Promoting accountability for procurement of public
projects

Institution:
Building and Construction Authority

Description
Improving transparency and accountability for the procurement of public projects in
the construction industry

Summary
The Contractors Registration System (CRS) is a one-stop registration for contractors
to provide construction services to the public sector thereby saving time, resources
and money for both the government agencies and the contractors. As standardized
criteria are used by CRS to register all contractors which are available online to the
public, it is a transparent system, both to the government agencies and to the contrac-
tors. Since its official inception in 1985, the number of registered contractors has
risen from 2000 to more than 9500 today. The impact of the implementation shows
improved transparency and accountability; reduced time, cost and manpower; and
increased the professionalism within the Building and Construction sector.

Summary
Procurement of public sector infrastructures and building projects is the key driver for
construction demand in Singapore, constituting about Singapore Dollars 10-15 billion (40
to 60% of total construction demand) yearly of the government budget. Prior to 1985,
contractors wishing to undertake public sector projects had to register separately with each
of the major government agencies covering projects on public housing, schools, hospitals
and industrial and infrastructures on roads, drainage, waterworks and port facilities. Each
agency had its own construction project procurement criteria for pre-qualifying contractors
for inclusion in its register.
With each agency having its own registration body and requirements, it was a costly exer-
cise for the contractors who wanted to provide construction services for different govern-
ment agencies. More resources in terms of time and money were needed for the contrac-
tors to adapt the project contract documentation and implementation to fulfill the different
agencies procurement criteria. Beside various fees to be paid by the contractors to be
registered with the agencies, there was also limited transparency and uniformity due to the
differing procurement requirements.
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Public agencies involved in the procurement of public infrastructures and building projects
had to devote manpower and resources to maintain their own register of contractors. There
was no formalized way to share information amongst the public agencies on contractors
with unsatisfactory performance or malpractices.

The Solution
The Government of Singapore established the Contractors Registration System (CRS) in
1985, through which all contractors executing public works had to be registered. The CRS
is a one-stop registration for contractors to provide construction services to the public sec-
tor. The Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) was designated as the entity
to manage the system. All Government agencies that intended to procure construction or
construction-related services are required to only hire contractors registered on the system.
Since its official inception, the number of registered contractors has risen from 2000 to
more than 9500 today.
The main objectives of establishing the system and results realized are improved transpar-
ency, accountability and streamlining processes to reduce costs. CRS provides a uniform
set of standardized criteria for the registration of contractors which helps to improve trans-
parency for contractors who want to tender for government projects. The lists of pre-
qualified contractors as well the procurement criteria for various types of works are also
made available online to the public. The depository contains contractors past projects
performance and enables the Standing Committee on Debarment to bar Contractors with
poor performance or malpractices from tendering of government projects, as information
on registered contractors is continuously updated. The requirement of all public agencies
to procure contractor services through the CRS sought to minimize opportunities for con-
tractors to give kick-backs and conspire with public officers to attain favors to win tenders
for public projects.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The costs incurred by government agencies through maintaining individual registration
processes have been significantly reduced, with a centralized registration which eliminat-
ed duplication of functions and expenditures. With this solution, contractors now register
once and they pay one fee to be registered instead of multiple registration fees. Expendi-
tures incurred on human resources to maintain the various registers were saved. The pro-
cessing time for registration with the centralized CRS is now reduced to 14 days instead
of more than 3 months required with multiple agencies. Public procurement has been used
to raise capacities of contractors by tying the CRS with procurement policies and incen-
tives. Two such examples are the Price Quality Method (PQM) framework and the Bonus
Scheme for Construction Quality (BSCQ). The PQM framework places weightage on
both quality and price for the evaluation of construction tenders and optimizes value by
awarding to the tenderer with the highest combined price-quality score for the project.
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LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Mexico 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
New Model of Control and Audit Public Works

Institution:
Ministry of Civil Service

Description
Preventing corruption in Mexicos public procurement system through policy reform
and design of monitoring tools that detect corruption timely

Summary
This initiative relates to the creation of a new unit for control and auditing of public
work processes in Mexico. Since 2009, there has been a series of new policy initia-
tives from this unit including training, the hosting of international forums on the au-
diting of public works, and the development of strategies for specific sectors, such as
the health sector. The unit focuses on prevention of corrupt acts and control of public
works, analyzing all stages of the work process: from planning to completion.

The Problem
The Ministry of Civil Service tasked with auditing and monitoring public works ex-
perienced irregularities in the public procurement system. The main constraint was
lack of an institutionalized approach in the monitoring of public works expenditures.
Monitoring was mainly done upon conclusion of public works and used to detect er-
rors and punish officials who were found to have performed fraudulent activities.
Project design did not build in mechanisms to detect irregularities in the public pro-
curement of goods and services, which at times resulted in glaring loop holes such as
projects often lacking the necessary documentation that should be in place prior to
undertaking public works. In some instances, construction work was carried out and
not paid for as the required documents were not in place.

The Solution
Given the importance of infrastructure projects in Mexicos administration and the
need to improve regulation in this area, it became evident that the institutional set up
for monitoring and evaluating public works in Mexico needed to be restructured. In
May 2008, the Ministry of Civil Service created in the Secretariat for Control and
Audit of Public Management, the General Office of Public Works Audit, which in
2009 was consolidated and transformed into the current Control Unit and Audit of
Public Works (UCAOP). This unit was tasked with conducting reviews and audits for
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public works and services carried out by all public sector institutions, including Min-
istries and parastatals. The unit designed and implemented the New Model of Con-
trol and Audit of Public Works. The initiatives approach and goal was to create a
cleaner, more transparent and accountable government, with citizens partaking and
trusting the public institutions. The initiatives focus went beyond post-implementa-
tion reviews and evaluations and as a core feature, sought to put preventive measures
in place to curb corruption and fraud, mainly through policy reforms and process
reengineering.

Risk analyses, internal assessments, and monitoring tools were adopted to prevent
errors and to detect possible corruption in time, as well as ensuring that the work was
completed in time, within the budget and with the desired quality. With the help of
the monitoring of public work processes, including visits, direct audits and quality
control to ensure that the processes meet the required standards, the quality of the
processes has greatly improved.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Through this initiative, the key lesson learnt is that prevention of corruption rather
than punishing corrupt acts yields better and long-term results in enhancing transpar-
ency. Citizens have actively participated actively in identifying areas where corrup-
tion was rife and this has increased confidence in public institutions. Standardizing
monitoring tools has contributed immensely to the success of the Ministrys efforts
in fighting corruption at different levels. Another lesson learned is the significance of
agreements and collaboration with the private sector, particularly the institutions in
the construction industry such as the Chambers and Associations in the industry.

The Ministry has also realized the importance of developing occupational compe-
tency standards, courses, training agreements, and participation with universities in
order to promote this area as an attractive career opportunity and ensure long-term
availability of professionals in this area and enhance sustainability of the program.

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Mexico 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
National Public Procurement System (Sistema Nacional de
Contrataciones Pblicas)

Institution:
Ministry of Civil Service

Description
Improving public procurement through overhaul of polices and ICT

Summary
Public procurement accounts for approximately 40% of the total budget of the Mex-
ican public sector and 16% of the total national economy. It is thus one of the most
significant variables in the country's economy.This initiative relates to the National
Development Program (2007-2012) which sought to overhaul the public procure-
ment system and related policies in Mexico. The National Public Procurement Sys-
tem achieved inter-institutional coordination of public procurement policy, elimi-
nated obsolete and redundant regulations and established clear rules. Procedures for
dealing with disputes and sanctions were established. The result is the creation of an
electronic system for government procurement called CompraNet. Since 2009, the
changes have led to savings of approximately 3,500 million pesos, reduced transac-
tion costs and a reduction in execution time of up to 95%. As of the second half of
2011, CompraNet had served almost 10,000 users, consisting of more than 2300
units, and had 300 buyers from different agencies and entities.

The Problem
Public procurement was characterized by poor planning and coordination amongst
departments involved in the process and lax administrative controls. There were no
standard principles of procurement and the process was not undertaken in a system-
atic manner. Instead, there were multiple regulations, procedures, policies and guide-
lines for procurement, creating inefficiency and making public procurement a lengthy
process. Obsolete technologies were used in managing procurement, and these chal-
lenges were compounded by inadequate monitoring and evaluation. The system did
not promote healthy competition among bidders, which at times resulted in monopo-
lies on the supply side, uncompetitive prices and subsequently high procurement
costs for the Government. Limited transparency and accountability created a favor-
able environment for corruption and inevitably little public confidence in Govern-
ment and public procurement.
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The Solution
The solution was the redesign and consolidation of the public procurement system,
to improve efficiency and effectiveness through upholding the principles of transpar-
ency, honesty, rationality, control and accountability in the process. The various laws
and regulations in public procurement were simplified and standardized. Obsolete
laws were eliminated in this process. Coordination among institutions involved in
public procurement was improved and processes were simplified.

Impact and Lessons Learned

In addition to improving efficiency of the procedures, reducing transaction costs and
recruitment time, and increasing transparency and competitiveness, the strategies un-
dertaken have generated costs savings of approximately $3,500 million pesos from
the second quarter of 2009 the first quarter of 2011.
The elimination of obsolete regulations and the establishment of clear rules have re-
sulted in benefits such as: stronger accountability, streamlined processes, defined
ground rules, elimination of fees, quality control mechanisms, reduction of paper-
work, bidding transparency, efficient accounts payable system, strengthening of spe-
cialized areas and establishment of claims proceedings, among others. Furthermore,
586 redundant regulations were eliminated on procurement and public works.
The outcomes of the new system also signified an establishment of an evaluation
mechanism that favors quality over price.

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WESTERN ASIA
Turkey 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
SMS Information System

Institution:
Ministry of Justice

Description
Improving timeliness and access to information on legal cases for citizens in Turkey,
through the use of mobile technologies

Summary
SMS Information System was developed to make the jurisdiction more transparent and
controllable in Turkey. The system transmits any act carried out in the judiciary units auto-
matically via SMS to the parties of the cases file, informing not only citizens, but also
lawyers and institutions about the progress of the case. More than a half million people
subscribe to the SMS Information System, which is highly appreciated by the users. On
average, 2.000 new users are added to the system every day. The most important element
of the initiative is the instant access to information and monitoring of the work of the ju-
dicial units by the different parties of a case instead of the periodic inspections carried out
by inspectors every two years. Thanks to the initiative, transparency of the judiciary is in-
creased, because the judicial units are more meticulous as they are aware that the parties
are informed automatically by SMS when any proceeding is carried out. Public trust in the
judiciary has increased as citizens, lawyers and institutions can easily access and follow
judicial processes.

The Problem
Before the SMS Information System was implemented, Turkeys judicial system was
characterized by limited transparency and judicial proceedings taking place without the
knowledge of the defendants in the cases. Defendants learn of the proceedings only after
judgment has passed, which seriously undermined the credibility and transparency of the
judicial system. In some parts of Turkey, women and disabled people can be unaware of
the legal proceedings initiated against them. Citizens began to lose their confidence in ju-
dicial bodies and questioned their reliability as institutions tasked to uphold justice and
human rights. This loss of confidence affected all individuals and institutions within the
society negatively while strengthening illegal mafia activities.

The Solution
Implemented by the Ministry of Justice, the SMS judicial information system provides an
outstanding service for the citizens and lawyers which enables them to receive SMS mes-
sages on their mobile phones, containing legal information such as ongoing cases, dates of
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court hearings, the last change in the case and suits or claims against them. Messages are
received instantly, and this has alleviated the problem of delays of notifications sent by post
and accessed through enquiries at the courts. Delivery of information through the use of
SMS has facilitated and accelerated the access to courts as required by the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The system has facilitated
better access to justice for women and disabled people, allowing them to learn about their
cases without the need to go to courts. Sending SMS messages has not replaced official
notification however, as its aim is only to provide information to the parties so that they can
take necessary measures in time without delay in order to prevent deprivation of legal
rights.
The SMS information system has reduced the communication costs previously incurred in
a paper-based system and has resulted in savings of 7 million Turkish Lira per year. The
achievements of the SMS information system are in line with the E-Plus strategy of the
European Union, which aims to establish a high level information society and remove the
gap between the justice staff and the individuals seeking justice. This initiative has reduced
the heavy burden of court staff as the time, labour and money for getting information about
files to answer enquiries is reduced significantly and in the process has enhanced transpar-
ency in judiciary. The system has transformed the vision of judicial organs from a conser-
vative state demanding information from individuals to a modern state swiftly providing
information to them so as to prevent unjust treatments and irregularities. Overall, the initia-
tive increased The quality of legal services by reducing red tape and enhancing transpar-
ency.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The most important lesson the Ministry of Justice has learned from this service is that
sometimes simple and cheap solutions may be sufficient to achieve big successes and there
is no need to invest significant amounts of funds to solve big problems. By taking the ex-
ample of success of the SMS system, a simple structure was established enabling question-
ing of the persons under arrest warrant of the police force directly through their mobile
phones.
The use of mobile technologies in this initiative tremendously reduced the administrative
and communication costs, and this points to an increasing importance of M-government in
improving service delivery, particularly in light of the rapidly increasing number of people
geting access to information through mobile phones and mobile internet connection. The
mobile access to information - anywhere any time has become a daily routine and govern-
ments will have to change their information and communication technology policies to
meet this demand. It is widely believed that M-government is the next inevitable direction
of e-government. SMS information system enables integrated and flexible data communi-
cation and exchange mechanism between citizens and government units in the legal sector
for better access to justice. The initiative has improved communication between citizens
and government units in the legal sector, particularly those in remote and rural areas and
this has increased trust in the judiciary system.
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Georgia 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Georgian Electronic Government Procurement System

Institution:
State Procurement Agency of Georgia

Description
Increasing transparency and for public procurement through ICT

Summary
The traditional paper based tendering system regarding procurement procedures in
Georgia was replaced with a new e-procurement system. All tendering procedures,
from tender announcement to conclusion of contract, are exclusively executed
through the Georgian Electronic Government Procurement system (Ge-GP) online
since its establishment. One of the main effects of Ge-GP is high levels of transpar-
ency of procurement procedures, decreasing the risks of corruption. All procurement
related information is open and available online, including annual procurement plans
of all procuring entities, tender notices, tender documentation, bids and bidding doc-
uments, decisions by the tender evaluation commission, all relevant correspondence,
as well as all contracts.

The Problem
The first Georgian Law on State Procurement was passed in 1999. In 2006 a new law
on the State Procurement took its place. A study undertaken in 2008 evaluated the
State Procurement System of Georgia in its entirety as a high-risk environment.
Corruption was deeply inherent to the system and kick backs were not something
unusual, as well as bribery, trade of influence and accepting illegal presents. These
deficiencies undermined societys confidence towards the procurement institutes and
damaged credibility of the system. Administrative costs on administrative were very
high and unjustified. One of the defects of system was that all procurement proce-
dures were executed only by means of the paper work. Such a practice was ineffec-
tive. It was revealed that in 5 years leading to 2010, about 20 million paper copies
were produced, causing a lot of difficulties in document registration process and as-
sessing compliance to procurement requirements, and inevitably creating a condu-
cive environment for corruption.
In addition, some formal requirements created administrative barriers for normal ten-
der processes. Suppliers had to contact various administrative bodies to obtain quali-
fication documents, which sometimes were redundant and this was a time consuming
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and costly exercise. This, on one side, discouraged many companies from the par-
ticipation in tenders and, on the other side, conditioned raise of monopolistic tenden-
cies and formation of the caste of privileged suppliers. According the old procedures,
bidders had to visit at least 4 times the procuring entity to take part in tender proce-
dures, and the winner had to visit it one more time additionally. This placed compa-
nies outside the Tbilisi in a disadvantageous position.

The Solution
The traditional paper based tendering system was replaced with a new e-procure-
ment system in December 2010. Since then, all tendering procedures have been ex-
clusively executed by means of the Georgian Electronic Government Procurement
system (Ge-GP) online.

Impact and Lessons Learned

By the end of 2011 public funds savings generated by the system amounted to GEL
182 million ($110 million), which was 14% of the total value of the announced ten-
ders. One of the main effects of Ge-GP is high level of transparency of procurement
procedures decreasing risks of corruption. All procurement related information is
open and available online, including annual procurement plans of all (more than
3000) procuring entities, tender notices, tender documentation, bids and bidding
documents, decisions of tender evaluation commission, all relevant correspondence,
all contracts. The system has facilitated fair competition among suppliers. Although
corrupt practices at times took place, corruption is no longer systemic and is detected
more easily. Blacklisted companies can no longer participate in public procurement.
Bidders are now able to submit complaints electronically. This procedure has greatly
simplified the appeal process and makes dispute resolution more transparent and in-
creases public engagement in the state procurement processes. Costs of bidding have
decreased and made it affordable for prospective tenderers.

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2012 Category 2

Improving the delivery of public services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa Senegal Electronic Single Window GAINDE 2000 implemented the Single Window 136
Procession of Foreign Trade and (Guichet Unique) ORBUS that is in operation since
Customs Formalities 2004 in Senegal, and the use of which became
mandatory for pre-clearance customs formalities.

Morocco 0-paper Improving deliver of pension related services and 139

reducing cost through the creation of a paperless
on-line system

Rwanda The use of ICT in improving service Using ICT to improve the delivery of immigration 141
delivery in the DGIE and emigration services

Asia & the India Aarogyam Initiated in Bagpat & JP Nagar district of Uttar 143
Pacific Pradesh, Aarogyam aims to provide healthcare
services to citizens at their doorsteps, with special
focus on mothers and children to bridge the gap
between citizens and service delivery. Aarogyam
caters to both safe motherhood and child survival
components RCH.

India MP Public Service Delivery Act 2010 Improving public service delivery through a 145
strenghtened regulatory framework and grievance
mechanism for citizens

Singapore Helping to Empower Litigants-in- Providing legal representation to disadvantaged 147

Person The Subordinate Courts groups through a HELP Centre
HELP Centre

Europe & United States NYC311 New Yorks Citys 311 has a mission to provide the 149
North of America public with quick, easy access to all New York City
America government services and information while
maintaining the highest level of customer service.
311 is New York Citys single number for
non-emergency services and information in the
City of New York.

Spain Public Service Electronic Access for Creating electronic access for citizens to public 151
Citizens services

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 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

2012 Category 2

Improving the delivery of public services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Latin Dominican Institutional Transformation Serving the most vulnerable sectors of the 153
America & Republic Dominican population, providing quality and low
the cost medicines, medical supplies and laboratory
Caribbean reagents to users of the National Public Health
System.

Mexico Financial Inclusion Project Creating access to financial services to disadvanted 155
groups

Grenada Efficiency for passport services Computerizing the issuance of passports services 158
for speedy services

Western Lebanon Simplify Procedures and Improve Automating the delivery of medical and social 160
Asia Services compensation system to public employees.

Egypt Democratic Reform Using ICT Facilitating and improving electoral processes 162
through ICT

Georgia Public Service Hall Reforming public service delivery through 165
one-stop-shop technology service platforms

Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico Turkey Georgia

Senegal Morocco Rwanda India Singapore USA Spain

Dominican Mexico Grenada Lebanon Egypt Georgia

Republic

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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

AFRICA
Senegal - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Electronic Single Window Procession of Foreign Trade and
Customs Formalities

Institution:
GIE GAINDE 2000

Description
Single Window System that facilitated electronic and paperless processes that re-
duced time and costs in the trading system of Senegal

Summary
The governments vision was to make Senegal a leading country in Africa with re-
gard to trade facilitation and electronic commerce. The countrys effort to implement
a paperless trading system began in the 1980s with the computerization of the cus-
toms procedures, which later culminated into the establishment of the customs auto-
mated system called GAINDE in the 1990s. The effort to establish an electronic
Single Window System became a reality in 2004 with the creation of a new public
private partnership entity called GAINDE 2000. Trade modernization and the use of
ICT proved to be of immense importance for international trade, especially when
GAINDE 2000 successfully set up a Single Window solution for handling goods re-
lease operations from the Port of Senegal. This initiative provided a seamless inter-
connectedness between port authorities, stakeholders, trading partners, and customs
and other government departments.

The Problem
Before the implementation of the Single Window ORBUS initiative in Senegal, busi-
ness and trade were characterized by a large bureaucracy and excessively long pro-
cessing time. It took an average of 15 days just for the collection of pre-clearance
papers, which slowed the entire business chain. To report imported goods, the re-
cipients or their representatives (i.e. the approved customs commissioners or for-
warding agencies) had to go through a tedious process of preparing documents to
attach to their application. Often, they were unfamiliar with the formalities, or they
were simply faced with random interpretations of regulations and laws to import or
export goods.
Added to that, there was also a wide range of administration agencies involved in
foreign trade formalities, and therefore, importers and exporters had to constantly go
from one office to another, sometimes enduring long queues for the deposit or with-
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drawal of documents required for international trade. Moreover, the vast majority
had no experience in the cost and time necessary to complete international trade pa-
perwork. Because of manual processing of files, removal of goods from the port was
a lengthy process, and it took weeks to see the container exit the Port after endless
travel from one administration to another.
Due to these facts, and encouraged by an unwavering commitment to modernization,
the State of Senegal took on the challenge to develop the tools essential to improve
its procedures, particularly in the field of foreign trade, the backbone of the national
economy.

The Solution
The Single Window initiative is an information technology and communication sys-
tem established to facilitate foreign trade business processes through a paperless ap-
proach in Senegal. The initiative provided greater flexibility of business processes
through electronic exchanges between the actors, electronic submission of docu-
ments accompanying customs declarations, exchange of data and documents be-
tween trading partners and government agencies. To support the needs of a large
section of the stakeholders in trade, in particular the informal sector, a facilitation
centre was established to enable communication and exchange of information be-
tween the actors who have no IT facilities and public or private entities that issue the
documents required. A recent extension of the one-stop shop for logistics services
has given another dimension to the business community in Senegal. The main chal-
lenge was to interconnect the various stakeholders and streamline their trade through
a secure platform which speeds up processing.
Moreover, the implementation of an electronic payment module greatly accelerated
the process, in that a secure infrastructure is available to users for the payment of fees
and rates throughout the customs clearance process. Currently, 26 public and private
structures are connected to the system, through which the documents requested by
the authorized customs brokers are issued. From December 2010 to May 2011, a
total of 72,606 documents were issued in the system.
Senegals transition from a paper-based system to a paperless trading system was
implemented in 6 stages:
Phase 1 (1986-1990): computerization of customs procedures
Phase 2 (1995-1996): electronic Single Window model definition
Phase 3 (1997-2002): electronic Single Window development
Phase 4 (2002-2004): electronic Single Window implementation
Phase 5 (2005-2008): electronic Single Window operation
Phase 6 (2008-2010): integrated e-trade solution and paperless trade
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Impact and Lessons Learned

The innovation improved the quality of service to importers and exporters, mini-
mized the potential for error and inefficiency, provided intelligent services based on
good business process management, reduced time and costs and most importantly,
attracted domestic and foreign private investors through greater transparency in trade
rules. The changes made resulted in the decongestion of the Port and container ter-
minal and has inculcated a culture of meeting the needs of customers and other port
users.

The secure and optimal use of new technologies in information and communication
has enabled stakeholders to send or process queries regarding trade procedures from
the comfort of their offices.

The Single Window initiative has contributed to the modernization of procedures in

the administration, in the sense that the organization was equipped with computers
and internet connection. Also, a new dynamic was created, based on government
functioning, with the introduction of a performance bonus to encourage employees
to meet the performance standards set forth.

The main lessons learned from this experience are that the easiest way to reach a
broad consensus on the Single Window is a focus on the common benefits that the
new system will bring to players, rather than focusing on legal and restructuring of
business processes that can be addressed later, once the consensus is acquired. It is
essential to involve all stakeholders, especially in the development of an operational
framework and outlining stakeholders roles, from the beginning of the project and
ensure their unwavering commitment, avoiding defining their commitment through
mere attendance of meetings as the buy in would progressively to reduce the difficul-
ties of implementation.

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 2012 CATEGORY 2

Morocco 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
0-paper

Institution:
Group Plan for Retirement Allowance (Rgime collectif dallocation de retraite)

Description
Improving the delivery of pension related services and reducing costs through the
creation of paperless on-line system.

Summary
A pension reform, including an online system, eliminating paper and introducing
automatic document reading to save time and human resources, was implemented in
Morocco. The most significant improvements due to the pension reform are reduced
time and costs through elimination of paper: processing a claim within a period of a
maximum 5 working days; customizing customer relations through instant access to
account information and contact history of the client. The system generates effective
reporting of performance in real-time, has resulted in more customer-oriented ser-
vices and improved management skills due to modern technology.

The Problem
Before the initiative, RCAR faced an increase in demand for services, resulting from
an increase in the number of pensioners. At the same time, processes were managed
manually to deliver services, creating lengthy waiting periods for services. In addi-
tion to significant delays and high costs associated with the manual management,
processing of paper records presented an additional challenge of safety of records,
with documents getting lost at times. It was also difficult to trace documents and to
access archives.

The Solution
The pension reform began with integrating various units that work on disbursement
of pensions and incorporating their staff complement into RCAR. Internal processes
were analyzed with the aim of upgrading them. Processes were automated, resulting
in an electronic document management and workflow.
Impact and Lessons Learned
The benefits of this initiative were measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.
During the period 2005 to 2010, the rate of customer satisfaction has improved by 74
% as a result of the provision of online services, with 87% of the customers satisfied
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with the services at the end of the period. The paperless process and improved pro-
ductivity of staff has reduced the average time for processing claims from 15 to 5
days. The initiative has changed the culture at RCAR towards more customer orien-
tation and has also enabled instant access to records by all users.
One of the most significant performances qualitatively is the elimination of paper in
the internal and external business through the adoption of advanced technologies.
Inclusion of staff and stakeholders in the project has contributed immensely to its
success, and a culture of excellence has been established. Employees are now moti-
vated, constantly seeking continuous improvement and striving to do better. Monitor-
ing and evaluation has been improved and RCAR is now able to take corrective ac-
tion when necessary.

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 2012 CATEGORY 2

Rwanda 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
The use of ICT in improving service delivery in the DGIE
Institution:
Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE)

Description
Using ICT to improve the delivery of immigration and emigration services

Summary
The Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) is a public institu-
tion of the Republic of Rwanda with the following mandate: a) issuing travel docu-
ments to Rwandans, b) issuance of entry visa, resident/work permits, and citizenship
to foreigners, c) border management. Prior to the implementation of the ICT initia-
tive, these services were found to be inefficient for the clients and led to unintended
negative consequences, such as lengthy waiting periods for documents.
This initiative introduced use of electronic processes in all Directorate General of
Immigration and Emigration services, including the issuance of travel documents,
entry visa, and resident/work permits. The initiative reduced bureaucracy, adminis-
trative costs and waiting period for documents. It has also increased transparency in
the process and reduced chances for corruption.

The Problem
In the past, all DGIE services were done manually, which was inconvenient and
costly in terms of travel costs, time, and increased security risks associated with
mailing important documents. Both processes of issuing passports and visas were
long and slow, and required a large number of staff. The inefficient services led some
Rwandan people to travel without necessary documents by sneaking through unau-
thorized crossing points and in the case of foreigners, they would risk traveling with-
out entry visa sometimes being denied boarding planes by ground crew or being re-
turned upon arrival.
These situations often led to corruption, nepotism and influence peddling. The DGIE
manual system was a barrier to trade and disincentive to tourism industry, resulting
in a loss of revenues for the country. In this regard, electronic service delivery was
recommended as a solution.

The Solution
Following the overall Rwandan governments strategy to promote e-government
practices and offer efficient and effective services, the ICT initiative made all DGIE
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services electronic, including the issuance of travel documents, entry visa, and resi-
dent/work permits. This involved the use of the organizations website for dissemi-
nating essential information and completing transactions through the electronic self-
service tools. Additionally, mobile phones/SMS services are employed for notifying
individuals of the status of their applications. The general public and clients can also
send complaints or request feedbacks. The initiative successfully removed the uncer-
tainties in acquiring travel document at all levels and reduced and/or eliminated the
additional time and costs incurred by clients to access and receive DGIE services.
Another noteworthy impact of the initiative has been the cost-cutting in human re-
sources where more than 90% of entry visa can be now processed by one person.
The DGIE initiative was funded by the government and implemented with partner-
ships with Private Internet Service Providers (ISP), telecommunication companies,
Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA currently RDB/IT) for network
infrastructure, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Impact and Lessons Learned

The impact of the implementation shows reduced bureaucracy and reduced costs.
The waiting period for passports reduced from 30 days to 5 days; time for visa ap-
plication reduced from 2 weeks to a few minutes online. The electronic processes
also enabled tracking of application status online. The number of travelers to Rwanda
increased from 30 per day in 2005 to over 200 per day in 2010. The initiative has also
reduced opportunities for corruption, which resulted from applicants efforts to have
their applications processed faster.
The key element that made the initiative success was the government policy to pro-
mote the use of ICT for the Vision 2020. This enabled the provision of relevant infra-
structure and budget support. The change from manual based system to IT based
system was challenging at the beginning to both the staff of DGIE and its clients.
These issues were resolved through providing basic training on ICT skills to the staff
and sensitizing them on the advantages of using ICT in service delivery. The creation
of the national migration policy and subsequent establishment of the institutions vi-
sion and mission with a focus on electronic based service delivery helped transform
attitudes. Furthermore, increased efficiency of services and public awareness cam-
paigns and workshops alleviated the resistance from the clients.

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 2012 CATEGORY 2

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

India - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Aarogyam

Institution:
District Health Society Uttar Pradesh

Description
Aarogyam provides healthcare services to citizens at their doorsteps, in Bagpat & JP
Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, with special focus on mothers and children, to pro-
mote accessible and equitable service delivery

Summary
In India, Aarogyams end to end digital health mapping and pregnancy tracking sys-
tem is unique. Aarogyam caters to both Safe Motherhood and Child Survival Com-
ponents of Reproductive and Child Health program. Aarogyam focuses on Ante Na-
tal Care (ANC), (PNC), and emphasizes on 100% immunization for ensuring health
of children and their mothers. The services use modern ICT techniques for digital
health mapping and pregnancy tracking. It therefore, prepares a complete health da-
tabase with respect to the target group i.e. pregnant/lactating mothers and children in
immunization age group.

The Problem
India as a developing country is still facing significant maternal and child deaths with a
very slow reduction in child and maternal mortality rate over a period of time. Every year
in India 2.4 million children and about 136,000 women die. These numbers represent
about one fifth of the global total and only if a dramatic reduction in these futile losses is
achieved, can India hope to reach the Millennium Development Goals on maternal and
child mortality. The status quo is partly attributable to low coverage of medical services
especially in rural areas, marginal involvement of community and stakeholders in health
care and suboptimal use of technology for ensuring health care to all. There was a lack of
widespread knowledge on obtaining quality healthcare and inadequate delivery of health
services to citizens. Mothers and children constitute a significantly large proportion of the
countrys population that do not receive the required immunizations as well as proper Ante
Natal Care and Post Natal Care. The risk complication before, during, and after given birth
is high when referring to the case of new mothers and growth, as well as development and
survival of infants and children. There was a growing need for families, particularly new
mothers, and children to receive medical care including immunizations to boost the sur-
vival rate of young children, ante natal care and post natal care.
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The Solution
Aarogyam was developed to provide door to door, and technology based health care
for families with particular focus on mothers and children. The purpose of creating
Aarogyam was to provide a technology based health care delivery program that can
substantially lower the mother and childs risk of medical complications, provide one
hundred percent of the immunizations needed for children ages 0-5, track each preg-
nancy with the help of a technology based monitoring system, and complete ANC/
PNC care including early registration of pregnancy, 3 ANC, Terrific Twosome moth-
ers, institutional delivery, promotion of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) etc. The pro-
gram was implemented in three phases which included a base line study which was
a comprehensive baseline survey of district with respect to family health indicators
like age, gender, class, parity, immunization details of children, database of pregnant
mothers and their expected date of deliveries (EDD), and their phone numbers was
conducted, with interdepartmental coordination especially Health and ICDS Depart-
ment. The survey captures village wise database encompassing all crucial determi-
nants of health.

The implementation phase which uses information forms the master database, that is
fed into a customized software and linked to the Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) that is easy to use, and has ease of access, as well as Hindi characters for
wider usage. The project uses ICT and mobile phones as a tool to generate telephone
calls and sms to the families of target group on/before the due dates of immunization
schedule. Aarogyam, has inbuilt measures of sustainability by creating an automated
system that has to be regularly updated after immunizations

Impact and Lessons Learned

A key lesson is in implementing this project was that delegation of powers and
clarification of roles to key stakeholders is critical for them to play a pivotal role in
effective execution of the scheme. It is essential for projects to take a participatory
approach in order to increase the success of a project as ownership increased peoples
commitment to implementation. Another lesson learned was that in-built feedback
mechanisms, concurrent evaluation supported by a series of audit trails are essential
and should be inherent in any system or project. The project also yielded results that
showed the importance of vernacular languages and user friendly technology are
critical to ensure success of any initiative with a citizen interface.

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India - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
MP Public Service Delivery Act 2010

Institution:
Public Service Delivery Management, Government of Madhya Pradesh

Description
Improving public service delivery through a strenghtened regulatory framework and
grievance mechanism for citizens

Summary
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in terms of geographical area and sixth
largest state by population in India. The population of Madhya Pradesh is 72.59 mil-
lion (2011 census) and more than 75% of state population resides in villages whose
main occupation is agriculture. The problems of inefficiency plagued States delivery
of services to the public. In response, the MP Public Service Delivery Act 2010 put
citizens in the center by strengthening the accountability and delivery framework of
the public services.

The Problem
The foremost challenge for Madhya Pradesh is the delivery of effective and efficient
services to its citizens. Notwithstanding various initiatives of the Government, such
as the Citizens Charter, the general public rarely received services from the respon-
sible government officials within an acceptable timeframe. The problem is more
acute in rural areas and women, in particular, are greatly affected. In addition, there
are limited regulatory and accountability procedures in place to hold the functionar-
ies responsible for inadequate delivery of essential services to the public. This is ex-
acerbated by the inability of the citizens to assert their concerns and their overall lack
of knowledge on government procedures.

The Solution
Madhya Pradesh Lok Sevaon ke pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam 2010 (Madhya
Pradesh Guarantee of Public Service Delivery Act, 2010) passed in August 2010 and
has been implemented since 25th September of 2010. This landmark legislation
granted rights to eligible citizens to obtain notified services within stipulated time-
frame from designated public officers. In actual implementation, it is made manda-
tory that every applicant gets a receipt of the application for a notified service, indi-
cating the date by which the service will be delivered by the designated public
officials. In cases where such officers fail to provide the service by the specified date,
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the citizen is presented with a two-tier grievance redress mechanisms, first appeal
and second appeal. The legislation imposes relevant penalties to errant officials and
provides compensations to the aggrieved citizen. The main benefits of the initiatives
are 1) Increase in accountability of Government officials in delivering the services to
the citizens; 2) Assured time bound delivery of the service; 3) Increased transparency
by the use of ICT; and 4) enhancement of Government credibility and empowerment
of citizens.
This new act made it compulsory to give notification in the form of a receipt to citi-
zens indicating the time frame until delivery of the requested service. A grievance
system was put in place for citizens to submit their complaints upon failure to pro-
vide the services, penalties were imposed on officials who failed to deliver services
and compensation to applicants who are wrongfully denied the service.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Approximately 75% of the beneficiaries reported that they received the service with-
in or before stipulated time. Only 10% of the beneficiaries reported that they received
the service after the stipulated period. Through this initiative, the Government has
achieved an increase of public faith in Government policies, services and employees,
and greatly improved governance and service delivery.
The key lessons drawn from implementing the initiative and producing successful
outcome include, getting unrelenting commitment and active participation of the lead
decision-makers and having a comprehensive implementation plan as the enactment
of the legislation is the initial step. Moreover, following a citizen centric processes,
carrying out capacity building activities for public officials through trainings and
equipping them with appropriate technological tools, and educating the public on
their newly acquired rights are essential to reaching intended impact. Finally, the
State government should be ready at various stages of implementation to locate, rec-
ognize and admit shortcomings and make necessary decisions to overcome such ob-
stacles. Thus, constant monitoring and establishing an effective feedback system is
critical for successful adoption of the initiative.

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Singapore 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Helping to Empower Litigants-in-Person The
Subordinate Courts HELP Centre

Institution:
The Subordinate Courts of Singapore

Description
Providing legal representation to disadvantaged groups through a HELP Centre

Summary
More than 95% of all criminal, civil, family, and juvenile cases in Singapore are
heard before the District Courts and Magistrates Courts of the Subordinate Courts of
Singapore. Singapore has limited legal aid scheme for accused persons who cannot
afford legal representation.The majority of litigants do not qualify for legal aid and
cannot afford the representation of lawyers. Hence large numbers of indigent liti-
gants in the court proceedings are self-represented. For instance, in 2010, about 80%
of divorce cases, 100% of respondents in maintenance and family violence cases and
41% of persons accused with serious crimes involved defendants without legal rep-
resentation. The HELP (Helping to Empower Litigants-in-Person) Centre provides
free legal assistance to those who are in need to ensure that members in this signifi-
cant group are able to present their case, know their legal rights, follow proceedings
and understand judicial rulings in their cases.

The Problem
When an unrepresented litigant faces a legally represented litigant there is an appar-
ent imbalance of power during the proceedings. Without legal assistance being given,
this group is at a significant disadvantage and would be deprived of effective and
quality access to justice. Because of the Litigant-In-Person (LIP)s inability to fully
understand and participate in court proceedings, due to only having limited school-
ing, his or her case may be undermined from the start. Since they do not qualify for
state-funded legal aid and cannot afford legal representation, there is a large group of
litigants and accused persons who traverse the complicated legal and judicial system
without legal representation.
These issues created further challenges for the judges, court administrators, prosecu-
tors and lawyers alike when dealing with cases involving such LIPs. Especially for
the judges, they had to explain often alien and complicated rules of the court and le-
gal principles to the LIPs whilst maintaining impartiality and fairness to all parties in
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the proceedings. These concerns culminated in questions over the quality and equal
access to justice, and a solution had to be found to empower the LIPs.

The Solution
The HELP (Helping to Empower Litigants-in-Person) Centre assists LIPs in the con-
duct of their cases by providing them with basic information on court processes,
procedures and practices. With the establishment of the HELP Centre, LIPs are now
able to receive basic information about the respective justice processes and early
advice on whether it is feasible to pursue or defend a case.
There are two HELP Centre locations, each catering to different litigant profiles with
distinct needs. The main Subordinate Courts location deals with criminal and civil
cases and the Family and Juvenile Court location deals with family matters. In addi-
tion to providing services through computer terminals and other resources in various
languages with the assistance of well-trained staff, it offers pro bono legal advice
from its many partners, including the Law Society of Singapore, the Association of
Criminal Lawyers of Singapore, etc. All services offered at the HELP Centre loca-
tions are provided free of charge, ensuring that the initiative remains true to its origi-
nal purpose of improving access to justice.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Since its inauguration in February 2010, nearly 6,000 court users have engaged the
services of the HELP Centre, out of which 50% (ie 3,003 enquires) relate to family
and divorce matters, 30% (ie 1,773 enquiries) relate to civil matters, and 20% (ie
1,221 enquiries) relate to criminal cases and magistrates complaints.
Supplementary to strong leadership and a clear vision, one of the key elements which
has made the HELP Centre a success is the support from all the key stakeholders of
the justice and legal eco-system, from the lawyers to other public and non-profit
agencies. Without the backing, cooperation and assistance of the legal fraternity and
other stakeholders, the initiative would not have been successful and sustainable in
the long-run in effectively addressing the needs of the LIPs.

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EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

United States of America - 1st Place
Winner
Initiative:
NYC311

Institution:
City of New York 311 Customer Service Center

Description
Providing the public with quick and easy access to all New York Citys non-emergen-
cy government services and information while maintaining the highest level of cus-
tomer service

Summary
311 was started in the United States to help agencies improve service delivery by
allowing them to focus on their core missions and manage their workload efficiently.
New York Citys 311 System greatly enhanced access to information and streamlined
the responses to complaints and service requests to achieve faster and more efficient
service delivery. Policies were simplified and expressed in plain language to facilitate
understanding among citizens, in particular on how the policies impact them. The
initiative also provides insight into ways of improving city government through ac-
curate, consistent measurement and analysis of service delivery citywide. Access to
government services for New York City constituents was greatly enhanced by the
introduction of the 311 customer service operation in 2003, with over 135 million
calls received since inception.

The Problem
Starting with the economic crisis in late 2008, demand on the 311 system increased
by 38% while budget pressures required a 25% reduction in staffing. In addition to
call volume increasing the nature of customer inquiries expanded, resulting in an
increase in call duration time of 30% for the same period. The call center method of
service delivery quickly became an unsustainable model, with the volume and com-
plexity of demand increasing while call-taker resources were reduced to achieve bud-
get targets. As a result, the Citys primary means of serving its constituents was in
peril. At a time when New York City residents and businesses needed greater access
to government services, the primary means of access had become more difficult.
Further, as New York City agencies and departments faced increased budget pres-
sures their need for data to better understand the changing customer demand grew
substantially. Through the use of business-intelligence tools the evaluation of cus-
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tomer inquiry data and behavioural trends were mapped. The result of this research
was the demand for city government information and services outpaced supply. In-
formation regarding business and consumer information, education, environment,
government, health and human services, housing and building, public safety, sanita-
tion, and transportation were found to be inadequate. As the City adopted a do more
with less approach, the 311 operation needed to quickly improve and expand deliv-
ery of service through alternate means and methods. It had to do this with minimal
investment funding, an on-going daily demand for better, faster, and deeper service
support, and maintain the quality standards associated with the 311 brand.

The Solution
The solution was to create and expand self-service options for service delivery that lev-
eraged lower-costs channels to expand distribution and simplify the substance of the
information. This was done through a three-step approach which called for a refocusing
of information needed for New York residents, invoking a plain language standard,
and the establishment of alternate methods of distributing information. The relevance of
information being provided for citizens is constantly changing therefore, 311 has had to
revise the material being consolidated for citizens consumption. This was done so that
the service initiative would be provide a more valuable contribution enhancing the over-
all quality of life for residents of New York City. There was also a need for simplification
of policy so that all citizens could clearly understand how rules, regulations, and laws
impact them directly. This simplification of policy was deemed necessary to clarify and
providing explanations regarding relevance of specific policies.
The 311 content team revised 4,000 distinct pieces of content and converted that infor-
mation to a level consumable and understandable online or via social media, minus the
assistance of phone operators.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Alternative methods of information dispersal have greatly reduced operation costs to a
more reasonable figure and has increased the number of citizens accessing the informa-
tion, making it easier for them to make a complaint, submit service requests and get
results, as well as acquire accurate information they need to make important day to day
decisions. Access to government services for New York City constituents was greatly
enhanced by the introduction of the 311 customer service operation in 2003, with over
135 million calls received since inception.
The initiative offered unexpected and valuable lessons. Given the lack of available
financial support the bulk of the effort relied on human resources. The commitment
of the staff was indispensable as employees carried out research and analysis beyond
working hours and without additional compensation. A committed and dedicated
work force is thus a vital element of success.
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 2012 CATEGORY 2

Spain - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Public Service Electronic Access for Citizens

Institution:
General Directorate for Administrative Modernization, Procedures and Promotion of
E-Government

Description:
Creating electronic access for citizens to public services

Summary
Spain experienced a multi-level reform in public administration by offering public
services via an electronic network. The passing of a law in 2007 giving the right to
citizens to have electronic access to public services set into motion a series of nation-
wide enhancements.
The initiative has streamlined public service delivery, reducing red tape and admin-
istrative burdens on firms and citizens. Almost 90% of administrative procedures are
available online, and 27 million identification cards have been issued. The various
plans implemented and actions taken have led to cost savings of more than 3,000
million Euros in the 20 most requested services, and 4,320 million (June 2008 to
December 2010) for all state services. The initiative has increased the use of online
services, thus reducing the time for citizens to access services. Surveys have docu-
mented increased citizen satisfaction with online service delivery.

The Problem
For many years, e-Government in Spain has had an uneven and heterogeneous devel-
opment. On one side, some agencies were heavily technological, offering online ser-
vices, while others the majority had weak technology and thus, poor online ser-
vices were provided to citizens.
In 2006, a number of agencies and departments of the Administration had function-
ing robust online services, but they were poorly understood by the public. Since there
was little social and citizen use, there was no incentive for other administrative units
to put their services online, causing a deadlock. The challenges were many: on the
one hand, it was necessary to adopt the legal support for e-Government initiatives; to
create the infrastructure and basic e-services that could be used as the foundation for
sectorial initiatives; and to train public servants in the new electronic environment,
changing the culture of the administrative organization. On the other hand, it was
necessary to inform the public and to promote the existence and advantages of the
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use of electronic public service. Furthermore, there was the challenge of coordinat-
ing these actions between the General Administration of the State and the regional
administrations for them to be useful and efficient.

The Solution
The General Directorate for Administrative Modernization, Procedures and Promo-
tion of E-Government embarked on a project to transform its processes and the chan-
nels of providing public services, from a paper culture to a new scenario in which
both operations and transactions were mainly conducted electronically. The main
goal of the project was to enable and ensure electronic access of citizens to all public
services and achieve service quality levels similar to those in the private sector.
This project, which included the adoption of a law giving the right to citizens to have
electronic access to public services, sought to benefit both citizens and employers in
their relations with the public administration. Project conceptualization and planning
took place from 2006 2008 and implementation effectively started in 2009. Almost
90% of administrative procedures are available online.
The initiative has increased the use of online services, thus reducing the time for
citizens to access services. For instance, in 2011, 49.7 percent of total tax returns
filed income (9.5 million) were processed by electronic means (Internet, telephone or
SMS), which implies a growth of 15 % compared to 2010.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative has streamlined public service delivery, reducing red tape and admin-
istrative burdens on firms and citizens. The various plans implemented and actions
taken have led to significant cost savings across different services. The initiative has
increased the use of online services, thus reducing the time for citizens to access
services.
There were multiple lessons learned: (i) to have basic infrastructure usable by all
agencies and departments in the Administration is a key factor as it leads to signifi-
cant economic savings; (ii) greater use leads to more satisfaction: the use of e-gov-
ernment has significantly increased in recent years, both directly by citizens and
businesses, and indirectly through intermediaries (administrative managers, tax con-
sultants, customs brokers, social partners, etc.); (iii) it is important to pace the roll out
of e-services and ensure that they are demand driven.

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LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Dominican Republic- 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Institutional Transformation

Institution:
Essential Drug Program/Logistic Support Central (PROMESE/CAL)

Description
Serving the most vulnerable sectors of the Dominican population, providing quality
and low cost medicines, medical supplies and laboratory reagents to users of the
National Public Health System.

Summary
In order to improve pharmaceutical and health services throughout the Dominican
Republic, the Essential Drug Program/Logicstic Support Central (PROMESE/CAL)
completely renovated their system of pharmacies, creating a network of Peoples
Pharmacies. The new pharmacies not only offered more variety and better quality
products, they also implemented social programs targeting health problems affecting
the countrys most vulnerable populations.

The Problem
In August 2004, new management of the Essential Drug Program/Logistic Support
Central (PROMESE/CAL) found many of the drugstores, or Boticas Populares,
through which the program dispensed its products, in poor condition. The Boticas
were racked with problems, including:
Unsatisfactory and unorganized facilities (and no criteria for selection of fa-
cilities)
Failure to follow good storage practices of products
Lack of technical training for employees to properly dispense drugs (and re-
sulting lack of appropriate guidance to customers on use and dosage)
High prices of products due to not using economies of scale and employees
often selling overpriced products due to lack of control in management
Outdated catalog of products, offering only 69 products that did not meet the
needs of the user population
Limited hours of operation
Lack of easy access for the disabled
No department or protocol for monitoring or quality control
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Poor public perception and distrust in products and services

No satisfactory methods to obtain information on the views and feedback
from users to specify their needs and expectations

The Solution
In order to rectify these problems, PROMESE/CAL embarked on a journey of insti-
tutional transformation. Complying with the Ministry of Public Health pharmacy
regulations, they enabled and expanded a new system of Peoples Pharmacies
(Farmacias del Pueblo), standardizing easy access and adequate space for cus-
tomer service. Additionally, the Peoples Pharmacies expanded their catalog of prod-
ucts. Through the application of Public Procurement and Contracting laws, it was
institutionalized that 90% of these medicines and medical supplies be purchased
through competitive bidding, thus creating economies of scale and public expendi-
ture savings.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Through these improvements, PROMESE/CAL achieved the greatest impact on the
population of a Latin American country by a public network of pharmaceutical ser-
vices, providing 433 Peoples Pharmacies for 9,378,819 inhabitants. The institution-
al transformation also included the creation of new social programs aimed at patients
without coverage for conditions such as cancer (for women and children, mental
health issues, premature birth, chronic kidney disease, enteral and parenteral feeding,
diabetes, and glaucoma.
A thorough analysis of strengths, weaknesses and opportunities is important in in-
creasing the quality of services. Continuous training of all collaborators and conintu-
ous process evaluation and improvement are important elements of success.

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Mexico - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Financial Inclusion Project

Institution:
National Savings and Financial Services (Banco del Ahorro Nacional y Servicios
Financieros S.N.C.)

Description:
Creating access to financial services to disadvanted groups

Summary
BANSEFI implemented an innovative mechanism for financial inclusion of the de-
prived by providing access to banks and educational programs and providing training
on how to save and invest, particularly to people in rural areas. A new card with a
microchip and fingerprint mechanism was created, enabling people to have safe ac-
cess to financial services, such as bank accounts, deposits, and payments of services.
Branches of the BANSEFI were established in 1,570 out of the total 1,649 munici-
palities (95%). As a result, the initiative cut costs by 88% and the waiting time for
financial services was reduced by 87%. A survey conducted on the microchip system
revealed that 98% of the respondents were more satisfied with the new procedures;
6.5 million Mexicans living in deprivation now have a bank account; there is a better
financial culture; and the flow of cash remains in the community, allowing for more
local development.

The Problem
Statistics on financial inclusion indicate that half of the world's population does not
have financial services, and this percentage is even higher in Latin America, a region
where 65 per cent of adults are unbanked. Of the 2,456 Mexican municipalities, only
796 had commercial banking presence, meaning that almost 70 % of the country's
municipalities lacked the presence of commercial banks.
Access to financial services is crucial to promote economic growth, encourage sav-
ings and face negative income shocks.
BANSEFI is a bank of the Mexican Federal Government that promotes savings, fi-
nancing and investment, and financial inclusion through its 494 branches located
throughout the country. Half of the users of BANSEFI services are beneficiaries
(around 3 million families) of Oportunidades, a Human Development Program of the
Federal Government that aims to deliver financial support, bimonthly, to families in
poverty to meet their financial responsibilities for school and medical care. Most of
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these families live in rural areas of the country with little or no financial penetration,
and BANSEFI previously went to these communities to deliver, in cash, the Federal
Government support ($ 1,500 pesos on average every two months).
A typical delivery consisted in meeting several communities beneficiaries in a cen-
tral point where staff from BANSEFI and Oportunidades were accompanied by secu-
rity. Families would get up early in the morning, take the older kids to school and
bring the smaller ones with them. The head of the program, usually the mother of the
family, would miss work (therefore her correspondent daily income), spend around $
40 pesos for transportation and food for herself and the children that were accompa-
nying her, and stay for around 4 hours in a line in order to receive the support. After
finally receiving the cash, she would spend a significant portion of it in street markets
that were established outside of delivery points, which offered products at high pric-
es. In other cases, these women returned at night to their communities, becoming
targets for criminals.

The Solution
The Financial Inclusion Project has proven to have effective and efficient results to
the Federal Government, account holders and their communities. From the 1,649
municipalities in the country without the presence of commercial banks, BANSEFI
is present in 1,570 of them (95 per cent) through its own branches, savings banks or
point of sales terminals.
The initiative included the installation of correspondent banks, which are BANSEFI
windows where citizens can perform certain operations such as balance inquiries,
deposits, withdrawals and payment of services. The scheme of correspondent banks
is an efficient alternative in order to offer more financial services at a lower cost than
installing a branch. The project provided banking infrastructure through networks
contracted by BANSEFI in those localities that had no commercial banking pres-
ence. The second strategy was aimed at providing financial education to raise aware-
ness on the necessity of bank accounts. A specific product for the beneficiaries of
social programs was designed.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative allowed approximately 6.5 million families especially in rural areas, to
have access to a bank account and its inherent benefits, such as having a safe place in
which to save their money as well as to receive deposits from the friends and family.
In a year and a half the initiative provided banking services in municipalities and
localities through nearly 12,000 point of sales terminals, to families that otherwise
would not have access to these services until today, as they are not considered profit-
able by commercial banks.
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The experience acquired during the implementation of this project has demonstrated
that: (i) people in poverty save money through informal mechanisms; (ii) people in
poverty seek safer alternatives to save their money; (iii) the money that stays in the
community favors its development; (iv) it is possible to bring profitable financial
services to rural communities; and (v) it is possible to converge to various govern-
ment institutions and to create synergies for the implementation of financial services.
Furthermore, it was learned that the non-utilization of financial services is due in
most cases to the non-existence of nearby establishments that offer reliable financial
services and lack of financial literacy among the population.

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Grenada - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Improve the efficiency of passport issuance

Institution:
Immigration and Passport Department

Description:
Computerizing the issuance of passports for faster service delivery

Summary
In the past, people had to wait for fourteen working days and travel from where they
reside to that central location to obtain a passport. After new system developed by the
Immigration and Passport Department of Grenada came out, the amount of waiting
time has shifted from fourteen working days to three days. Moreover, three outreach
offices have established in Grenville, Gouyave, and sister island of Carriacou. The
operation produces a far higher volume of passport booklets in times relative to what
happened previously, thus reducing waiting time for persons accessing the service.

The Problem
The amount of waiting time to obtain a passport was fourteen working days (Three
weeks).The issuance of passports was centralized and each applicant had to travel
from their town of residence to the central location in order to apply for a passport.
Records were not computerized, making it a very difficult and time consuming to
access. Passports were hand written thus making them prone to incidences of fraud
and identity theft.

The Solution
Three outreach offices were established in Grenville, Gouyave and sister island of
Carriacou to provide solutions to a slow passport service. Processes are in place to
ensure that departmental facilities and equipment are adequate for the provision of
effective and efficient services. A computerized passport program and border control
system was introduced, making Grenada to be the first country in the Eastern Carib-
bean to produce Machine Readable Passports. Invariably the operation produces a far
higher volume of passport booklets in times relative to what happened previously,
thus reducing waiting time for persons accessing the service.
The department suggestion box which is a tool used to obtain information regarding
customers needs and expectations were critical indicators for improvement. Each
officer is subjected to daily briefing to ensure accountability and effectiveness in the
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execution of duties. Informal customer interviews have been held with stakeholders
(Tourism industry, Government ministries and departments, NGO's and others) and
they have proven to be a useful tool for discovering the customers awareness of the
services provided, their expectations, level of satisfaction and suggestions of how
things can be done differently.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative significantly decreased the time needed to apply and obtain a new pass-
port, from fourteen working days to three working days. The volume of passports
produced increased and security was enhanced. The new system has thus improved
the efficiency of the service greatly. As a result, Grenada is the country that offers the
quickest service in this respect within the Caribbean.
The success of the Immigration and Passport office has been used by the Department
of Public Administration (DPA) as a shining example of the reform initiatives within
the Grenada Public Service.

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WESTERN ASIA
Lebanon - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Simplify Procedures and Improve Services

Institution:
Cooperative of Government employees

Description
Automating the delivery of medical and social compensation system to public em-
ployees.

Summary
In Lebanon, the Cooperative of Government Employees oversees the delivery of social
and health compensation and benefits to government employees. The initiative replaced
outdated paper-based and lengthy procedures with a fully automated system that al-
lowed faster processing of applications, better oversight of the Cooperatives work, and
much needed ease and simplicity for the 300,000 citizens who benefit from these ser-
vices. The agency was modernized and equipped to follow the criteria of a system
based on good governance, fast and reliable service delivery, fighting corruption and
squandering, achieving administrative decentralization, and eliminating bureaucratic
boundaries and routine procedures.

The Problem
Applications were all paper-based and time consuming, which significantly delayed the
delivery of services to the beneficiaries. Health compensations, for example, needed an
average of 6 months to be processed; all of which negatively affected the relationship
between the Cooperative and its beneficiaries and, subsequently, their trust in it. Com-
munication and coordination between the central agency and regional offices was poor
and inefficient; and the complete absence of automatisation weakened the oversight on
financial and administrative matters. Employees at the Cooperative lacked substantial
training and were unable to fight fraudulent applications and claims. In addition, follow-
ups and status-check actions were hard to implement. Beneficiaries had to pay 25% of the
price of medications for cancer and incurable illnesses, and immediate family members
had to pay 50%; which was a significant amount of money considering the high price of
such treatments. The importance of preventive medicine and care was usually ignored.

The Solution
The Cooperative of Government Employees utilized the system MSCS-COOP to modern-
ize the financial, medical, and social branches of the agency. This initiative showed posi-
tive outcomes and progress in the following areas:
The automatization of all procedures greatly reduced the time needed for delivery
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of services and compensations to the beneficiaries. For example, the proof of

membership was delivered to the beneficiaries no less than 1 week. Using the new
system, it can now be delivered within 1 minute. Medical compensations which
required 6 to 8 months to be refunded can be delivered now within 4 to 6 weeks.
Hospitals were reimbursed at least 1 and a half years after a patient was admitted,
are now being paid within 3 to 6 months. This big reduction in time greatly im-
proved the trust and relationship between the Cooperative and the citizens who use
its services.
Manual work had a lot of mistakes and inaccuracies which are now corrected by
the system.
The new system allowed the agency to conduct more accurate and reliable data
surveys and polls.
A website was created allowing beneficiaries to follow up on their applications,
which can now be submitted via mail, making it unnecessary to be physically pres-
ent at the agency; hence reducing time consumption.
A better distribution of the offices within the agency was implemented (nurses,
doctors, and pharmacies who deal with customers are all on the same floor now)
making it easier for the beneficiaries, especially the elderly, to receive services
without having to move between different floors of the building.
The review of complaints and grievances was ameliorated to deliver better quality
services to the beneficiaries.
The application was enhanced to allow a faster and easier refund process
Preventive medicine is being promoted by eliminating the need for prior approval
and authorization.
The Cooperative of Government Employees strived to adopt a more humane approach to
its service delivery as the beneficiaries have the right to full respect and dignity when ap-
plying for medical or social compensation, which they are entitled to under the law as
public servants. Employees at the Cooperative are undergoing continuous training to en-
sure their work is as efficient and productive as possible.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Corruption has been reduced significantly and time management has been improved. The
foundations for the sustainability and transferability of this initiative have been established
through human, technical, and financial resources, allowing it to be duplicated in other
government agencies such as the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Agency, the Di-
rectorate of General Security.
An open door policy for employees to express opinions and suggestions is important as
well as investments in continuous training of employees. The cooperation between dif-
ferent ministries, government agencies, and the private sector was a key element in the
success and implementation of this initiative; as well as the belief in modernizing and
developing the public sector and service delivery by the government to its citizens.
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Egypt - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Egypt Elections

Institution:
Ministry of State for Administrative Development

Description
This initiative aims to improve the delivery of services and access while also promot-
ing equity, increasing efficiency, providing high-quality service delivery, and trans-
forming administration.

Summary
The election system in Egypt (until the 2010 elections) was mismanaged, leading to
a lack of stable democracy. Because the electoral system in any country is the main
pillar of democracy and a tool to help political decision-making, it was necessary to
re-evaluate the entire system. The government has begun issuing amendments to the
law on political rights, including the following important changes:
Elections through the usage of the national ID card.
Identifying the electoral district of voters according to the place of residence on
the national ID card.
Enabling Egyptians living abroad to vote (on the condition that they possess a
national identity card)

The Problem
The election system in Egypt (until the 2010 elections) was mismanaged, which led
to lack of transparency and the compromising of democratic principles. The elec-
toral system for both the legislative and the executive contributed to widespread cor-
ruption, vote-buying, fraud, and low voter turn-out and participation in the electoral
process. The key factors aggravating the major electoral problems over the past half
century include:
1. Identifying the electoral district of every citizen: Before the reform, citizens
were allowed to register according to a variety of choices, such as place of resi-
dent, place of birth, or place of work. This led many business owners running for
elections to compel their employees to register according to place of work, while
also influencing their votes. This system also encouraged tribal affiliations for
some citizens, as many voters voted according to their original birthplace in the
villages and countryside.
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2. The rules and mechanisms of casting votes: Before the reform, forgery and low
electoral participation were prevalent. Citizens were able to vote via an electoral
card obtained from the police department. The cards did not display the citizens
image, which made it hard to assure the identity of the person during elections.
3. Egyptians living abroad were not allowed to cast their votes: Before the reform,
measures were in place to prevent certain groups from participating in elections.
Egyptian citizens residing outside the country were not allowed to participate in
presidential or parliamentary elections or referenda. The number of citizens reg-
istered with Egyptian embassies and consulates worldwide is around 1.5 mil-
lion; however there are no accurate figures and this number is estimated at 6
million.
4. Over 40 million citizens were registered in the 54 years from 1956 to 2010, and
those records had not been revised to account for duplications, people who had
died, and individuals who were not allowed to vote.
All of these factors led to an imbalance in the voting process that resulted in weak
voter turnout and participation. In addition, it was easy to influence votes through
mechanisms such as vote-buying. Hence there was a need to reconsider the electoral
system as a whole, both on the legislative and the executive level, and it became
necessary to use information technology in order to help ensure free and fair elec-
tions.

The Solution
A working group of the Ministry of State for Administrative Development began the
project, which is based on the following four main points:
1. Build and update the electoral databases to include Egypts roughly 50 million
eligible voters using the national ID database.
2. Provide information in an accessible manner to all parties in the electoral pro-
cess free of charge or at low cost. The information is accessed in the database
under the citizen voters.
3. Develop and implement mechanisms to enable Egyptians living abroad to cast
their votes while maintaining the secrecy of the vote. This is the first time in
Egypt that nationals living abroad are given the right to vote and participate in
the democratic process (355 569 152 voters living abroad have been registered).
4. Launch awareness campaigns about the election through various channels, such
as the internet, TV and several short films, in order to explain specific informa-
tion about the electoral process and increase participation.
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Impact and Lessons Learned

The importance of political support
The beneficial uses of IT culture to enhance citizen desire to participate in the
electoral process.
The importance of adhering to timetables and plans as well making adequate
preparations for the electoral process
The importance of the desire to succeed and achieve democratic transformation
More in-depth look at the available databases and information sources in order
to take advantage of them for other purposes
Documenting the initiative, steps implemented and instructions in order to re-
apply them in future elections
Good coordination with all parties involved in the process and implementing the
project

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 2012 CATEGORY 2

Georgia - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Public Service Hall

Institution:
Ministry of Justice

Description:
Reforming public service delivery through one-stop-shop technology service plat-
forms

Summary
Improving efficiency in the public sector has long been identified as one of the top
priorities of the Government of Georgia (GoG). The public service was characterized
by slow service delivery and rampant corruption. A One-Stop-Shop with a technol-
ogy platform built over a unified database was implemented in the public service
system in Georgia to eliminate the need to fill out multiple government forms by
citizens and to streamline services, resulting in less time and resources for service
provision. Public Service Halls (PSH) were set up in the country with combined
structural units, delivering more than 250 services to citizens. In addition, agree-
ments were made with MOF Service Agency and Revenue Service of Georgia in
order to include their services.

The Problem
Bureaucracy and corruption were common characteristics of the public service in
Georgia. Citizens had to visit multiple offices to access services, incurring high costs
and a lot of time in the process on acquiring services. It was not uncommon to have
longer waits for services if one did not pay a bribe to public officials. For instance, in
case of passport issuance, citizen was obliged to pay more than 100 USD as a bribe
and submit more than 10 types of documents in order to receive a passport. As for the
property registration, 20 types of documents from various governmental structures
and up to 300 USD were needed. The public service also had low morale, with offi-
cials having very minimal IT support.

The Solution
Before the establishment of PSH, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) made dramatic
changes in public service delivery process and established One-Stop-Shop principle
in all its structural units who were delivering public services. However, it was obvi-
ous that such type of service delivery was not enough for rapid changes in the public
service efficiency. Hence, it was decided to go further and make much more simpli-
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fication of service delivery process and make it more customers oriented. A One-
Stop-Shop with a technology platform built over a unified database was implemented
in the public service system in Georgia to eliminate the need to fill out multiple
government forms by citizens and to streamline services, resulting in less time and
resources for service provision. Public Service Halls (PSH) were set up in the coun-
try with combined structural units, delivering more than 250 services to citizens. In
addition, agreements were made with MOF Service Agency and Revenue Service of
Georgia in order to include their services.
Performance of the PSH is measured quantitatively on a daily basis, by a special
queue electronic monitoring system (i.e. average customer waiting time is 0.48 min;
average service delivery time is 6 min) and qualitatively, by a special service quality
management tools, such internal monitoring groups (weekly visits per branch), by
actively conducting mystery shopper (twice a year in each branch) research, and
customer satisfaction survey (once a year in each branch). In addition a special Qual-
ity Committee has also been established consisting MoJ departments, MoJ structural
units, HR staff, Marketing division team, PSH branch managers and internal moni-
tors aiming to monitor branchs efficiency and timely solve all possible obstacles and
difficulties that might appear at PSH.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative of the reforms in the public service has resulted in satisfaction with the
procedures of official issuances of documents among 92% of citizens. 78% of citi-
zens think that corruption levels decreased significantly in the last 3 years; and, there
is an enhanced credibility and increased public trust towards the government. In the
sense of successful elements of the initiative, it seeks to protect customers rights and
enhance the relationship between the public service providers and the citizens.
This has dramatically affected the Georgian citizens and the government structures
alike by providing safe, less time and resource consuming service. Comparing to
previous experience, consumers can now submit the applications without dozens of
required documents. Creation of Public Service Hall, so called Georgian Innova-
tion, helped Ministrys policy makers to see citizens as customers and perceived the
benets of applying marketing tools and strategic marketing planning in order to
sell policies to citizens. PSH combined all its structural units delivering more than
250 services to citizens.
More importantly, the initiative has increased trust between the Community and the
Government. Improved service delivery has resulted in a better standard of gover-
nance and credibility. Additionally, delegations from over 50 countries have explored
ways to adapt the model as it has shown to be successful and sustainable.

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2012 Category 3

Fostering participation in public policy-making

decisions through innovative mechanisms

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Asia & the Thailand Integrated Drought Prevention and The name of the institution that started this project 168
Pacific Mitigation: The Mae Yom that acquired such wide recognition is called Royal
Operation and Maintenance Office Irrigation Department. The initiative, integrated
drought prevention and mitigation. It calls for
participation from all stakeholders and related
public agencies.

Australia South Australias Strategic Plan Engaging citizens into strategic planning 170
Community Engagement

The Republic Youth Participation Committees Increasing the participation of youth into 172
of Korea policy-making

Europe & Spain Housing all opinions matter Promoting the participation of the Basque 174
North community for the enrichment of housing
America legislation and strategy.

Canada Metro Vancouvers Public Outreach Engaging citizens into finding solutions for public 176
Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico Turkey Georgia
and Engagement Program transportation problems

Slovenia IT-supported procedure for drafting Using ICT for drafting and adopting legislation and 179
legislation (ITDL) including contributions by the public for greater
transparency

Latin Brazil Participatory Regional Seminars Engaging civil society in regional seminars as a 181
America & mechanism for the development of strategic State
Senegal Morocco Rwanda India Singapore USA Spain
the Government plans with regional and citizen-centric
Caribbean focus.

Dominican Mexico Grenada Lebanon Egypt Georgia

Republic

Thailand Australia Rep. of Korea Spain Canada Slovenia Brazil

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Thailand - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Integrated Drought Prevention and Mitigation: The Mae
Yom Operation and Maintenance Office

Institution:
Royal Irrigation Department

Description
Facilitation of community-based management and participation of farmers and other
stakeholders in water management to integrate drought prevention and mitigation efforts

Summary
In 2005, drought and water shortages affecting agricultural productivity was addressed by
implementing a participatory irrigation management model by arranging a series of com-
munity meetings to brainstorm and listen to farmers recommendations. Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) and other technologies were used to improve community un-
derstanding and make the decisions more fair and efficient. Farmers, moreover, coopera-
tively monitored work procedures with related public agencies, thus promoting transpar-
ency. As a result, the initiative increased transparency in water management and facilitated
water delivery to farmers in a fair and equitable manner, thus decreasing water complaints
from farmers. Additionally, the initiative helped farmers to extend their dry-season agricul-
tural areas from 12,846 acres in 1993 to 36,364 acres in 2010, generating agricultural in-
come from US$5.1 million to US$18.4 million. As a result, the seasonal migration of local
farmers in the areas was greatly reduced.

Problem
During the rainy season there is a common occurrence of flash floods. There was no reser-
voir in the upstream area of the Mae Yom River and the water would overflow its banks
and run downstream since there was no place for the water to go. During the dry season
there would be wide spread drought devastating the agricultural way of life. The main
problem is that there is always a shortage of water. The dry season runoff can only supply
water for agriculture of 6,917 acres. The shortage of water has brought about disputes
among the local farmers. The water requirement is woefully inadequate for dry season
farming of 36,364 acres. Since the amount of water diminishes drastically during the dry
season farmers cannot earn a living.

Solution
The farmers of the Muang District campaigned for a change because they were not able
to make a living and were getting more frustrated at the situation they were facing. One
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solution posed was to tap a nearby water source, which entailed pumping water from the
Mae Yom River as well as the Maeli Stream, to fill irrigation cannels for local farmers that
were suffering from lack of water to farm. Farmers saw this as an opportunity to alleviate
the devastating effects of wide spread water shortage. The farmers were able to accom-
plish this task with the help of the Mae Yom Operation and Maintenance Office installing
two pumping stations to pump water from the rivers into the irrigation system. Another
step that was taken to help the suffering farmers was the provision of budget to assist in
the mitigation of the water shortage. Brainstorming from Providential Government offi-
cers, Public Irrigation Staff, and water users from five districts decided to set up a dike.
The outcome was a united effort to plan and allocate water in a fair and transparent man-
ner; giving rise to the Three-coherent task mechanisms approach. The first mechanism
was water irrigation for farmers and the establishment of a committee that would create a
water management plan which included budget allocation for the pumping of water to the
irrigation system. The second was participatory irrigation management between public
irrigation staff, district agricultural officers, local administrative organizations, and water
user groups. They deliberated on location of the temporary dike and mutual rotation of
water delivery and the location of a pumping station. The third was acting upon agree-
ment and supervision with all parties coming together to supervise and inspect the joint
uses of fuels, and pumps in accordance to the agreed upon rotational water delivery.
Farmers cooperatively monitored work procedures with related public agencies, thus pro-
moting transparency.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The joint water management facilitated water delivery to farmers in a fair and equitable
manner, thus decreasing water conflicts and complaints from farmers. This initiative
helped farmers to extend their dry-season agricultural areas from 12,846 acres in 1993
(before the initiative) to 36,364 acres in 2010 (after the initiative), thus generating agricul-
tural income from US$5.1 million to US$18.4 million. As a result, the seasonal migration
of local farmers in the areas was minimal.
The end result of the irrigation project was the efficient and effective distribution of water to
farmers up stream and down stream. In addition, the participatory approach of the project
decreased disputes between farmers and fosters a sense of community among the farmers.
One major lesson that was learned from the implementation of this project was the
impact and importance of community participation on the irrigation management sys-
tem. In particular, farmers gave consideration to risk management and sought alterative
water resources for farming, thus ensuring water security for dry-season agriculture.
Through inclusive planning and management of water sources, a key lesson learned
was that indigenous knowledge of local farmers in finding spare water resources and
locating temporary dikes in the Yom River is extremely valuable and contributed sig-
nificantly to the success of the project.
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Australia - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
South Australias Strategic Plan Community Engagement

Institution:
Department of Premier and Cabinet

Description:
Engaging citizens into strategic planning

Summary
A vision was developed for the state of South Australia and a Strategic Plan has been
in existence for many years emphasizing the importance of youth participation in
policy making. An exercise to measure awareness of the Strategic Plan among citi-
zens discovered low awareness and people feeling that their needs were not ade-
quately addressed in the plan and vision. An update of the plan was carried out in
2010 with extensive consultations via emails and meetings, gathering the needs and
future visions of South Australians. More than 60 community meetings were held in
locations across South Australia.
The initiative provided an opportunity to engage, interact and share opinions and
ideas, and to learn more about the Strategic Plan. The integrated engagement adopted
online conversations and face-to-face community consultations, and helped spread
knowledge of the initiative. Over 9200 citizens were engaged in this process and it
was the biggest consultation process in Australia. To ensure the initiatives sustain-
ability, updates will be done every four years to ensure that the plan remains relevant
and cognizant of the changing needs of the state and its citizens.

The Problem
The South Australian Governments Strategic Plan (the Plan) was launched in 2004
in response to a resolution from the Economic Summit held in 2002. The Plan is a
blueprint for the future of South Australia. It contains outcomes-focused targets
across public policy areas such as economic development, environmental sustain-
ability and social justice. These targets drive government policy making and resource
allocation with state budgets framed around the Plan and the heads of government
departments held accountable for the Plans achievement.
Although the Plan was developed by government, it was never intended to be just for
government; rather it aims to focus all South Australians on working to deliver on
jointly-determined goals. Despite this aim, public awareness of the Plan, and there-
fore broader contribution towards its achievement, was regarded as low with various
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surveys finding that only a small proportion of South Australians are aware of it.
Limitations in technology and resources in the past resulted in the extent of the con-
sultation being limited, with many social groups unrepresented. Those that were
physically and geographically isolated, refugees, young mums and children and
many ordinary working people were some of the groups whose voice went unheard.

The Solution
To change the status quo, the biggest community engagement exercise ever under-
taken in South Australia to ensure that the plan reflects the needs and priorities of
South Australians. In total 9,200 people were engaged through a diverse suite of
methodologies. In addition, over 500,000 people were contacted via email or social
media to raise awareness of the Plan. The update asked the community to develop a
vision for South Australia, to 2020 and beyond.
Never before had an engagement project been undertaken in South Australia that
made such extensive efforts to understand what the community wanted for its future.
Previously unrepresented groups were specifically targeted - reducing the barriers of
geography, language, cultural beliefs and social isolation. The use of innovative tech-
niques reached a much wider audience. Online discussions were post-moderated;
traditional government branding was replaced with colorful, socialized material in a
range of formats and ethnic languages and the team took the time to gather qualita-
tive stories from the community.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative provided an opportunity to engage, interact and share opinions and ideas,
and to learn more about the Strategic Plan. The integrated engagement encouraged
post-moderated online conversation during and after face-to-face community consulta-
tions, and helped spread knowledge of the initiative. Over 9200 citizens were engaged
in this process and it was the biggest consultation process in Australia. To ensure the
initiatives sustainability, updates will be done every four years to ensure that the plan
remains relevant and cognizant of the changing needs of the state and its citizens.
As the initiative progressed, a key lesson learned was that it was not only vital to pro-
mote the type of engagement that was being requested by the community, but the sub-
ject matter had to be presented in a way which specifically appealed to them. It was that
citizen engagement also needed to happen online, supported continuously by quick
responses and feedback to questions.
A crucial element in the gathering of information was the assurance that anonymity
was allowed throughout the engagement process. Although in some cases names were
voluntarily given, anonymity allowed a more truthful and honest engagement from the
community.
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Republic of Korea - 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Youth Participation Committees

Institution:
Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Description
Increasing the participation of youth into policy-making

Summary
This initiative describes a starting point of a limited participation of the youth in
policy making. To address this, a Youth Participation Policy was developed and a
National Youth Congress was established to ensure youth participation in policies.
Through this initiative, it became possible for government authorities responsible for
youth affairs to administer youth policies that better met the needs of the youth. As a
result, there has been an increase of proposals put forward by the youths with regard
to policymaking. The interest of the public sector and of society in the youths social
participation has greatly risen.

The Problem
There was limited participation of the youth in policy making and the general percep-
tion was that their opinions were not considered sufficiently particularly of develop-
ing policies related to the youth. As a result, the governments youth policies were
not responsive towards the youths needs. There was a need to have a systematic in-
clusion of youth in the development of policies and in discussion of issues that are
vital to ensuring a good quality of life for citizens in the country.

The Solution
The 2nd Five-Year Plan for the Youth Development commenced in 1998 set out a
rigorous plan to empower the youth to make their active voice reflected in policy-
making in a bid to enhance the effectiveness of youth policies. This laid the legal
foundation for the creation of the National Youth Congress, the Youth Participation
Committees, and the Youth Governing Committee which are participatory youth or-
ganizations aiming to facilitate the youths exertion of participation rights. The Youth
Participation Committees are set up to enable the youth to take part in decision-
making by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and local autonomous enti-
ties which are authorized to make youth policies. The Youth Governing Committees
are created with the mandate to contribute to improving the youth programs and op-
erational efficiency of youth-related institutions, facilities, and entities. The youth
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have proposed youth policies developed through research and expert consultation to
the government enabling the relevant government agencies to implement effective
youth policies tailored to the most pressing needs of the youth. Multi-channels
through which the youth can make their voice directly heard by the policymakers
through discussion, monitoring, consultation, or suggestion were set up, including a
portal, social a networking service (SNS) page, and an online forum.
An evaluation of the achievements made by the National Youth Congress between
2005and 2010 show that the Congress proposed a total of 198 policy projects to the
central government and 171 or 86.4% of the proposed projects were accepted over
the six years. As of 2010, there are some 470 participatory youth organizations in
operation across the nation including the Youth Participation Committees in 176 lo-
cal autonomous entities and the Youth Governing Committees in 295 youth centers.

Impact and Lessons Learned

With the establishment of a system that empowers the youth, the direct consumers of
youth policies and programs, to advise and make suggestions to the policymakers, it
became possible for the government authorities responsible for youth affairs to ad-
minister youth policies that better meet the needs of the youth. As seen in the increas-
ing reflection rate of the youths proposals in policymaking, the success experiences
of the youth participating in the participatory youth organizations have risen, and the
interest of the public sector and society in the youths social participation has also
gone up. This initiative has empowered the youth to identify and study their own is-
sues as well as plan and implement policies to address them through voluntary dis-
cussion and other activities. As a result, the initiative contributed to the youths self-
motivated development of capabilities and thus the future growth of the country and
the society.

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EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

Spain- 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Housing: All Opinions Matter (En Vivienda, Todas las
Opiniones Cuentan)

Institution:
Departamento de Vivienda, Obras Publicas y Transportes, del Gobierno Vasco

Description
Promoting the participation of the Basque community for the enrichment of housing
legislation and strategy.

Summary
The Department of Housing, Construction, and Transportation of the Basque govern-
ment made it a priority for 2009-2013 to apply the principles of good governance to
its housing policy. This included the need for consensus, transparency, and participa-
tion. In order to achieve these ideals, the department developed three main initia-
tives. First, they created the Social Pact for Housing, which aims to collaborate with
institutions and social agencies to reach consensus about the strategic lines that
should guide housing policy in the short and long term, and encourage institutional
coordination. Second, the department launched the Master Plan for Housing and
Urban Regeneration 2010-2013 for which, through an online platform and social
networks, they engaged citizens in the design and development of housing proposals
to be included in the Master Plan. Third, the department began the process of draft-
ing a Basque Housing Law, including suggestions from the citizenry through the
online forum and e-mail. For the first time in the history of the Department of Hous-
ing of the Basque Government, citizens and organizations were included in discus-
sions on solutions for the housing challenge.

The Problem
During the time of the Project, the Basque Country had one of the highest costs of
living of the autonomous communities in Spain. The gap between housing prices
and what Basque families could afford in relation to their disposable income contin-
ued to grow. Although there was a significant supply of social housing, only a small
part (19.2%) was available for rental. In fact, housing was (and still is) one of the
main concerns of the Basque population. Due to these matters, the Housing Depart-
ments first priority became applying the principles of good governance to public
management, including consensus, transparency, and participation. Citizen participa-
tion in planning and policy development was not institutionalized in the Basque Gov-
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ernment and the general belief was that when a government conducted processes to
involve the community it was for publicity or campaigning. Inputs and suggestions
from the citizenry were often perceived by the government as criticism.

The Solution
The Housing Department became pioneers within the Basque administration with
their initiative Housing: All Opinions Matter. With little information to guide
them, the department designed the project through the eyes of the citizenry, keeping
in mind how they would like to be treated by an administration. They decided that,
more than anything, they would want a government that listened to and interacted
with its citizens and, with this in mind, constructed three sub-projects:

v. The Social Pact for Housing encourages institutional coordination by con-

solidating the opinions and input of institutions, social agencies, and the De-
partment of Housing about the strategy that should guide housing policy in
the short and long terms. The Pact has 79 signatures of social agencies and
economic institutions.

vi. The Master Plan for Housing and Urban Regeneration 2010-2013 engages
citizens in the design and development of housing proposals through an on-
line platform and social networks. The online interaction has seen great suc-
cess, including 14,764 participants on the online forum and 333 facebook
followers. In addition, 67% of citizens proposals were included in the Mas-
ter Plan.

vii. Draft Housing Legislation, including suggestions from the citizenry submit-
ted via e-mail and the online forum. The forum had 17, 187 visits, which
resulted in 188 proposed improvements to the draft. 92% of surveyed par-
ticipants found the process interesting or very interesting.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The Housing Department now recognizes the enormous usefulness of participatory
methods in government, and that conversation between the citizens and its govern-
ment can produce outstanding results. Perhaps the most significant lesson learned is
that a new way of governing is not only possible, but also effective, transparent, and
necessary. Innovation is not solely technological; it can be social as well. As a gov-
ernment, it is important to continue making use of the collective intelligence of the
citizens in order to develop innovative solutions.

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Canada 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Metro Vancouvers Public Outreach and Engagement
Program

Institution:
Metro Vancouver

Description
Engaging citizens in identification of solutions for public transportation challenges

Summary
Public consultation regarding the work of Metro Vancouver typically occurred only
when major capital projects, such as sewer installations or upgrades, would lead to
disruptions in service, public access or traffic flows or if the Board of Directors of
Metro Vancouver was legislatively required to do so. To engage citizens beyond pub-
lic matters like these, Metro Vancouver in Canada embarked on a series of meetings
to enable citizens to participate in the identification of solutions to the challenges
faced by the city. Community breakfast meetings were held, sustainability dialogues
and a number of summits to solicit the public's views on key issues. The initiatives
impact resulted in a growing culture of public engagement and increased public trust
and confidence in the institution.

The Problem
Citizen engagement at a broad, regional level can be exceedingly difficult where is-
sues that are not just local in nature may seem remote and their local impacts not
immediately evident. This difficulty was compounded by Metro Vancouvers early
approach to public engagement, which was essentially conservative: consult on is-
sues that only directed affected Metro Vancouvers operations, and only if legisla-
tively required to do so.
The Metro Vancouver Board of Directors neither encouraged nor attracted interest
from the regions residents: only two public delegations were invited to appear before
the Board in its first five years of operation. Public consultation typically occurred
only when major capital projects such as sewer main installations or upgrades would
lead to major disruptions in service, public access or traffic flows. The result of this
approach to consultation in the 1990s was that area residents were either blissfully
ignorant of the significant role that Metro Vancouver played in providing public ser-
vices to the region, or were moderately to extremely concerned with the impact that
Metro Vancouvers operations were having on their daily lives. Consequently, Metro
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Vancouvers public consultations were often very tense as residents would strongly
criticize its capital planning processes, its poor record of consulting with residents in
a meaningful way, or both. In turn, this made it increasingly difficult for Metro Van-
couver to gain public support for its planning and utility services programming, since
many residents had developed a very real sense of distrust towards Metro Vancouver
and its attempts to consult with the community.

The Solution
Metro Vancouver set out to radically change its relationship with the community. It
sought to create a new sense of trust and realized that this would require an engage-
ment framework that was designed not simply to respond to issues linked to Metro
Vancouvers issue of the day, as had often been the case in the past, but rather one that
dealt with the issues as perceived by the community, even where these were beyond
the narrow purview of Metro Vancouvers legislative focus. The initiative is therefore
about transforming the public consultation process into one of community engage-
ment. The traditional process of public consultation about specific projects or pro-
posed policies then becomes just one component of the overall public engagement
process.
By engaging the community in discussion processes where there is no apparent nor
hidden Metro Vancouver agenda, other than to facilitate public engagement, the hope
and intention was to change the public perception from one of buyer beware, Metro
Vancouver is trying to sell something to one of let us all join in the discussion of
important community issues where Metro Vancouver is playing the role of honest
broker or facilitator.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Metro Vancouvers experience in developing its Community Breakfasts, Sustainabil-
ity Dialogues, Sustainability Summit and Sustainability Congress has shown that
collaboration enhances the communitys capacity to address the complex problems
we all face, because it engenders a sense of shared responsibility and a call to action.
Metro Vancouvers public engagement program has also allowed it and participants
to understand that trade-offs sometimes need to be made to meet sustainability goals,
and to acknowledge that by working together, we can identify and implement those
trade-offs.
A poll conducted at the beginning of the 2008 Summit conclusively demonstrated
that a significant majority of attendees had previously participated in Metro Vancou-
vers public outreach programming, through either the Sustainability Dialogues and/
or Community Breakfasts. This previous engagement and participants faith in Metro
Vancouver's participatory process directly contributed to both a broadly accepted
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consensus on the visions for success addressed at the Sustainability Summit, and the
development of a number of challenging objectives over the short to medium term.
Ultimately, Metro Vancouvers public outreach initiative demonstrated the truth of a
long understood lesson which needs to be re-learned and re-demonstrated again and
again. The license to govern to decide, to direct, to inform, to coordinate must
always rest on the demonstrated willingness and ability to listen and understand.
Listening to the community is not a passive act. It takes resources, courage and re-
solve. But if properly applied, resources, courage and resolve yield remarkable and
vital results.

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Slovenia 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
IT-supported procedure for drafting legislation (ITDL)

Institution:
Ministry of Justice and Public Administration

Description
Using ICT for drafting and adopting legislation including contributions by the public
for greater transparency

Summary
The initiative for IT-supported procedure for drafting legislation (ITDL) was
launched with an aim to regulate the procedure for drafting and adopting legislation
in the Republic of Slovenia. The ITDL standardized procedures of all ministries for
drafting and adopting regulations, in terms of substance and regarding technical fea-
ture, thereby facilitating simpler exchange of documents and opinions. The system
introduced electronic services in the drafting process and upon its launch on 1 April
2010, paper is no longer used in drafting regulations. The system integrates contribu-
tions by the public in draft regulations. As a result, the initiative provided simplifica-
tion and standardization for every user, and greater transparency through public ana-
lytical review, which provides an excellent basis for potential further improvements
of the procedure.

The Problem
Previously, draft regulations, adopted regulations and unofficial consolidated texts
were often submitted in a written form and published on many different websites of
the government bodies. Additionally, the draft regulations were circulated as paper
copies to various bodies for the purpose of inter-ministerial coordination, resulting in
high consumption of paper, high costs incurred in the lengthy process of registering
a document and communicating between various agencies/bodies, and placing un-
necessary burden on government employees in charge of the drafting procedures.
This scattered system led to dissatisfaction among users and often caused undue
prolongation of the drafting procedures due to the absence of standardized proce-
dures. Moreover, the regulations were (too) frequently amended because of the lack
of participation and coordination with the interested public.

The Solution
The ITDL project delivered a system that addresses the essential steps of the proce-
dure of adopting regulations as well as standardizing the operations of all ministries
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involved in the process, thereby facilitating easier and simpler exchange of docu-
ments and opinions. The ITDL system is the only permitted application on which the
procedure for drafting legislation can run and which also enables online publication
of drafted regulations.
The system devotes considerable attention to integrating contributions by the general
public into the content of a regulation. The back end IT system for drafting regula-
tions is linked to the e-democracy sub-portal, which offers a 'one-stop shop' enabling
easy monitoring of the applicable regulations and regulations in drafting procedure.
Most importantly, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the profes-
sional and lay public can promptly make their comments and proposals, and thus
contribute towards drafting better regulations.
There were 2 097 regulations entered into the ITDL system between 1 April 2010
and 1 December 2011: 1 100 rules, 706 decrees and 291 acts. In the same period, the
e-democracy sub-portal published 1 045 regulations: 626 rules, 275 decrees and 144
acts.

Impact and Lessons Learned

By providing the online publication of regulations under preparation and giving citi-
zens and institutions an opportunity to make inputs, the project has contributed con-
siderably to increased transparency and improving the quality of regulations adopted,
resulting ultimately in a positive impact on the economy. Streamlining the process of
drafting regulations has enabled a faster exchange of documents and materials be-
tween users, while simultaneously eliminating duplication of publication and data
entries.
One of the key lessons was that continued monitoring is vital to improving the sys-
tems based on user feedbacks throughout the initial implementation phase. Further-
more, regular training of users on the various applications of the ITDL system can
mitigate the obstacles brought on by fear and aversion of utilizing the system.

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LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Brazil- 1st Place Winner
Initiative: Participatory Regional Seminars
Institution:
Secretaria de Planejamento e Gesto da Pernambuco

Description
Engaging civil society in regional seminars as a mechanism for the development of
strategic State Government plans with regional and citizen-centric focus.

Summary
The Everyone for Pernambuco Regional Seminars Series, consisting of 12 region-
al forums to converse with citizens, was carried out by the Secretariat for Planning
and Management (SEPLAG) in order to address the State Governments goal of de-
veloping strategic policies and actions based on citizens input about their daily lives
and needs. The governments particular priorities during the seminars were address-
ing region-specific circumstances, and targeting the most vulnerable segments of the
population.

The Problem
Given the horizontal geographic extension of the state of Pernambuco, the develop-
ment process in the capital, at the extreme eastern end of the state, tended to favor
development in regions close to the capital. Communities in inland regions to the
west of the capital suffered from little or no favorable attention from public policies
aimed at fomenting socio-economic development in their regions, limited social de-
velopment services to respond to specific realities and insufficient public services,
especially in health, public safety and education. No mechanisms were in place to
allow open exchanges between the population and governmental authorities to ad-
dress such issues. Inhabitants in these municipalities and communities principally
the poorest citizens in the inland region of the state widely mistrusted and were
dissatisfied with a longstanding history of social exclusion in their regions. Residents
in the most disadvantaged regions did not have access to formal channels for partici-
pation to interact directly with governmental authorities to express their needs, de-
mands and suggestions in a deliberative forum and communities felt the need to ex-
press themselves and debate with governmental authorities about difficulties
regarding issues such as water supply, safety in rural areas, availability of technical
training courses and incentives for local production arrangements, among others.
Situational analyses of various regions in the state and their problems were previ-
ously based on macro-indicators, which were not always obtained through direct data
collection using the population census carried out every ten years and whose
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analysis often led to a gap in the time between data collection and the situation under
analysis. After conducting a needs assessment for the state in 2007, the Pernambuco
Government recognized an unmet need among the population to be heard by their
government.

The Solution
The state developed a strategy to create a mode of governing based on democratic
and regionalized planning, valuing each region in the state. The strategys main ob-
jectives were to transmit the notion of Governments availability, interest and readi-
ness to listen to the people; restore the feeling of belonging and citizenship, particu-
larly in rural communities; provide conditions and means for the people to freely
express their demands and suggestions, as well as learn about governmental actions
underway in the region and ensure a technical process for compilation and analysis
of proposals from the community, characterized by transparency.
Out of these objectives were born the Everyone for Pernambuco Regional Semi-
nars Series. In 2007, SEPLAG planned the first set of seminars. Participants in-
cluded non-governmental organizations, rural farmers, local merchants, housewives,
students, independent professionals, community residents associations, unions, co-
operatives and minority groups such as indigenous tribes and Afro-descendant
Quilombola communities. At each meeting, the State Government was represented
by the Governor, Vice-Governor, various State Government Secretaries, and other
civil servants such as Mayors and Vice-mayors from participating municipalities in-
volved in creating and defining public policies.
The seminars in which 3,554 entities participated yielded 26,147 proposals which
were compiled and assessed by a 14-member SEPLAG task force over a two-month
period. A database was developed to categorize similar proposals and cross-refer-
ence them with policies from the Government Program. From this analysis, 247
proposals from the 2011 seminars have been included as priority goals in the 2012-
2015 multi-year plan. The actions were based on knowledge of peoples daily lives
and needs, as opposed to only technical and programmatic aspects. As such, Re-
gional Seminars provided a mechanism for discussion between organized civil soci-
ety and government, with outcomes directly influencing the Multi-Year Plan the
law that consolidates government action and budgetary implementation over three
years.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The major impact of the initiative was the influence that suggestions gathered from
citizens had on the Multi-Year Plan Law for the period of 2012-2015 in the state of
Pernambuco. An additional impact is the establishment of closer linkages between
the public sector and society, through direct and transparent interaction, facilitating

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democratic manifestations, carried out principally with low-income citizens residing

in regions in the state that are disadvantaged while at the same time possess great
potential for development.

Priority goals created during the seminars include: construction of technical schools;
building of a water supply system; construction of roads providing access to small
municipalities; expansion and reform of regional hospitals; expansion of dental
health services; creation of a support program for production and commercialization
of family agriculture products; creation of the police department for the protection of
women; creation of an energy matrix and a study on renewable sources of energy;
establishment of open-air city gyms; establishment of shelter-homes for at-risk chil-
dren and adolescents; organization of outdoor markets for family agriculture prod-
ucts; production, acquisition, and distribution of seeds for family farmers; installa-
tion of simplified water supply systems for rural communities.

A key learning point from the seminars was the critical importance of effective plan-
ning and follow-up. Throughout the seminars, the SEPLAG team learned the value
of involving a technical team that is committed to society and government, and has
the capacity to interact with the common citizen. Logistics were managed through
careful planning, trainings, mobilizing teams, and coordinating participation sched-
ules.

Furthermore, the initiative highlighted that a well managed process for listening
closely to the people is extremely enriching. The common citizens vision of prob-
lems related to his/her reality adds immensely to the process of formulating public
policies. Particularly interesting was the vast differences in expressed needs and
priorities based on region.

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2012 Category 4

Advancing Knowledge Management in

Government

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Asia & the Malaysia eKasih Improving management and implementation of 185
Pacific poverty reduction efforts through an integrated
national poverty data bank

The Republic National Science and Technology Sharing of Research & Development related 187
of Korea Information Service information across government entities and with
citizens through a one-stop service
Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico Turkey Georgia
Thailand Preventing Diabetic Blindness Preventing diabetic blindness by creating local 189
community health care teams

Europe & Spain SITxell Conducting a province-wide territorial analysis to 192

North improve coordination and reduce duplication of
America work between urban and land use planning
agencies.
Senegal Morocco Rwanda India Singapore USA Spain
Switzerland geo.admin.ch Giving citizen access to information on federal 195
spatial data infrastructure through a central
platform

Western
Dominican Bahrain
Mexico Integrated Workflow Management
Grenada Lebanon Integrated knowledge management
Egypt Georgia though ICT 197
Republic
Asia System (IWMS)

Turkey UYAP (National Judiciary Establishing a quicker and more reliable justice 200
Informatics System) system through ICT

Thailand Australia Rep. of Korea Spain Canada Slovenia Brazil

Malaysia Rep. of Korea Thailand Spain Switzerland Bahrain Turkey

184 Africa
South Kenya Rwanda Bosnia and Spain Brazil
Herzegovina
 2012 CATEGORY 4

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Malaysia - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
eKasih

Institution:
Implementation Coordination Unit, Prime Ministers Department

Description
Improving the effectiveness of poverty eradication implementation programmes
through a centralized and integrated national poverty data bank on poverty allevia-
tion initiatives, such as social grants and aid received from various government agen-
cies

Summary
The main objective of eKasih is to avoid duplication of aids/programmes enacted and
leakages to the poor and hardcore poor by establishing a central data bank. This data
bank can be accessed and used by all agencies and other related parties involved in
poverty eradication programmes at federal and state levels. Thus, all agencies that
dispensed aid can be crosschecked by all parties to avoid inefficient use and duplica-
tion of resources.

The Problem
In Malaysia there are several ministries, agencies, NGOs, and Associations respon-
sible for poverty eradication programmes at federal and state levels. Before eKasih
was introduced only a small percentage of agencies have a record of the beneficiaries
or recipients of assistances in an automated system, while some of them are still en-
tirely using manual process. The manual process did not have integration or consoli-
dation among them results multiple sets of data. As an example, one individual can
apply for assistance from many agencies while the agencies did not know what as-
sistance already being given to individual initiatives. This has caused a high incident
of overlapping of assistance and has lead to data integrity issues and created consis-
tency issues concerning reliability of data.There was no single agency to coordinate
and monitor the poverty eradication programmes at the national level. It was not
certain whether that the poor really receive or enjoy the benefits or not and no prog-
ress monitoring was done to the poor after the assistance given. There is no standard-
ized mechanism and established unified criteria used by agencies to determine pov-
erty groups. This has created many problems such as unverified data and issues in
dealing with aid distribution to the poor. Agencies practicing manual process had
unreliable data and often had outdated data due to inaccuracies in reporting and re-
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GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

sulting in duplication and leakages of aid. Because of these numerous inconsisten-

cies the statistics used at national level for planning were not always accurate, result-
ing in inefficiency and waste of resources.

The Solution
A system was developed consisting of four main components, namely poverty profile
(individual, aids, programmes/projects), Executive Information System (dashboard,
GIS, dynamic reporting), and Knowledge Based (best practices, e-library) to remedy
the problem of duplicated initiatives. The Executive Information System (EIS) en-
ables management to monitor and track the latest status of poverty in the form of
dashboard and GIS for better presentation.
The system was completed and implemented nationwide starting from July 2008.
Every agency responsible for poverty is granted online access to the same source of
data according to their group of responsibilities.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Agencies are able to provide suitable programmes for the poor based on information
stored in a database named eKasih. Poverty status and poverty mapping can be ac-
cessed by all users that have access to the database. Coordination and monitoring of
the poor and hardcore poor can easily be done through eKasih as the entire poverty
list and profiles are captured in the database.
Through the monitoring and tracking modules, it helped aid agencies and depart-
ments to coordinate their efforts to avoid duplication which unnecessarily depleted
valuable resources. With an effective implementation strategy to lower duplicated
assistance there was an increase in efficiency and effectiveness of poverty alleviation
programs. The use of complete data in eKasih has assisted in determining the Gov-
ernment policies in the implementation of poverty eradication programmes.
Among the lessons learned, management support and user commitment was essential
in promoting the success of the eKasih database initiative. The success of eKasih
depends upon the commitment and involvement of a cross-section of individuals
throughout the ministries and agencies. Other agencies that were apart of providing
assistance were instrumental in the success of the project as their submissions of data
to the database initiative was essential.

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 2012 CATEGORY 4

Republic of Korea 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Develop knowledge management policies

Institution:
National Science & Technology Commission (NSTC)

Description:
Sharing of Research and Development related information across government enti-
ties and with citizens through a one-stop service

Summary
With the increased interest and budget spend on National R&D by Korean govern-
ment, a system was required for the effective and transparent management of na-
tional R&D projects. The National Science & Technology Commission (NSTC) es-
tablished the National Science and Technology Information Service of Korea (NTIS)
comprising knowledge management policies, facilitating for ministries, universities,
research institutes funded by the government, companies, and citizens to share and
use national Research & Development (R&D) information. Based on the initiative, it
was now possible to provide a one-stop service for citizens by integrating all na-
tional R&D information conducted by ministries.
This initiative has shown to be a success, acting as a benchmark for other ministries
and organizations, with a year-round internal and external collaboration scheme to
coordinate interests and collect opinions from a variety of ministries and organiza-
tions. The greatest impacts reflect prevention of duplication in project implementa-
tion, integrated management of facilities in disuse or not in service, and improved
performance of research management. The NSTC is the first central governmental
body to have complied with relevant global standards in terms of having established
governance planning, implementation and assessment structures of NTIS, and there-
by improving global reliability by continuously optimizing business processes.

The Problem
The Republic of Korea had increased its R&D investment by 10% every year, and the
efficiency of R&D investment had been a national issue. The Korean government had
investigated, analyzed, and assessed national R&D projects every year, and subse-
quently announced the assessment results. However, the release of information was
limited and announcement time was usually delayed, making it difficult for Korean
government agencies, universities, research institutes, and companies to use such
results optimally.
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Each governmental agency exclusively possessed and managed its R&D informa-
tion. This fact required much time and many efforts to establish R&D strategies,
make a budget, and assess national R&D projects. The budget was also assigned to
similar and overlapping R&D projects, increasing government expenditure on R & D
unnecessarily. Small and medium businesses and individual researchers had difficul-
ties in using research facilities and could not get counseling of experts about the
complicated procedures. There was no simple way of accessing national R&D data.

The Solution
To solve problems described above, the National Science & Technology Commission
(NSTC hereinafter) legislated knowledge management policies so that ministries,
universities, research institutes funded by the government, companies, and citizens
could share and use national R&D information together. Based on this, it was possi-
ble to provide one-stop service to citizens by integrating national R&D information
created by ministries.
The NSTC established the National Science and Technology Information Service of
Korea (NTIS hereinafter) by collaborating with 15 ministries. The NTIS has pro-
vided convenient one-stop access to information on R&D projects, budget, human
resources, equipment and facilities, and outcome in real time so that medium and
small companies and individual researchers could conveniently access and use na-
tional R&D information. The number of registered members exceeded 80 thousand
as of December 2011 after its first public service in March 2008. The user satisfac-
tion has continuously increased with a rate of 66, 75, 76.5, and 77.1 in 2008, 2009,
2010, and 2011, respectively.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The NTIS has eliminated obstacles to common utilization of high-cost research fa-
cilities by national R&D information sharing, openness, and cooperation through
which all the ministries achieved productivity by simplifying provision processes of
high level national R&D information.
The approach has offered comprehensive research outcomes including academic pa-
pers and patents which accounts for further research, technology transfer, and rele-
vant industrialization promotion. Duplication of R&D activities was eliminated and
this has reduced costs significantly. Results of an NTISs analysis as of 2008 showed
that the service produced an economic ripple effect corresponding to 911.9 billion
won or more during the 5 year-period (20092013) via prevention of repeated project
implementation and repeated facility purchase, integrated management of facilities
in disuse or not in service, and improved performance of research management.
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Thailand 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Preventing Diabetic Blindness

Institution:
Rajavithi Hospital

Description:
Preventing diabetic blindness by creating local community health care teams

Summary
In Thailand more than 3 million people have diabetes, a lifelong illness that can
cause blindness. Many patients live in rural areas about 100 kilometers away from
provincial hospitals where ophthalmologists practice. To address this issue, a coop-
erative effort was made with provincial health care officers in Tak, establishing local
community health care teams in rural areas to assist the ophthalmologists. They were
trained to interpret digital retinal images to identify patients with diabetes who were
at risk of blindness and refer them to the ophthalmologist. Implementation of the first
pilot project for preventing blindness from diabetic retinopathy in rural areas of Tak
province was launched in 2007. The initiative was shown to be a success, decreasing
the number of people becoming blind by detecting and treating in time (5% in the
first year compared to 3.7% in the second year. Ongoing discussions are underway
with other countries to adapt the initiative. One of the most important elements that
made this initiative a success was giving the opportunity to local community health
care personnel in rural areas to solve a problem in public health ophthalmology for
their own people.

The Problem
Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 world-
wide. In developing countries, this blindness affects people in the middle, productive
years, aged between 35 and 64. Extensive research has proved that timely detection
and treatment can reduce the rate of blindness significantly from 50% to 5%. Screen-
ing for DR has also been proven to be cost-effective. A universal guideline suggests
that patients with diabetes should have an eye examination at least once a year.
A huge number of patients with diabetes, especially those who live in rural areas, do
not have the recommended eye examination. Furthermore, less than 40% of those
who have high-risk characteristics of blindness received treatment. Many eyes with
these characteristics may still have normal vision. Ophthalmologists therefore cannot
wait until patients develop poor vision to treat. In Thailand, more than 3 million
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people have diabetes but only about 100,000 of them have the recommended eye
examination. There are only approximately 1,000 ophthalmologists nationwide, in-
cluding 100 retina specialists to deliver eye care. Half of them practice in Bangkok,
whereas the majority of the patients, who do not have the examination, live in rural
areas about 100 kilometers away from provincial hospitals where ophthalmologists
practice.
Based on the National Survey of Blindness, conducted in 2006-2007, 34% of dia-
betic patients in the survey were found to have low vision or blindness in either eye.
Furthermore, DR is the most common retina disease that causes bilateral low vision.
A Struggling Model:
Tak is a province located 400 kilometers west of Bangkok, next to Myanmar. There
was only one ophthalmologist working in a public provincial hospital. The ophthal-
mologist had realized his inability to provide routine eye care to patients in his rural
area. He therefore spent his weekends carrying an ophthalmoscope to various com-
munities to examine patients with diabetes to detect DR. Despite his hard work and
dedication, in 2006, he could achieve only 20% coverage of eye examinations of the
4,618 diabetic patients in his province.
The Center of Excellence in Retina Diseases in Rajavithi Hospital, Bangkok, is a
public tertiary care center that takes care of referred retina cases from most of pro-
vincial hospitals in Thailand. More than 200 operations are performed each year, and
only half of these cases could have visual improvement after the surgery. This con-
servative model cannot be applied to prevent blindness from diabetes.

The Solution
Rajavithi Hospital implemented the first pilot project for preventing blindness from
DR in rural areas of Tak province in 2007. The hospital co-operated with provincial
health care officers in Tak for setting up a local community health care team in rural
areas to assist the phthalmologist. Personnel in the team were recruited from volun-
teer health care officers in community hospitals who were local people, and not nec-
essarily physicians. Rajavithi Hospital trained them to interpret digital retinal images
to identify patients with diabetes who were at risk of blindness and refer them to the
ophthalmologist. They were also supervised to run this project themselves. Rajavithi
Hospital also trained 425 nurses or technicians from four rural provinces to be pri-
mary DR screeners.

Impact and Lessons Learned

In the first year, more than 2,600 patients accessed this project, which was 60.7% of
the diabetic patients in Tak. In the second year, this coverage improved, to more than
90%. The number of high-risk eyes detected improved from 15.3% in 2007, 30.2%
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in 2008, to 40.6% in 2009. A total of 1,620 eyes had laser treatments at Tak Provin-
cial Hospital and 920 had improved or stable vision. Seven eyes were referred to have
surgery at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok and five had visual improvement.
The project was rolled out to four more provinces, located 463-828 kilometers from
Bangkok. There were 81,056 patients with diabetes in the four provinces. A total of
58,510 (72.2%) of them were screened for DR. 7,392 (12.6%) of these patients were
referred due to DR, an additional 2,679 (4.6%) patients were also referred due to
other eye diseases. There were 2,228 (3.8%) patients who were treated by ophthal-
mologists in the provinces, whereas 163 (0.3%) patients were referred to be treated
by retina specialists in regional tertiary care hospitals. There were 2,922/58,510 (5%)
patients found to have blindness in the first year. This decreased to be 3.7% in the
second year.
Rural people, both patients with diabetes and the trained personnel in the community
teams, benefited the most, and the service can now be provided consistently.
One of the most important elements that made this initiative success was giving an
opportunity to local community health care personnel in rural areas, who were not
trained in ophthalmology at all, to solve a problem in public health ophthalmology
for their own people. They run their own project and they can do it successfully. An-
other important aspect that made this initiative success is the use of evidence-based
decision making. Rajavithi Hospital conducted a series of research projects to prove
the competency of rural health care personnel before implementation.

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EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

Spain- 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Territorial Information System for the Network of Open
Spaces(SITxell)

Institution:
Barcelona Provincial Council

Description
Conducting a province-wide territorial analysis to improve coordination and reduce
duplication of work between urban and land use planning agencies.

Summary
The Barcelona Provincial Council conducted a province-wide, multidisciplinary ter-
ritorial analysis in order to improve urban and provincial planning. The initiative in-
cluded technical experts from various fields such as academics, public institutions,
businesses and other organizations to regulate planning and provide spatial informa-
tion on an integrated portal. The project represents a shift from a sector approach to
an integrated model of environmental aspects of land planning and has enjoyed the
acceptance and the support of the various administrations and social organizations
involved.

The Problem
In Spain, responsibilities and capabilities in urban and territorial planning spans
across many levels and departments of government. Municipalities are responsible
for urban planning, while regional governments have specialization in territorial
planning. In addition, numerous departments (infrastructure, agriculture, environ-
ment, etc.) at various levels of the administration make their own plans for land use.
Regardless of existing coordination mechanisms, these problems created a lack of
consensus for land projects, and exacerbated land use conflicts. There was a high
level of duplication of work and, as a result, unnecessary spending.

The Solution
With these needs in mind, the Barcelona Provincial Council took on the challenge of
developing a multidisciplinary territorial analysis for the province of Barcelona, to
serve as a common resource for any territorial work. With this report, the province
could omit duplication of work and the added costs associated with gathering base
information. Furthermore, the analysis aimed to encourage the progressive imple-
mentation of a territorial model based on the maintenance of natural services and the

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sustainable use of natural resources, that would result in the strong social and eco-
nomic progress of all citizens.
After analyzing the situation together with municipalities and social agencies, the
Barcelona Provincial Council identified the following needs: i) Establishment of in-
ter-administrative coordination in territorial and urban planning in order to obtain a
multidisciplinary territorial analysis,; ii) A new conceptual plan for territorial plan-
ning; iii) New and reliable base territorial information at a reasonable cost; iv)
Mechanism(s) for the dissemination of this information and v) Training of technical
teams in the use and application of this information. The institutions involved were
11 county councils, and 311 municipalities. As a material achievement, SITxell has
developed numerous layers of multidisciplinary information, including environmen-
tal and socioeconomic atmospheres. Not only does this information incorporate the
traditional basic information, it also includes the values and risks most relevant to
territorial planning. The provincial council then combines and synthesizes the infor-
mation to apply it relevantly to each project. An important feature of the initiative is
the periodic updating of the information.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Since the inception of the initiative, 61 municipalities, 2 district councils, and 3 re-
gional government departments have used the compiled information in the develop-
ment of their urban plans, including the planning of 4 protected areas. The informa-
tion has been available online since 2009, universally and at no cost. In that time
there have been approximately 60,000 visits annually, and 50% of the provinces
municipalities use the information regularly. It is estimated that this has produced
direct savings for the municipalities of around 150,000 Euros annually, due to the
resulting elimination of the need to elaborate specific mapping. In addition, through
the development of the four protected areas, the provincial council has saved ap-
proximately 80,000 Euros. The project has signified an improvement in the processes
and internal relations of the administration in terms of territorial planning, which can
now be done in a much clearer and efficient manner, emitting duplications and un-
necessary spending.
One key lesson learned is the importance of unity and coordination. Implementation
of the SITxell initiative has provided cohesion in the provincial technical team, fa-
cilitating and promoting integration among the team through a common project, and
enhancing group morale and each team members personal dedication to their work.
The commitment of the various administrations with responsibility for land use plan-
ning to the SITxell project has facilitated the establishment of mechanisms for coop-
eration and coordination among all affected institutions. Savings in resources and
improved efficiency of these administrations validate the importance of this inter-
administrative work.
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Additionally, the project has highlighted the necessity of public and political support.
By including practically every public and private institution with relevant knowl-
edge, the project has a credibility and solvency without which it would have been
impossible to reach the level of implementation across all levels. The support of the
initiative from NGOs and agricultural landowners has allowed for strong social ac-
ceptance, which was crucial for reaching the consensus that exists today.

The shift from a sectoral to an integrated approach in regards to environmental as-

pects of land planning has enjoyed the acceptance and support of the various admin-
istrations and social organizations involved. The reason lies in the flexibility of the
model and multidisciplinary vision of the territory, which allow for consideration and
balance of the various (and often conflicting) views and interests, and optimize the
sustainable use of natural resources compatible with conservation.

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Switzerland 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
geo.admin.ch

Institution:
Coordinating Agency for Federal Geographical Information

Description:
Giving citizens access to information on federal spatial data infrastructure through a
central platform

Summary
Geo.admin.ch is a portal for federal spatial data infrastructure (FSDI). For the first time,
federal spatial data can be accessed through a central platform providing features like
multilingual (five languages) versions, fast and user friendly interface, single point of entry
for all spatial data portals of the federal authorities of Switzerland, and providing efficient
information retrieval. This was achieved by a combination of an open source software
framework with an innovative cloud computing architecture, resulting in an attractive cost/
benefit ratio. In Switzerland, geo.admin.ch was the first innovation of its kind, using cloud
computing as infrastructure solution for authorities, providing over 150 datasets of various
government agencies.

The Problem
Up to 80% of all decisions affecting citizen are linked to geographical information (Coo-
pers and Lybrand 1996). Geographical information is especially in demand in the run-up
to referendums (for example, the locations of nuclear power stations, nature conservation
areas, traffic and transport, etc.). In Switzerland the Act on Federal Geoinformation regu-
lates the access to public data. This act came into force on 1 July 2008. It provides the legal
framework, for all activities relating to information about basic geodata of federal law and
its exchange and use. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that geodata relating to the terri-
tory of the Swiss Confederation is made available to the Federal, Cantonal and municipal
authorities, to industry and commerce, to academic and scientific institutions and to soci-
ety at large, for the broadest possible use, in a sustainable, up-to-date, rapid and easy way,
with the required quality and at reasonable cost. (Art.1). The data contained in aerial
photographs, maps and plans as well as further spatially referenced data must made avail-
able at a good level of quality and at reasonable cost, in printed form, over the Internet or
on mobile devices. Uniform standards were required, in data capture as well as in the
modeling and archiving of data and metadata.
Before geo.admin.ch, it was difficult or impossible to get hold of most federal geospatial
data for public authorities, experts and the broad public. No single point of entry for fed-
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eral geodata existed: access was sometimes possible in one of over 20 and not linked map
viewing application, hidden within the Swiss federal web presence, with a wide range of
quantity and quality standards.
Scientific studies have shown that providing easy and inexpensive access to geospatial data
has a multiplicative effect of 1:4 between public investment and added value to private
market related to spatial data. With around 230 million Swiss Francs annual investment by
federal and cantonal authorities, this corresponds to a theoretical market potential of
around 1 billion francs. A 2008 market analysis has shown that for the geospatial market
of Switzerland this ratio with a volume of 500 million francs a year is only at about 1:2
before the Federal Geo Information Act became into force.

The Solution
Geo.admin.ch is a portal established to provide access to spatial data, which can be ac-
cessed centrally for the first time in the country instead of multiple portals. The portal of-
fers the service in five languages, is fast and user friendly, and is a single point of entry for
all spatial data portals of the federal authorities of Switzerland. It has simplified informa-
tion retrieval, even at high loads, through a combination of an open source software frame-
work with an innovative cloud computing architecture, resulting in an attractive cost /
benefit ratio.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The choice for cloud computing has been proven right: during the media campaign, the
number of visitors increased by factor 20 within 2 hours to 30000 unique visitors per day
without downtime due to server overload. The feedback of citizen and key stakeholders
regarding geo.admin.ch is very positive: over 3000 mails of happy citizens since the launch
on 8/2010 and daily average visitor rate of 10000 unique visitors is the proof of acceptance.
Based on the success of geo.admin.ch, a public private partnership, with international
members, was initiated by geo.admin.ch to extent the existing open source mapping
framework to support mobile devices / Smartphones.
The feedback of citizens and key stakeholders regarding geo.admin.ch is very positive:
over 3000 emails of satisfied citizens have been received since the launch in August 2010,
with a daily average visitor rate of 10000 unique visitors, contributing in being one of the
most visited websites of Swiss governments. By offering an e-mail helpdesk, Q&A section
and the use of social media, communications with citizens is now two ways and near real
time, contributing to improved delivery of the service and responsiveness to the publics
needs. Existing spatial portals of the federal administration receive up to five times more
visitors since the launch of geo.admin.ch as they are now linked.
A lesson learned is the importance of active communication and coordination of all
stakeholders in the project and operation phase in successful implementation, including
Social Media.
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WESTERN ASIA
Bahrain - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Integrated Workflow Management System (IWMS)

Institution:
E-Government Authority Ministry of Cabinet Affairs

Description
Enhancing organizational performance through increased communication and col-
laboration across government departments through an integrated information system

Summary
The Kingdom of Bahrains E-Government strategy is focused on ensuring the effective
delivery of government services to citizens, residents, businesses and visitors. This in-
volves a broad range of responsibilities and activities by multifunctional and multidis-
ciplinary teams across the country, including dealing with legislative, regulatory and
budgetary barriers, evolving common technical frameworks and infrastructure, ensur-
ing a common vision, providing leadership at many levels, strengthening coordination,
improving collaboration and monitoring and evaluating progress and results on an on-
going basis.Scheduled to run over 3 years, the programme was designed to transform
the provision of government services to every member of the Bahraini society. Given
the complexity and breadth of the programme, the E-Government Agency has been
established to ensure that it is executed smoothly within a defined framework. It also
provided support for issue escalation and a forum for knowledge sharing between vari-
ous projects. The initiative, Integrated Workflow Management System, has been
aligned to the 2030 vision for the Kingdom of Bahrain to reach an efficient and effec-
tive government (clause 2.2 from the aspiration for government in the vision). As part
of the E-Government Authority strategy in 2007, this project reflected the interaction of
government-to-government principle through the interconnection of processes and au-
tomating official documents flow amongst key government organizations that play
critical roles in decision making in the government.

The Problem
The Integrated Workflow Management System (IWMS) was proposed by the E-Gov-
ernment Authority of Bahrain, and was introduced as an initiative to resolve the fol-
lowing issues:
Implicit knowledge: within each entity, a limited number of experienced em-
ployees executed the procedures that were never shared nor documented in
each form of correspondence.
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Lack of consistency: procedures were managed in a case-by-case basis which

lacked consistency in following the laws. Hence, the procedures were being
handled inappropriately.
Conflict of interest: a conflict of defining roles and responsibilities exists be-
tween the legislative and governmental entities that refuse to delegate their
duties.
Tracking difficulties: entities were unable to follow-up and track the ex-
changed documents as they did not have full control over the workflow of
documents and were unable to possess an accurate status of the process at any
point of time.
Challenges in generating reliable reports: entities faced challenges in gener-
ating reliable annual reports as they lacked accurate information of the status
of documents and this affected the transparency among involved organiza-
tions. It requires additional efforts from employees to verify the available
information and contact several external persons to remain updated.

The Solution
As a solution to the above problems, the Integrated Workflow Management System
(IWMS) was introduced to handle the interaction between the Parliament and the
government using the Government-to-Government (G2G) principles. Thus transpar-
ency is put in place through the correlation of processes and automation of official
documents flow among key organizations that play a critical role in decision-making
process. IWMS was introduced to free coordinators and follow-up specialists from
the manual work and enable them to focus on reporting, tracking and improving the
pre-defined internal processes. Printing all the required reports based on users re-
quests as per the official format accepted by the Supreme Council for Information
and Computer Technologies (SCICT) should be made available. Data related to the
processes are being stored in a common database and are used for tracking and re-
porting purposes.

Impact and Lessons Learned

IWMS unifies the tracking process and the reporting style based on accurate and up-
to-date records.It also facilitates making timely decisions based on accurate infor-
mation and imposes deadlines among tasks with proper reminders and alerts to re-
sponsible stakeholders. It further defines the escalation mechanism for overdue tasks
with levels and types of reminders sent from the system.
It provides a digitized archival database for all correspondences, which can be ac-
cessed and used at any time by the authorized users. The IWMS supports a search
engine that enables users to look for a particular document with the availability of
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advanced search options. The users can retrieve the documents based on any Meta-
data related to them or based on their content. The historical documents are also
migrated to the IWMS and are available for search and retrieval. Alerts are activated
based on the documents flow among the different entities and all involved stakehold-
ers would receive alerts. For each process, the IWMS will maintain contact details
for responsible people. Therefore, at any point in time, users can contact the involved
person and attain the updates of the process.

A key lesson is that forming a steering committee that consists of participants from
business and information technology executives is vital as it will provide the required
support for introducing progressive changes in all concerned governmental and non-
governmental sectors. IWMS deals with different sensitive processes within the
Kingdom and by forming a specialized team for change management, the resis-
tance-to-change concept was carefully managed. The entities feedback throughout
the entire projects execution was taken and all the raised risks were managed.

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Turkey 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
UYAP (National Judiciary Informatics System)

Institution:
Ministry of Justice

Description:
Establishing a quicker and more reliable justice system through ICT

Summary
The information technology department of the Ministry of Justice of Turkey was estab-
lished in 1999 and given the responsibility to establish a more swift reliable and up to date
justice system by using ICT. Several committees were established, comprised of judges,
personnel, and lawyers from all ranges of judicial organizations. The solution that emerged
was UYAP (National Judiciary Informatics System). The UYAP initiative was put into
effect and resulted in equipping all judicial units with necessary ICT tools, including docu-
ment and case management systems. By being connected to each other through a secure
network and given access to a central database of UYAP, which contains all relevant infor-
mation needed in the judicial proceedings, the huge structure of the Turkish Judiciary was
transformed into a well oiled machine that was efficient and effective.

The Problem
The problems faced by the Turkish judiciary were complex, ranging from: enormous
workloads, insufficient number of staff, missing or chaotic files, delayed cases, inadequate
training, outdated equipment, inability to keep out with technological change, and the lack
of effective administrative support. Legal procedures were generally perceived to be pro-
tracted, expensive, complicated and inefficient by citizens, putting them off pursuing
worthwhile cases in court. Such effects of inefficient judiciary were detrimental to the
public confidence in the judiciary and prevented access to justice. ICT support was ur-
gently required, to transform an old fashioned, outdated, poor working judicial system,
into a modern, effectively-functioning organization which has earned the confidence of
society.

The Solution
To address the chronic problems of the Turkish Judiciary system, an outstanding and com-
prehensive e-justice system named UYAP (National Judiciary Informatics System) has
been developed. All judicial units have been fully equipped with necessary ICT tools,
document and case management systems, connected to each other by a secure network and
given access to central database of UYAP, which contains all relevant information needed
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in the judicial proceedings. Databases of governmental departments have been integrated

with the UYAP so as to enable online and swift information sharing among concerned
authorities. All processes and transactions are transferred into electronic environment that
provides effective knowledge management in judiciary, acceleration in judicial proceed-
ings, reduction in duration of trial proceedings and better access to justice. The perfor-
mance of the judicial staff, judges and prosecutors can be followed online by policy mak-
ers which enable them to see and assess the effects of the UYAP.
Electronic correspondence is now provided by the use of electronic signatures which is
faster, more accurate and cheaper than paper-based systems. As an example thanks to
transforming the physical process into electronic environment, document dispatch units in
the courts and arrest tracking units in the police organization were abolished and the per-
sonnel of these units (2500 personnel in police units) were employed in other departments.
Data can be analyzed through a data mining reporting tools thereby improving the man-
agement of the courts. Easy access to the relevant data by policy makers has developed the
knowledge management strategy and enhances the performance of the judiciary. Transfor-
mation of all judicial processes in electronic environment makes more accurate and quick
statistics possible. Thanks to instant access to every kind of data and statistics such as
crime maps, courts workload and performance of units, policy makers produce more ef-
ficient strategies and policies.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The most important impact of the UYAP is the having fast, reliable, efficient, effective,
economic, smarter, intelligent and transparent justice system by using ICT tools. UYAP,
through the use of modern ICT tools in the justice system, has introduced a new concept
in the daily life of all judges and public prosecutors, court staff, lawyers, public institu-
tions, and for all citizens, by changing the image of the judiciary and promoting innova-
tion. UYAP has also reduced the administrative and correspondence costs of the tradi-
tional paper-based system. The proceedings and correspondences that normally took
hours or days in paper-based systems are now performed in minutes or seconds through
the use of UYAP, reducing the amount of time spent on each case, and increasing effi-
ciency and effectiveness.
While the computer literacy of the Turkish judicial staff was only 5% before the UYAP, it
has been increased to 95% since the introduction of the UYAP. The IT skills of all judicial
workers are enhanced at organizational and functional level by providing continuous on-
line learning and working means in their daily routine.
Great amounts of time, money and labor force savings (approximately 30%) has been re-
corded since the introduction of the UYAP. Thanks to the database which provides up-
dated legal sources, delivering judgments have been facilitated and reaching similar judg-
ments has been simplified. Corruption has been prevented thanks to electronic logging of
every movement in the system, thus enhancing transparency.
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2012 Category 5

Promoting Gender-responsive Delivery of

Public Services

Region Country Initiative Description Pg

Africa South Africa Protecting the Futures Educating young girls about adolescent 203
reproductive health and puberty to decrease high
Mauritius Rep. of Korea Singapore Mexico absenteeism and drop-out Georgia
Turkey rates

Kenya Gender integration in the water Closing gender gaps in the water sector through 205
sector training and the creation of gender focal points

Rwanda Isange One Stop Center Improving access to service for victims of sexual 207
and gender-based violence
Senegal
Europe & Morocco
Bosnia & Public participation India
Rwanda in peace Singapore
Increasing USA and genderSpain
women representation 210
North Herzegovina processes balance in the armed forces to enhance gender
America responsiveness in the design and delivery of
security services
Dominican Mexico Grenada Lebanon Egypt Georgia
Republic Spain Zero Tolerance for Violence against Improving prevention and care for survivors of 212
Women domestic violence through multi-sector
intervention

Latin Brazil Chapeu de Palha Training and equipping women with skills to access 215
America & broader employment opportunities
the
Caribbean
Thailand Australia Rep. of Korea Spain Canada Slovenia Brazil
Mexico Daycare Program to Support Improving the economic situation of mothers by 217
Mothers providing more child care services

Western Bahrain Inclusion of Women in the Police Promoting gender-responsive delivery of public 220
Asia Force services, and initiating a human rights approach to
the work of the Dubai Police.
Malaysia Rep. of Korea Thailand Spain Switzerland Bahrain Turkey
Oman Reduce Childhood Mortality Rate: Reducing childhood mortality rate by proving 222
Infants and Children under 5 years holistic primary care for pregnant women
of Age

South Africa Kenya Rwanda Bosnia and Spain Brazil

Herzegovina

Mexico Bahrain Oman

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AFRICA
South Africa - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Protecting the Futures

Institution:
Small Projects Foundation

Description
Educating young girls about adolescent reproductive health and puberty to decrease
high absenteeism and drop-out rates

Summary
This initiative addressed absenteeism of girls in school by providing training in ado-
lescent reproductive health and puberty to young girls in three district municipalities
of OR Tambo, Chris Hani and Ukhahlamba in the Eastern Cape. Focus group re-
search with young girls confirmed that one of the contributing factors to high absen-
teeism and drop out rate, particularly in Grades 7 9 is puberty and the onset of
menstruation. They start skipping school for up to a week a month to hide their
shame. Teachers do not have the training or the materials to provide information and
support to the girls and their parents about puberty. Some teachers even send girls
home when they menstruate. A significant decrease was reported in incidents of ab-
senteeism in the schools and in the number of teen pregnancies after the program was
implemented. Survey results highlighted improved confidence and self-image of the
girls experiencing puberty and the programmes contribution in helping address and
breakdown shame and the stigma associated with menstruation at schools and in their
families.

The Problem
In South Africa, many young girls do not attend school, and, of those who attend
school many drop out before completing their matric/Grade 12 certificate. Research
revealed that the dropout rate for young girls is particularly high in Grade 7 and 9.
Reasons include, food insecurity, lack of transport to school, the impact of HIV/
AIDS on children and families, teenage pregnancies, absence of adequate toilets and
washing facilities and child labour. Reflection on some of these aspects and the fact
that the highest dropout rates for girls are in Grade 7 and 9 (Ages 12-15) led to the
suspicion that puberty and onset of menstruation might also be involved in the high
dropout rate during this period. Research shows that nationally, 30% of girls do not
attend school during menstruation and on average skip four days of school per month.
Most young girls had very little knowledge of adolescent reproductive health and
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specifically puberty. They had little or no access to sanitary towels and were shamed,
teased, and made to feel bad. Their mothers, older women and teachers had neither
the knowledge not the skills to teach them. School toilets and wash-up facilities were
limited or non-existent. This meant that any girl having her period at school without
sanitary towels and no private toilet and wash-up facilities was likely to have blood
on her clothes and become a figure of extreme embarrassment. Beyond missing
school, the lack of knowledge about female reproductive health and puberty also
contributes to teenage pregnancy and possible infection with HIV.

The Solution
Established in 1988, the Small Projects Foundation (SPF) is a non-profit organization
that renders developmental services (housing, health, education, agriculture, etc) in
the former Transkei and Ciskei. In 2008, the SPF implemented the Protecting the
Futures Programme in three district municipalities of OR Tambo, Chris Hani and
Ukhahlamba and received funding from Save the Children, United Kingdom and
Proctor and Gamble. The Department of Education identified 139 schools to partici-
pate in the programme, where two-hundred and seventy-eight (278) teachers in three
district municipalities were trained in adolescent reproductive health and puberty
education so that they could educate the targeted girls. More than 3750 girls in 139
schools received training in adolescent reproductive health, puberty education, de-
veloping a path to the future, communication, teenage pregnancy and HIV, gardening
and nutrition and each girl received a regular supply of sanitary towels.

School governing bodies and parents upgraded the toilet facilities and where no ablu-
tion facilities existed, new facilities were built, including the provision of wash-up
areas. They were assisted to develop systems to improve and maintain their ablution
facilities, with each caregiver coming in and cleaning the toilets three days a week.
This pilot project also trained parents/caregivers and provided support to schools to
ensure that the facilities were cleaned, maintained and the sanitary towels were hy-
gienically disposed. Surveys highlighted that this improved the confidence and self-
image of the girls experiencing puberty and helped address and breakdown shame
and stigma associated with menstruation at schools and in their families. Implemen-
tation of the programme was monitored by the Department of Health. A training
manual for the Department of Education has been developed so that the programme
can be spread to reach girls across the province and the country.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The most important lesson learnt, is that taking notice of apparently little things,
matters. The amount of stigma, shame and discrimination felt by young girls during
puberty only became apparent when questions were asked and responses were noted.

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Kenya 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Gender integration in the water sector

Institution:
Ministry of Water and Irrigation

Description
Closing gender gaps in the water sector through training and the creation of gender
focal points

Summary
Despite the reasonable infrastructure the sector has developed, adequacy of water
services still remains a challenge. Women and children always suffer as a result of
water shortages as they have to bear the heaviest burden of the search for water for
the households.The Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MoWI) has led an initiative to
effectively address gender gaps in the water sector.

The Problem
In spite of its importance in development and poverty reduction, the water sector has
had one of the largest gaps between what women do and the influence they actually
have. In Kenya, women are still underrepresented in water governance structures at
all levels, yet they are the most negatively affected by unavailability of water. More
than 15 million people in water-scarce Kenya are on the fringe of water services,
sometimes dependent on distant wells, ponds, trucked-in water or rainfall for farming
and personal use.

The Solution
The initiative started with action-oriented capacity building of the system of Gender
Focal Points in water sector institutions, and subsequently focused on training the
water utilities who are at the interface with water consumers. A national survey on
service delivery survey incorporated a section on water and sanitation in order to
generate sex disaggregated data for planning purposes. Gender Focal Points were
integrated into water sector institutions and frontline water utility providers were
trained in gender gaps and how to address them. Since 2008, gender equality has
been included as one of the indicators evaluated within all performance contracts
including water sector agency managers, making them keen to address gender gaps
in the water sector.
Every year the Government of Kenya evaluates performance based on a negotiated
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agreement signed between GoK and the management of public agencies, including
the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. The performance results are released in the
media to the public. Good performers and their teams are publicly rewarded. As a
consequence, top management of public agencies strives throughout the year to per-
form well. Since 2008, gender was included as one of the indicators evaluated within
all performance contracts including water sector agencies, making them keen to ad-
dress gender.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The capacities built have empowered officers who have been able to negotiate funds
for their activities and build capacities of others. Water utility officers have reported
that they have substantially increased the effectiveness of public service delivery of
water. Since the program started, rationing of water was reduced from 3-4 days per
week to 1-2 days, and the number of women hired or paid for days of employment
under the Water Board has increased.
Transparent communication, shared goals, pooling of resources and trust have been
vital in the implementation of this project. Releasing information on performance of
government agencies has improved accountability and ensured consistent implemen-
tation of planned activities.

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Rwanda 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Isange One Stop Center

Institution:
Rwanda National Police

Description
Improving access to service for victims of sexual and gender-based violence

Summary
In 2009, the Police recognized the need to have a holistic package of services in one
place to reduce the costs and time spent by victims in accessing services, and for ap-
propriate justice to be achieved regarding Sexual and Gender-based Violence
(SGBV). Therefore, the Isange One Stop Center at Kacyiru Police Hospital was es-
tablished. The mission of the centre is to provide comprehensive, timely, affordable,
quality services to child, domestic and gender based violence survivors. It provides
referral and specialized services like medico-legal, gynecology and obstetrics, men-
tal health, legal and investigation, psychosocial, safe room and social integration
services. The center has become a replicable project as neighboring countries have
paid study visits in order to set up such facilities to assist their communities.

The Problem
In Rwanda, sexual and gender-based violence has been a widespread problem for
women and girls both during the genocide and after, albeit to a lesser extent. Gender-
based violence is probably the most socially tolerated of human rights violations in
Rwanda. Spousal battery, sexual abuse, and rape are prevalent to the proportions of
57.2% according to a study that was conducted by the Rwanda Mens Resource Cen-
tre. This is due to negative masculine behaviors that partly stem from years of using
rape as a genocide weapon to dehumanize and inflict suffering to women survivors.
From 2006 to 2009, the police received and handled approximately 9,827 cases of
women abuse and child defilement countrywide. Of this number, more than 82%
were girls under 18, whereas women represented more or less than 17%.
Despite the development of appropriate policies and the enactment of different laws
that promote gender equality, prevent and punish acts of SGBV, gender-based vio-
lence continues to hold back gender promotion and other development efforts. This
is main attributed to limited awareness of human rights, culture of silence due to
stigma; poor communication on sexuality within the family, limited community dia-
logue on sexual and gender- based violence, gender roles and norms that vest men
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with greater access to and control over power and resources. Overall, there was lim-
ited education on the topic as a preventative measure, worsened by inadequate ser-
vices for survivors of GBV in terms of psycho-therapy and social support, legal aid,
medical services and other appropriate services to survivors of GBV.

The Solution
The Rwanda National Police created a special desk in 2001 to comprehensively in-
vestigate cases of SGBV and to conduct mass campaigns as a way of prevention
mechanism. In 2009, the Police recognized the need to have a holistic package of
services in one place to reduce the costs and time spent by victims before accessing
services and for timely justice. The Isange One Stop Center was thus established to
provide comprehensive, timely, affordable, quality services to child, domestic and
gender based violence survivors. The word Isange is a Kinyarwanda word literally
meaning feel at home.
The centre is the only one in Rwanda with a forensic department and forensic spe-
cialists and it provides a range of services from medical, legal, psychosocial and so-
cial integration. It also has a safe room for victims. The centre is staffed with social
workers, nurses, doctors, psychologists and policemen.
On the prevention side, the centre engages a multitude of stakeholders such as local
authorities, women councils, committees for gender based violence, non-govern-
mental organizations, donor agencies and the government to raise awareness among
the public and to mobilize resources required for effective service delivery to GBV
survivors. Media campaign strategy includes Police magazines, posters, brochures,
calendars, TV and radio spots, news papers and documentary films, which all portray
the role of the community in the fight against SGBV, messages sensitizing the public
on the scourge and how to access different services.
The response strategy includes free service delivery including medico-legal, medi-
cal, legal aid psychosocial/counseling and safe room services in the centre. Survivors
who stay in the safe room, receive basic services like feeding, clothing and shelter.
In order to effectively implement the above strategy, the National Police established
free telephone hotlines 3512 and 3029, 112 operating nationwide enabling victims to
report incidents of SGBV and receive immediate response from service providers. In
this regard, other hotlines have been set up including 3945 in the army gender desk
and 3677 in prosecution gender desk which facilitate interagency response to SGBV
survivors.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Quick service delivery and the level of reporting increased tremendously indicating
that the public is informed about the services rendered. On a daily basis, the centre
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handles six cases of victims of gender-based violence.

It was realized that having legal and policy frameworks alone cannot address the is-
sue of gender based violence as it is deeply embedded within the socialization pro-
cess. The major lesson is therefore that the holistic approach of providing a compre-
hensive package of multi-services to survivors is necessary for adequate and effective
responses to violence. Bringing together all partners ranging from government,
civil society, faith based organization, communities and the donor community has
been of added value to the project success, each of the partners contributing to im-
proved service delivery within their mandates. Collaboration is thus critical for suc-
cessful implementation of strategies.

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EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 1st Place
Winner
Initiative:
Public participation in peace processes

Institution:
Ministry of Security

Description
Increasing women representation and gender balance in the armed forces to enhance
gender responsiveness in the design and delivery of security services

Summary
This initiative sought to integrate gender in the armed forces, police, judiciary, and
penal institutions in Brko District with the goal of including the voices of local
women in the design of security services and improving the provision of security
services to women. The initiative embarked on implementation of national legisla-
tion and international instruments to ensure inclusion of womens civil society orga-
nizations in decision-making on security service delivery. Gender equality was in-
cluded in the curriculum for peacekeeping training and new practices were conducted
to create equal employment opportunities for women in missions. A policy of 30%
representation of women in new recruitment, and a policy that two deputy ministers
must be women were passed.

The Problem
There was limited consideration of perspectives of women in the design of security
services by the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Womens rights were not
mainstreamed in the provision of security services, despite the fact that they needed
these services the most. Gender-based and domestic violence were seen as private
matters, with limited intervention from security forces in such matters. Women were
still marginaliZed and largely excluded from politics, with little access to power and
forums where policies are created and decisions are made, particularly the bodies
that had been working on reforms in the post-conflict years between 1996 and 2000.
This initiative had the goal of improving womens participation in the security sector
as a strategy to make it more gender responsive as well as including the voices of
women in the design of security services in communities.

The Solution
The initiative sought to integrate gender in the armed forces, police, judiciary, and
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penal institutions at the central, entity, and cantonal levels and Brko District of Bos-
nia with the goal of improving the provision of security services to women. It worked
towards implementing relevant national legislation and international instruments and
changing policies and practices of security services and includes civil society organi-
zations working on gender and security in service delivery decisions. Persons were
designated to be responsible for gender issues in institutions of defense and security
and a police training system that contains standards and principles of gender equality
was developed.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The initiative succeeded in increasing the number of women in peacekeeping contin-

gents, including in command positions, in pre deployment training and education, in
mission support roles. In the police, two women were promoted to the rank of inde-
pendent inspector, a position previously not held by a woman. Additionally, a woman
was appointed to the position of president of the National Security Council. The
Border Police now systematically cooperate with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
on preventing and addressing human trafficking. The community security forum in
Prijedor and free legal aid for women in Zenica facilitated inclusive local consulta-
tions on local security issues. Community service organizations also developed mul-
tidisciplinary teams for the prevention of, and protection from, gender-based vio-
lence (GBV) in local communities, as well as several programs working with
perpetrators of violence.

The role of women officers is seen as important for facilitating communication with
victims of domestic violence. It emerged that inclusion of women in the security
services and in the security sector reform enhances responsiveness of security ser-
vices. Another lesson learned was that security institutions cooperate generally well
with centres for social work in providing services to victims of gender based and
domestic violence.

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Spain 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Zero Tolerance for Violence against Women

Institution:
Bilbao City Council

Description
Improving prevention and care for survivors of domestic violence through multi-
sector intervention

Summary
Bilbao City Council adopted the decision to launch a multi-sectoral intervention to
improve prevention and care for survivors of domestic violence. Prevention training
was conducted in schools, health workers, police and legal counsel were trained,
minority groups and vulnerable women were targeted for awareness campaigns, and
measures were undertaken to strengthen municipal service capacity in the most vul-
nerable areas of the city.
In 2010, 100% of the victims who filed a complaint or requested a protective order at
the police station, were assisted by the legal services and social services, providing
advice, support and provided safe shelter immediately. 62.5% of women treated for
emergency social services decided to join the municipal program to begin the process
of intervention, with an average duration exceeding one year. The intervention pro-
gram has approximately 500 women participating annually. Children of the victims
are also provided with psychosocial support and of the women using the services
provided, the average user satisfaction score given to the program's operation was 9.1
(out of 10), as compared to 8.8 in 2009. 100% of the victims who come to the Mu-
nicipal Police Commissioners have not exceeded 60 minutes of waiting for lodging a
complaint and requesting a protective order.

The Problem
Equality of women and men is a fundamental right for all people, and its recognition
and protection is a valuable asset for democracy. Therefore, it is one of the funda-
mental principles of action of the City of Bilbao, that works for a free and fair Bilbao
society, in which women and men , regardless their racial or ethnic origin, religion,
disability, sexual orientation, gender or language, are guaranteed, in equal condi-
tions, the exercise of their civil, political, economic , social, cultural and other funda-
mental rights. An example of persistent inequality of power between men and women
is gender violence, the male violence, which is the most common crime in the world

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and one of the most serious forms of human rights violation that affects and involves
all citizens.
According to data provided by the Basque Government, reports of domestic violence
are calculated to have a yearly increase of 11.8 per cent, and it is estimated that, by
2016, the number of potential victims claimants of social services in the Basque
Country will increase to 8,806 women, of which 4,834 are residents of Biscay, with
a high percentage from Bilbao.
Although there are still many women who, for various reasons, do not denounce their
abusers, the social awareness, combined with the individual and public conscious-
ness and the impact of public measures, have led to a steady increase in complaints
for this cause.
The institutional response to the increase in complaints related to domestic violence.
The main problems were poor responsiveness in prevention of gender violence and
in assisting victims; inefficient use of public financial and human resources in ad-
dressing the challenge and unclear procedures for victims to deal with their situa-
tions, leading them to wander from one office to the other with little success in the
administrative chaos.

The Solution
A specialized multi-sector service was created, with a different approach in based on
analysis, planning, attention and service to the victims of male violence. In 2010, 100
per cent of the victims who go the Municipal Police to lodge a complaint or request
an order of protection were assisted at the police station by the legal and social ser-
vices, providing advice, support and safe shelter immediately. A total of 62.5 per cent
of women treated for emergency social services decided to join the municipal pro-
gram to begin the process of intervention, with an average duration exceeding one
year. There was an internal management improvement that led to the strengthening
of the multi-sector team work; improved and innovated services; public recognition
of good work; direct citizen orientation; and the facilitation of the coordination with
other relevant administrations.
Thanks to increased synergies among various departments, more and more victims of
domestic violence are reporting their situation, and the number of those who decide
to join the Municipal Intervention Program in order to recover a life free of violence
for themselves and their children is also increasing. As a result of the analysis and
sectoral planning of the program, children of the victims are no longer merely ac-
companying their mothers they are now being treated by staff specialized in chil-
dren as direct victims of violence, in a way that, with the consent of the mother, the
possible damage that they may have suffered is analyzed, not only physical, but also
psychological, so the required measures and treatment for repairing the damage can
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be adopted.
Women who attended the service have positively evaluated the program's operation,
giving a score of 9.1 (out of 10). This shows the consolidation of the program, which
received a score of 8.8 in 2009.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The impact is measured through, among other factors, the indicators of satisfaction
of the citizens. The average user satisfaction score given to the program's operation
was 9.1 (out of 10), as compared to 8.8 in 2009.
For the users, there are 16 explicit commitments of intervention. 100 per cent of the
women who go to the Municipal Police receive attention from the Municipal Ser-
vices of Social Urgencies (SMUS); 98.9 per cent of the women served by the SMUS
are contacted by the Gender Violence Service; over 76 per cent of the contacted
cases initiate a process of intervention; and more accessible and transparent informa-
tion, available in eight languages, adapted to people with hearing and/or visual im-
pairments. Moreover, channels of communication were established through the fol-
lowing means: directly to social workers, email, phone, submission of complaints
and suggestions with the commitment to respond within 15 days.
Among the lessons learn are: the importance of cultural diversity and respect adap-
tation to specific necessities and expectations; change of attitude among profession-
als thanks to prevention , detection, assistance and victims follow-up tools; creation
of specific improvement teams; development of specialized services.

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LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Brazil - 1st Place Winner
Initiative:
Chapeu de Palha
Institution:
Pernambuco State Secretariat for Women

Description
Training and equipping women with skills to access broader employment opportunities

Summary
Chapu de Palha is an innovative program run by the Secretariat for Womens Policies
of the State of Pernambuco (SecMulher). Launched in 2007, the program builds on an
existing safety net program and provides training for women to leave low paid and hard
labor jobs in order to enter a rapidly expanding labor market in construction (plastering,
soldering, plumbing, electrics) that is providing employment opportunities that women
have historically been unable to access. Training is also offered on rights, and personal
and professional development. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations with the wom-
en beneficiaries have been extremely positive. Initial success led to the initiative being
expanded to the areas where there is intensive irrigated horticulture. It has successfully
demonstrated that social programs with a cash transfer and skills training component
can serve as an entry point for transformative interventions that challenge gender ste-
reotypes.

The Problem
Before the initiative began, rural women in the sugar cane zone of Pernambuco had
limited opportunities. Women either worked on the sugar cane fields, rising in the early
hours to cook food for their families before setting off to work in the scorching hot sun,
or had a life that revolved around husband, house including often not only housework
but also subsistence production and the care of small livestock - and children. Levels of
domestic violence were very high: women had few exit routes, nor sufficient recourse
to justice to address the embedded culture of violence against women. Levels of litera-
cy amongst women were very low, and women suffered poor health and limited access
to health care, exploitation at work and domination at home, oppressions exacerbated
by pervasive racism.
Prior to the Chapu de Palha programme, few economic empowerment initiatives
reached Pernambucos rural women. Those training courses that were provided by
the government were largely inaccessible to women, either because the entry require-
ments were so high or because of internalised barriers to women training to do jobs
that were considered to be those done by men. It was difficult for women farmers to
gain access to technical assistance from agricultural extension workers, who were
always men and who reproduced the androcentric bias that made womens produc-
tive work invisible, and who failed to value or support women producers initiatives.
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Little effort was made to enable women to gain access to the service sector.

The Solution
The Chapu de Palha programme was originally conceived as an emergency programme
to assist the families of sugar cane workers who faced starvation during the period between
the sugar cane harvests. When he came to office, the Governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo
Campos, saw the potential that the programme offered to pursue a broader development
agenda. Launched in 2007, the programme builds on an existing safety net programme
developed to keep hundreds of thousands of families from hunger in the period between
the harvests in the sugar cane plantations that provide one of the few sources of employ-
ment in the poorest parts of the state. It provides training for women to exit jobs that have
changed little since the days of slavery, and to enter a rapidly expanding labour market in
construction that is providing employment opportunities that women have historically
been unable to access. Trainees are paid a stipend and provided with childcare, transport
and food to enable them to participate in the courses. Initial success led to the initiative
being expanded to the areas of the state where there is intensive irrigated horticulture. To
date, almost 39,000 women have graduated from the programme.
The programme has negotiated with state training institutions to lowering the entry re-
quirements for vocational courses, giving women opportunities to learn the construction
skills (plastering, soldering, plumbing, electrics) that are currently much in demand in the
state, thus challenging limiting notions that keep women out of mens jobs and providing
women with a broader range of employment opportunities.

Impact and Lessons Learned

Through partnership with civil society organizations, the programme has helped to
strengthen a network of womens organizations throughout the poorest parts of the state,
whose role in implementing policies for women extends beyond this programme to raising
awareness on domestic violence and mobilising women to claim their rights.
Chapu de Palha demonstrates that social programmes with a cash transfer and skills train-
ing component can serve as an entry point for transformative interventions that challenge
gender stereotypes and go beyond targeting women in their reproductive roles. Women
have gained greater self-esteem, know their rights to expand their horizons and gained
greater clarity about the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
A simple but obvious lesson from the programme is that in order for poor and marginalized
women to participate, they need to be provided with the means to do so childcare, trans-
port and something to eat. By paying attention to what women need to be able to take part,
the programme has also demonstrated to them that they matter.
The programme shows that when accompanied by capacity development within civil so-
ciety, training institutions and the state, and fostering networks of womens organizations
at the local level, such interventions can build longer-term basis for empowerment.
Through these partnerships, the programme has been implemented in a way that has en-
sured transparency and accountability, thus circumventing clientelism.
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Mexico 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Daycare Program to Support Mothers

Institution:
Secretary of Social Development (Secretaria de Desarrollo Social)

Description
Improving the economic situation of mothers by providing child care services

Summary
The National Survey of Employment and Social Security, IMSS INEGI (2004) noted
that, of the nearly two and a half million children under 6 years, only 7.6 per cent
attended day care. From 2007 to 2011, the program has promoted the creation of
11,000 childcare facilities, of which 9,049 are presently operating and serving a total
of 273,670 children. The program serves 1,213 municipalities, which include 374
municipalities with a high or very high degree of marginalization and 425 munici-
palities with a predominantly indigenous population. Surveys report that 85 per cent
of mothers and fathers benefitting from the program believe their economic situation
has improved; 94 per cent say their employment status has improved; and 87 per cent
say that their family life has improved. In addition, the majority of parents report an
improvement in their childrens abilities since entering the program.

The Problem
The Program began its operation in 2007. In the years prior to this project, Mexico
was undergoing a parallel phenomenon: an increased participation of women in the
labor market and the inadequate supply of child care services.
There had been an increasing participation of women in the labor market due, in part,
to the poverty in Mexican households, thus there was the need for them to contribute
to the family income. The country has seen a massive influx of women into the labor
market since the early 50s. In the period from 1950 to 2005, the female population
economically active increased from 13.63 to 35.45 per cent.
According to the National Employment Survey of 2004, only 35 per cent of the fe-
male population was employed in the formal economy, meaning that less than half of
the female population that was in the labor market had access to social security ben-
efits, including day care service. In 2006, social security institutions such as the
Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Institute for Social Security and
Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) had only 1,907 kindergartens catered to 246,487
children. The National Survey of Employment and Social Security INEGI IMSS
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(2004) noted that of the nearly two and a half million children under age 6 in the care
of others, only 7.6 % attended day care.
With the increase in female participation in the labor market and the lack of child
care, there was a need to develop gender-sensitive services that would enable the
conciliation of work and family life of women, especially of those that, given their
integration into the labor market, did not have access to social security. The above
becomes even more relevant when considering the projections presented by the Na-
tional Population Council (CONAPO), which indicated that in 2007, the female
population of reproductive age (15-45 years) would be almost 28 million and that
children younger than 6 years would add to more than 13.5 million. For that and the
following years, there would not only be more women working, but also more chil-
dren with the need to be in a safe caring space.

The Solution
From 2007 to 2011, the program has promoted the creation of 11,000 childcare fa-
cilities, of which 9,049 are currently operating and affiliated to the network. Such
facilities serve 273,670 children of which 3,420 have some form of disability ,
benefiting 257,505 households, in which there are 252,200 working mothers and
5,305 single fathers. The children currently attending the program are equivalent to
117.9 per cent of the children that were served by IMSS and ISSSTE together in the
month of June 2011. The program has nationwide presence. It serves 1,213 munici-
palities, including 374 municipalities with high or very high degree of marginaliza-
tion, as well as 425 municipalities with predominantly indigenous population

Impact and Lessons Learned

Over 90 per cent of beneficiary parents considered perceived the daycare centers to
be a place where their children learn and receive affection, in addition to being a
clean and safe place. A total of 94.4 per cent believe that the head and assistants of
the daycare are sufficiently prepared to care for their children.
Additionally, some qualitative data obtained through perception surveys targeting the
beneficiaries of the program indicate that 85 per cent of beneficiary parents believe
their economic situation has improved, 94 per cent say it has improved their working
conditions, and 87 per cent say it has improved their family situation. A total of 33
per cent of the sample did not work before joining the program. Currently, 75.7 per
cent of this sample works, 10.7 per cent studies and 9.7 are looking for jobs. On the
other hand, 57 per cent of the beneficiaries indicated that the main reason they did not
work before was because they had nowhere to leave their children.
The Daycare Program to Support Mothers has achieved its objective of contributing,
by increasing the supply of child care spaces and care, to reduce the backlog in ac-
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cess and retention in the work of mothers who work, study or are seeking for jobs, as
well as single parents with children or that have children in their care in households
that meet the eligibility criteria. The Program has not only increased the number of
Mexican women entering the labor market, but also promoted social empowerment
and greater independence so they can conduct activities required by their personal
projects.
In five years of operation, the program catered a total of 943,657 children and a total
of 836,254 households. These results were achieved through the linkage between
public and private institutions, civil society and even educational institutions; addi-
tionally, it was created a strong bond of cooperation between the Federation, States
and Municipalities to assist in obtaining a more equitable society and equal opportu-
nities for men and women.

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WESTERN ASIA
United Arab Emirates - 1st Place
Winner
Initiative:
Inclusion of Women in the Police Force

Institution:
Dubai Police General Headquarters

Description
Promoting gender-responsive delivery of public services, and initiating a human
rights approach to the work of the Dubai Police.

Summary
The Dubai Police General Headquarters, established in 1956, is primarily tasked
with community service and maintaining security. At the beginning of its inception,
the Department focused on the concept of abolition of the differences between sex
and nationality at the community level, and also in terms of staff and particularly
women. Nevertheless, the efforts of Dubai Police were not meeting the desired out-
comes in the area of gender policies, because of the increase in population growth
and urbanization in the Emirate of Dubai in particular, and the state in general. This
growth led to an increasing number of complaints and petitions, and a growing num-
ber of female, both officers and civic employees, who have the right to have gender-
responsive policies and social initiatives to protect their needs.
Thus, the department adopted and implemented initiatives to provide care services
and support to women in various fields, to the public employees; among these initia-
tives, the initiative of Dubai Police to develop the Department of Womens Affairs.
Dubai Police General Command was able to achieve its strategic goals through
changing the traditional concepts of security authorities, from an authoritarian sys-
tem to a device that serves the community and helps it.

The Problem
The problem that the department faced was perceived violation of human rights and
freedoms of the people by the police in the Arab states during the exercise of their
legal duty. There was no mechanism of monitoring and validating these claims and
the United Arab Emirates identified a need to address this issue and have a system-
atic way of handling complaints of human rights violations.

The Solution
The Departments leadership was keen on the respect for rights and freedoms set
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forth in the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates, and to give a clear picture of
the State as an advocator for respecting the rights of all citizens and residents on its
territory without discrimination, and recognizing human rights and protecting them
on a humanitarian, legal, religious, and security level: such as the right speech and
expression, private property, education, work, and the rule of social justice and equal-
ity. For the aforementioned reason, as well as reports from international human rights
organizations publishing the violations of rights and freedoms of some security agen-
cies, the police developed an organizational unit to monitor the respect for human
rights and work against any violations of the law and human morality, in addition to
providing social and humanitarian services. To ensure the success of this initiative,
the Department developed goals aligned with its strategy to investigate complaints
from the public against the actions of police officers and reduce complaints.

The Dubai Police General Head Quarter adopted and implemented initiatives to pro-
vide care services to support women in various fields of public employment within
the police force. Among these initiatives they created a Dubai Police Department of
Womens Affairs and a police monitoring unit for the respect of human rights, work-
ing on care and maintenance of any violations against the law and human trafficking.
These new units paved the way for the General Command of Dubai Police to achieve
its goals of strategic change of the traditional concept of security away from au-
thoritarian attitudes and towards service to the community. This service to the com-
munity was critical in order to meet all the needs and expectations of citizens and
individuals of all nationalities.

The target was to process 100% of the complaints and grievances submitted and re-
spond to them within 7 working days (from 2007 to 2008 -2009) an increase of
100%. Methodologies and working procedures were developed according to the tar-
gets and objectives of the Department and the Government of Dubai, and the laws
and the Constitution of the State.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The rate of complaints of human rights violations was (0.0785 complaints) per 1000
employees in 2008, and in 2009 the rate was (0.0357 complaints) per 1000 employ-
ees and in 2010 the rate was (0.15 complaints). The increase in complaints was seen
as the impact of the police opening its doors. The goal of supporting the victims of
human trafficking was reached by a 100% increase in the number of victims provided
with services. Additionally, 90% of services were provided to women within 5 work-
ing days in 2010.

The most important lesson learned is that putting in place the necessary institutional
structures is key to implementing gender-responsive policies. Involvement of women
in the department has contributed to the successful implementation of policies.
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Oman 2nd Place Winner

Initiative:
Reduce Childhood Mortality Rate: Infants and Children
under 5 years of Age

Institution:
Ministry of Health

Description
Reducing child mortality rate by proving holistic primary care for pregnant women

Summary
Oman has been successful in reducing the maternal mortality rate in childbirth from
22 (per 100,000 live births) in 1995 to 13.4 in 2009 and Infant Mortality Rate of 20
(per 1000 live births) in 1995 to 9.6 in 2009. This was attributed to comprehensive
healthcare services for mother and child and with an IT-based Mother and Child
system, the progress of pregnant mothers and children development under the age of
5 is carefully monitored to ensure full survival.

The Problem
Before the automation pre-natal check-up, services, and follow-up for mother and
child health were done manually. For the pre-natal check-up, a manual record was
stored in the green card. The green card check-up and follow-up activities were
strictly kept with the doctors and health institutions. The necessary medical follow-
ups were not closely monitored and as a result, pregnant mothers health was af-
fected. Women were also required to provide all their personal data for every preg-
nancy in the green card. Every pregnancy was treated separately and there was no
continuity in personal and medical information. Since, medical check-up was sched-
uled manually with no appointment system, very often the women had to wait a long
time at the medical center or clinic for their check-up. There was no standardized
manner in which the pregnant women were educated on the medical check-ups re-
quired during the course of their pregnancy. Immunization programmes were man-
aged by a different department and there was no mechanism for this department to
have access to information on the child from birth. In addition, the units providing
health care also did not access this information and treatment of diseases was not
done in a holistic manner.

The Solution
The initiative focused on providing a holistic primary care for pregnant women (pre-
natal and post natal care) at all medical centers and towards birth at the tertiary hos-
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pital. Their records are made available throughout their pregnancy from primary
healthcare center to the hospital through the automated electronic healthcare system.
The system records the birth history and the prenatal care for mother and child, and
then transfers the information to the Primary care system which will then be ex-
tended to the child. If there were missing information, the doctor will be alerted on
missing activities and follow-up actions will be taken. With a mandatory process
along with a structured tests and immunization programme, the development of the
child was carefully monitored and assessed. The automated system allows for a sys-
tematic examination of the patient because it applies enforcements and restrictions
when entering certain fields, ensuring that mandatory data is entered and entered data
is not modified after a certain time so that it does not loose authenticity.The checklist
embedded within the system enables healthcare givers to provide better pre-natal and
post natal care including advice on birth control or fertility programme if required.
An electronic appointment system was also implemented in which appointments can
be scheduled at appropriate time, reducing the waiting time to 30 minutes. Patients
are managed better because the system creates defaulter and automatically sends
SMS reminders within 48 hours for immunization and examination appointments.
Information is now shared and linked with other health programs such as school
health, nutrition, which previously were recorded vertically.

Impact and Lessons Learned

The program reduced the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 years from 35
per 1000 births in 1990 to 12 in 2009 and reduced the Infant Mortality rate from 29
per 1000 births in 1990 to 9.6 in 2009. Oman has also been successful in reducing the
maternal mortality rate in childbirth from 22 (per 100,000 live births) in 1995 to 13.4
in 2009. All medical staff is up to date with the practices of childhood illnesses man-
agement and mother-care management. Patient files no longer go missing and patient
information is stored on an electronic database. The information is shared and linked
with other health programs such as school health and nutrition, which provides better
monitoring of the childrens health.

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224
Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance

Part Three:
Lessons Learned

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 GOOD PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

The Impact of the United Nations Public Service Awards

Introduction
Improvements in the delivery of public services contribute greatly to good gover-
nance for the achievement of international development goals. The UNPSA Pro-
gramme inspires public servants all over the world to work towards perfecting their
approaches, methodologies, practices, systems and processes, in the delivery of pub-
lic services. Coupled with the United Nations Public Service Day celebrations, the
Awards Programme has enhanced the visibility and transferability of innovations, as
well as opportunities for sharing experience on the improvement of public service
performance. Increasing knowledge about successful experiences in public adminis-
tration is a catalyst for change in other public organisations.

The UNPSA Programme is the only global recognition, which acknowledges and
encourages public organisations and agencies around the world at national or sub-
national level; as well as public-private partnerships to achieve excellence in the
public service.

As in the private sector, the public sector has to be able to unleash the creativity, re-
sourcefulness and initiative of its employees to be able to keep pace with our rapidly
changing world. The Public Service Awards are an important instrument to encour-
age this trend in all countries of the world.

In 2010, the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, delivered a statement on the occa-
sion of United Nations Public Serice Day and stated that In an era of increasingly
complex challenges, from climate change to food insecurity and the financial and
economic crisis, the world needs its public servants to be more creative and talented
than ever. On this Public Service Day, I thank all people who currently work in
service of their town, city or country, and I encourage young citizens everywhere to
explore the dynamic and diverse careers that exist today in public service.*

As mentioned by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, at the UNPSA Ceremony held during the 7th Global Forum on
Reinventing Government in Vienna in June 2007: The winners of the 2007 UNPSA
have made countless efforts and shown a strong commitment to the search for new
means, approaches, and work methods to improve the performance of the public sec-
tor. Their imagination and determination in finding effective solutions to governance
challenges should be an inspiration to all of us.

Since its launching in 2003, governments around the world have shown and ex-
pressed their strong interest for the UNPSA Programme: not only has the number of

*http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un-dpadm/unpan039739.pdf

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applications received year after year by the Division for Public Administration in-
creased, but the division has also provided positive feed-back questionnaire, sent
every year to evaluate and assess the impact of winning the UNPSA Awards.

Most of the answers received highlighted that innovation became more institutional-
ized, and all of them developed other innovations since they received the UNPSA
Award. Winning the UNPSA also greatly enhanced the morale of the winning institu-
tions personnel and thus encouraged a positive environment for change. Organisa-
tions, and their success has been featured in many newspapers and broadcast on local
and/or national networks. Winning institutions generally seek innovations to repli-
cate among other winners successful practices. For more information about the
UNPSA media coverage since 2003, please go to: www.unpan.org/unpsa

How Winning the UNPSA Promotes Further Innovations in Government

Putting People at the Centre of Decision-making about Poverty Alleviation:

the Ubudehe Initiative in Rwanda
The Ubudehe initiative, which promotes citizen engagement and participation in
governance programmes for poverty alleviation, has been replicated by other local
development organisations. Moreover, the Ministry of Local Government is dis-
cussing with the Ministry of Cooperatives how to expand the Ubudehe initiative so
that it is transformed into a village cooperative at the local level throughout the
country. Preliminary discussion has also been initiated with Burundi, a neighbour-
ing country, which intends to replicate this new approach. Since winning the United
Nations Public Service Awards in June 2008, the Ubudehe has increased its national
and international recognition as demonstrated by the fact that it has received addi-
tional funding from the European Development Fund in the amount of 375,000.
Other donors and various NGOs partners are now using the Ubudehe approach in
different sectors. For example, the Ministry of Health is using the Ubudehe ap-
proach to identify the poorest people trough Ubudehe mapping so that they can re-
ceive an insurance health card.

The winning of the 2008 UNPSA was celebrated at the national level together with the
ceremony for the best implementation of the Ubudehe at the village level. One village
and one household per district were selected for best Ubudehe practice and received
an Award. Moreover, three villages and three households (Ubudehe best practice) re-
ceived an Award from the European Development Fund. Around 2,000 people from all
over the country were invited to Kigali to celebrate this event presided over by the
President of the Republic, cabinet members and donors; took part and received the
United Nations Public Service Award and testimonies from different districts.
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Giving Citizens a key to Their Own Business: the Economic Development

Bank (EDB), The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
With La llave para tu negocio, the EDB has provided new entrepreneurs with a key
to realize their dreams. This initiative has strengthened Puerto Ricos economy by
providing new entrepreneurs with up to 100% funding for their project up to $50M,
without any initial deposit or guarantee with a fixed interest rate for ten years. It
has also created over 1,000 businesses increasing employment rates. For compa-
nies that were already doing well at the local level, but wanted to export their
goods, the EDB has provided them with a new opportunity to become more com-
petitive internationally.

As a result of being one of the finalists of the 2008 UNPSA Programme, the EDB has
become more prone to innovation and has registered an increase in the morale of its
staff. Moreover, the EDB has further innovated its programmes and services. For
example, it has launched a new programme, which goes beyond the mission of the
Bank, entitled: The Other Side of Our Bank. As part of this programme, the EDB is
seeking to collaborate with other government agencies, including the Puerto Rican
Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO), to promote companies based on tech-
nology, and it has widened the spectrum of industries it serves.

In addition, the EDB has highlighted that this initiative has opened up new ways of doing
business, and that it is presently seeking to promote community development through
entrepreneurship. In fact, the EDB has created new avenues to sponsor corporate respon-
sibility programs. First, it is creating the first Microfinance Institution in Puerto Rico, a
public private capital investment program to finance micro entrepreneurs who are not
able to access traditional banks or even the programs of the EDB. This new programme
is aimed at financing products and services of the disadvantaged, an economic sector of
the Island, which needs to have a particular approach in order to prosper. Therefore, EDB
intends to enable the poor to become positive agents of change in their own lives. This
initiative is supported by Puerto Rico Emprende, an EDB program, which promotes
collaboration among NGOs, the public and private sectors working together with one
mission and vision: to amplify and link the distribution channels of the private sector by
supporting entrepreneurship through programs that offer technical support (NGOs), men-
torship (Private and Public) and financing (Microfinance Institution) to new entrepre-
neurs. This Programme aims at transforming the community where entrepreneurs work,
but at the same time, it intends to guarantee that the products and services that companies
receive are of high quality. The case studies EDB is working on currently are in the fol-
lowing economic sectors: agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and services.

The EDB is also bringing together the government, private sector and universities to
strengthen an entrepreneurial culture by providing potential entrepreneurs with tech-
nical knowledge, funding and mentorship. By 30 June 2008, the EDB has managed
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to approve funding for more than 1,000 keys (going beyond its 100% target) to
potential entrepreneurs, with over 82% of that funding has already been disbursed.
More than 45% of those who have received funding for their own business are wom-
en. These new activities have created approximately 9,000 new jobs.

After being recognized by the UNPSA Programme, the President of the Economic
Development Bank of Puerto Rico, CPA Annette Montoto, received the Public Ser-
vant of the Year Award for the program La Llave para tu Negocio by a private business
and entrepreneurs association. Until now, Puerto Rico is the only nation that has
provided high risk financing to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs, contributing
directly to the economic growth of the Island, but is more than willing to share its
knowledge on how to implement this initiative in other countries of the region.

As a result of being one of the finalists of the 2008 UNPSA Programme, the EDB
received significant national media coverage and had the opportunity to present its
initiative in local newspapers such as El Nuevo Da (the main newspaper on the Is-
land), El Vocero, Primera Hora, Caribbean Business and San Juan Star, as well as on
television networks, including Telemundo Channel 2, Wapa Amrica Channel 4, the
Public Broadcast System on Channel 6 and Univisin, Channel 11.

Bringing Health Services to the People in Remote Areas:

The Phelophepa Train of South Africa
The Phelophepa Health Care Train is a special case in its ability to provide mobile
health services that go beyond the treatment of diseases and illnesses and provide
health education as means of prevention while covering a vast geographical area.
Winning the UNPSA in 2008 has energized the Management of this public-private
initiative that is now seeking new ways to continue to innovate and use technology
effectively in new and technology, and public service delivery areas. The Phelophepa
has also won the Impumelelo Award from Impumelelo Innovations Awards Trust, a
South African organisation.

e-Public Procurement Service, Republic of Korea

Winner of a United Nations Public Service Award 2003 in the category Innovations
in the Public Service, the Public Procurement Service (PPS) has undergone a major
reform to reduce inefficiency and eliminate irregularities.

Since receiving the UNPSA, PPS promoted several innovations. First, they have intro-
duced a series of new services more convenient and available to customers to make their
business lines more customer-oriented. PPS also developed a custom-tailored service for
construction services. In the past, PPS used to provide bidding and contract services only.
Customer agencies without technicians were having difficulties planning, designing, ana-
lyzing cost, and assessing through the whole process. PPS qualified technicians are now
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performing those services on behalf of the customer agency, according to its needs.

Second, they further improved their e-procurement system by adding more conve-
nient features among others such as, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) mobile ser-
vice, e-catalogue services, e-mall for the public procurement, and Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID).

Last, PPS adopted a performance based personnel management policy to motivate

employees to be more prone to innovation. The more they achieve, the more they will
be compensated in terms of monetary benefits or promotion. To implement this pol-
icy in a transparent and objective way, PPS built a Balance Score Card (BSC) system,
to evaluate each employee by the scores of this system.

Many public organisations in Korea benchmarked the PPS successful practice.

Though it has not been strictly replicated due to different environments and services
provided, the processes implemented and the way obstacles were overcome have
inspired these organisations.

Many countries have also benchmarked KONEPS the official brand name of the
Korean government e-procurement system. Officials from more than 90 countries
studied it, either by visiting PPS or by attending trainings. Vietnam and Pakistan led
a feasibility study conducted with PPS to adopt the e-procurement system, and
Vietnam recently passed a law aiming at introducing e-procurement.

Etablissement autonome de contrle et de coordination des exportations

(EACCE), Morocco
Winner of the United Nations Public Service Award 2005 in the category Improving
the delivery of services, the Autonomous Establishment for the Control and Coordi-
nation of Exports (EACCE), implemented innovative strategies to conduct more effi-
ciently the quality control of fruits and vegetables for exports. These strategies in-
cluded in a revitalization of human resources, decentralization and enhancement of
control facilities, and collaboration between public and private entities. These reforms
significantly impacted the international competitiveness of domestic enterprises.

Since receiving the UNPSA, EACCE promoted two innovative projects. They imple-
mented the e-eacce system, an online system allowing the user to perform, from
home, administrative requirements for the establishment of their business, and over-
sight services for operators to carry out in-house controls aiming at significantly
lessening official controls.

The Moroccan government took advantage of this successful initiative: a similar proj-
ect promoting e-government is being implemented in Morocco and it will enable citi-
zens nationwide to download major administrative documents through the Internet.
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South African Police Service, South Africa

Winner of a United Nations Public Service Award 2004 in the category Innovations
in the Public Service, the South African authorities decided in July 1999 to make the
public service more efficient and to make the delivery of services, especially in rural
communities, faster.

The general weakness of policing in the Northern Province (comprised of 89% rural
area) were overcome thanks to the introduction of a service delivery program based
on innovative strategies: to do more with less, to improve Police visibility, to en-
sure equal access to justice for all and to forge partnerships.

Implementing this program was not isolated from other fundamental changes within
the public service. Improving service delivery called for a shift away from inward-
looking, bureaucratic systems, processes and attitudes. New ways of working, which
placed the public at the centre of public administration processes, enabled a better
and faster response to citizens needs. The objectives of service delivery included
welfare, equity and efficiency.

Since receiving the UNPSA, the South African Police Service remained innovative
and promoted creative solutions in fighting crime. Inspired by their successful prac-
tice, the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Labour have built Mo-
bile Units for rural areas. This innovation has been featured in local newspapers and
has been broadcasted on national networks, and won the Impumelelo Platinum
Award, South African Chamber of Commerce Limpopo region Award for Public Sec-
tor and Centre for Public Service Innovation-Standard Bank Award.

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Lessons Learned on Innovation in Public Governance

By examining the successful cases of the UNPSA, a number of key principles and
strategies for innovation emerge as prominent. Although each case has its own spe-
cific challenge and solution, it is important to mention that common denominators
can be identified in all innovations.

In order to understand what are the necessary ingredients that turn an innovation
into a success, it is important to review what are the steps an innovation has to fol-
low on the way to success. Innovation in government involves agents of change,
processes, and mechanisms, as well as value systems and normative orders, technol-
ogy and resources (not necessarily financial). The will of the people implicated in
solving a problem as well as leadership are critical components of the process. In
order to learn from and adapt an innovation to ones own context, the following
steps can be taken:
Definition of the problem;
Establishment of a strategic plan framework;
Agreement upon and adoption of guidelines;
Documentation (circumstances, characteristics, results) in broad and diverse
forms (through, for example, on-line databases; analytical case studies, video
cameras to document the innovation, etc.);
Dissemination of results;
Monitoring of implementation;
Coordination and integration into the policy framework;
Sustainability of the innovation (institutionalized rather than linked to a par-
ticular person).
The experience of the UNPSA exemplifies that in order to consolidate democracy,
public services need to be efficient and accessible to all. In order to foster innovation
in public service delivery, the following factors are critical to building an enabling
environment for innovation, including:
Effective leadership: Leaders at all levels should be committed to enhance the
quality of citizens lives. Their decisions and actions should constantly focus
on promoting the well-being of citizens.Therefore, innovation should only be
pursued if it has a positive effect on society. Leadership usually means going
against the traditional way of doing business; bringing people along to a new
way of thinking, or recognizing what needs to be done that nobody else recog-
nizes. Leaders should be determined to take risks and tolerate uncertainties that
any change brings about. They should embrace change as an abiding philoso-
phy and focus on innovations as a new thrust for the public service. Leaders
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commitment to innovation will motivate public sector employees, encourage

creativity and inspire enthusiasm in them.
Interaction with citizens: Public sector organisations should constantly moni-
tor citizens needs and expectations in order to respond to citizens priorities for
improvement. They should adopt a citizen-centric focus in reviewing and im-
proving the quality of service delivery. This approach is most likely to lead to
innovations that ensure citizen satisfaction. Consulting with citizens and con-
stantly seeking their feedback will allow public service providers to review suc-
cesses and past performance, and set out effective improvements in the future.
Organisational culture supportive of innovation: It is a culture conducive to
risk taking, initiative, creativity, learning and change. In order to build a culture
supportive of innovation, peoples involvement in the organisations business
should be optimized. Employees should not simply execute commands from
the top, but share in the organisations vision, mission and strategy. Employees
should be empowered to take charge, take the initiative and participate in deci-
sion-making. In this culture, managers do not categorically reject new ideas as
interruption, thus giving a strong negative message. Instead, they welcome new
ideas and new approaches and are ready to consider their potential value. Also,
they encourage innovators by giving them rewards, recognition and latitude to
experiment. In an innovative culture, middle management and front line staff
are frequently initiators of innovations, not only implementers. An innovative
culture also assumes a fair performance appraisal system, because innovation
depends on excellent performance by many people of different disciplines a
culture that tolerates inadequate performance not only begins to destroy inno-
vation but too often destroys careers.
Promotion of teamwork: Teams bring together people with complementary
skills and experiences that exceed the capacity of any one of the members, or
of the members collectively, but working independently. Teams facilitate the
breaking down of barriers between genders, age groups, races, ethnic groups,
and geographic biases. The communication skills and network that successful
teams develop, creates the capacity to respond quickly and flexibly to new
problems and changing environment.
Promotion of lifelong learning: A key success for development and diffusion
of innovation in public service delivery is well-educated and well-trained pub-
lic sector employees. Public officials should be trained to embrace a culture of
learning and to see themselves as active agents of change. It is impossible to
introduce innovations in public organisations without continuous upgrading of
employees knowledge and skills, as well as without them having access to
recent developments in their respective areas of expertise. Currently, distance
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learning offers enormous cost-effective opportunities for continuous educa-

tion. In particular, public sector employees should keep abreast of successful
practices in public service delivery in other organisations, both public and pri-
vate, and in other countries.
Embracing diversity: Because innovation often depends on the ability to see
things differently, diversity in terms of the backgrounds and ways of thinking
of an organisations members will enhance its innovativeness. An organisa-
tions diverse workforce is a valuable source of innovative ideas and creative
solutions to problems.
Knowledge management: Experience and knowledge in an organisation should
be documented in such a way as to be of use in the future. Knowledge gained
through daily work must be viewed as an organisational asset, which needs to be
protected and disseminated. It is a source of valuable information about an organ-
isations operations, culture, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Organisa-
tional collective wisdom should be tapped into when considering to introduce new
practices it provides opportunities for not reinventing the wheel.
Knowledge-sharing and networking: There should be exchange of informa-
tion on innovative practices within and among organisations by publicizing
them, organizing meetings, conferences, study visits or establishing award pro-
grammes. Creating databases of successful practices is an effective way of
disseminating them. Not only will publicizing these good practices help build
confidence in the taxpayers that their hard-earned money is being spent wisely;
it encourages public organisations to learn about the latest innovative tech-
niques and to identify improvement opportunities in their own areas.
Development of flexible processes: Innovation cannot take place within a
rigid interpretation of rules and regulations. Innovators need freedom to act.
Without some fairly high level of freedom, not much innovation will occur. At
the same time, there is no doubt that in doing this, employees should not vio-
late rules nor should they violate the organisations code of conduct.
Promoting Integration: Innovation must be oriented to achieving measurable
progress. Without a well-planned and managed approach, the routine of day-
to-day operations takes over. One response to this may be developing bench-
marks, against which to judge the success of innovation efforts. Moreover,
comprehensive documentation of an innovation effort can provide material for
future reference to other innovators, who can learn from successes and avoid
mistakes.
In todays world, greater demands are being made on public servants who are faced
with the challenge to do more with less. For this reason, innovation is the best option
for the public sector to cope with its tasks in a demanding environment. It should be
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noted that innovations are context specific. In other words, it is a relative phenome-
non because what constitutes innovation in one cultural or organisational setting may
not be so in another. What works here may not work there.

Therefore, good practices, which were successful in one country, should not be
blindly reproduced in another. Rather, their merits should be studied and tailored to
local circumstances. Otherwise, hasty application of such practices will result in con-
siderable costs to developing countries that are struggling with severe resource scar-
city and (often) extreme poverty, and may not produce the desired results.

Innovations in public governance can often lead directly and/or indirectly to eco-
nomic and social development by introducing changes in the following areas:
Delivery of services: changes in access, coverage and speed of service delivery
often have an immediate client-oriented culture. These changes often have an
immediate effect and get recognized by the citizenry;
Processes and working methods of an organisation: simplification of proce-
dures, computerization, improvement of inter-office communication and over-
hauls in performance appraisal systems have immediate and long term positive
effects on reducing budget expenditures and the costs of running an organisa-
tion, as well as increasing the efficiency of operations and performance;
Mindset, behaviour and skills: innovation efforts cannot be sustained without
changing the mindset and behavior of public servants. Changes in midset, be-
havior and skills require willingness and committment to continuous learning,
and capacity to adapt to different circumstances;
Structure: initiatives that introduce major reforms in the structures of govern-
ment by, for example, creating new governmental entities, eliminating existing
ones and/or shifting reposnibilities, usually take longer to implement and may
require a substantial amount of resources; and
Legal framework/constitution: these are major changes, which have a far-
reaching impact on a countrys economic and social development, affect all
stakeholders and determine the direction of public policies.

The ultimate purpose of all the aforementioned changes should be directed at eradi-
cating poverty, promoting people-centred development and ensuring optimal mobili-
zation and use of resources.

236
This publication provides an overview of 145 successful innovations in governance
and public administration from 50 countries that received the United Nations Public
Service Awards, which is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence
in public service. The purpose of this book is to disseminate, through descriptive
case studies, information about innovative practices by looking at the problem that
led to an innovation; the solution that was designed and implemented to respond to
the specific challenge; the actors and steps involved in the innovation process, and
lessons learned. Learning more about how public institutions from around the world
have solved difficult governance challenges can be a powerful and inspirational tool
for those engaged in improving public sector performance.

Published by the United Nations

ISBN:978-92-1-123194-6
eISBN-13:978-92-1-054193-0
Sales No.: 13.II.H.1
Price USD: $45.00
January 2014