Versión española

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliament of Uruguay,  organized a three-day Regional Workshop for Latin American parliaments on “ICT Strategic Planning and Use of Social Media in Parliaments”, hosted by the Parliament of Uruguay in Montevideo on 23, 24 and 25 October 2013.

The workshop was organized within the framework of the Exchange Network of Parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean (ENPLAC) and built on previous activities carried out by UN/DESA in Latin America through the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament and the project funded through the United Nations Development Account Supporting the Establishment of a Latin American Parliamentary Knowledge Network.

All World e-Parliament Reports (2008; 2010; 2012) have underlined that strengthening parliaments as transparent, accountable and effective institutions through the introduction and use of ICT is a major undertaking. The success of this endeavour depends greatly on the critical engagement of the parliamentary leadership supported by members of parliaments, secretaries general, ICT directors, information services directors, relevant senior officials and parliamentary staff around an agreed ICT Strategic Plan in which the services provided by ICT are aligned to the highest goals of the institution.

Strategic planning is one of the primary tools that enable institutions to move from an uncoordinated approach to technology to a set of measurable priorities for ICT implementation. It helps link the vision and mission for technology to strategic objectives, priority projects, tasks and activities, and indicators of progress.

When resources are constrained, as they have been for many parliaments during the last years, strategic planning and the management of ICT take on a special importance in the complex legislature environment. One of the most valuable contributions of the planning process under these circumstances is that it forces decision makers to focus not just on the “what” of ICT but also on the “why”. It requires parliaments to identify the benefits they will to gain as a result of implementing new systems or acquiring devices and to weigh those benefits against the cost implications.

The Regional Workshop intended to respond to some of the challenges faced by parliaments of Latin America to budget and plan strategically the use of ICT both to enhance the effectiveness of their internal processes and to improve their communication and information services towards citizens.