April 27, 2010, the National Center for Support of Electronic Governance was launched in the premises of the Central Post Office, located at 22, Khreschatyk Street in Kyiv.
The purpose of creation of the National Center for Support of Electronic Governance (Center) is to provide coordination and organization, research and expert, technological, training and instructional, consulting and educational support to executive authority bodies and local self-government bodies, business, NGOs and citizens in terms of implementation and application of electronic government technologies.
The Center is created within the framework of the Memorandum, signed between the State Committee of Informatization of Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation and for the purpose of fulfillment of the Instruction of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated as of March 1, 2010, #360-p, “Issues of implementation of the pilot project for introduction of electronic government technologies”. The main purpose of the Instruction is “to create the National Center for Support of Electronic Governance under the facilitation of the International Renaissance Foundation on the basis of the State Enterprise “State Center of Information Resources”.
The main directions of the Center’s activity:
- Popularization of electronic Governance and electronic democracy among the public, as a key element of the country’s democratic development, and raising the quality of each person’s life;
- Coordination and promotion of activity of regional electronic governance centers;
- Preparation of typical methodologies, regulations and recommendations regarding implementation of electronic governance elements;
- Development and implementation of typical solutions and pilot projects of the electronic governance on the state and regional levels;
- Expert-scientific activity for the purpose of elaboration of development policy for Ukraine’s information society;
- Conducting scientific-practical conferences and seminars on implementation of electronic governance technologies;
- Collection and analysis of statistical data in the area of electronic governance and electronic democracy;
- Facilitation in implementation of the distance learning system on electronic governance technologies for civil servants and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Anatoliy Tolstoukhov said that “opening of the Center is a path into the information space, a demonstration that a personality, state, civil society, democracy and administration in the country have to become different in terms of better quality. This is a policy without alternatives from the point of conducting reforms, in particular, the reforms of the state administration system, modernization of the society, building relations with civil society and business”. The Minister reported that in the near future specific measures regarding implementation of the project for introduction of electronic governance technologies would be defined at a sitting of the Government committee on reforms.
Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation Yevhen Bystrytsky emphasized that “Electronic democracy is a forerunner of that the dialogue between the public and the authorities is to set going in Ukraine and also within the bodies of the state authority. The Center is to develop this dialogue and electronic governance technologies and to introduce the standards. Creation of the Center is an extremely important step in establishing electronic democracy.”
“Today’s event brings us closer to that leadership of the Government and maybe the President too will head the process of creation of Ukraine’s electronic governance. This is extremely important”, emphasized Tymofiy Motrenko, Head of the Main Administration of the State Service of Ukraine.
Acting Head of State Committee of Informatization of Ukraine Andriy Semenchenko reported that “one of the main tasks of the Center is to provide quality services to citizens. And this Center is created exactly for fulfillment of that task.”
Tetyana Popova, Head of Public Council at the State Committee of Informatization of Ukraine and Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Internet Association, emphasized that the launch of the Center became possible thanks to fruitful long-term cooperation with the International Renaissance Foundation and thanks to joint activity of public associations and the State Committee of Informatization of Ukraine, which was created in 2008. “Opening of the Center is a landmark event for Ukraine”.
“Electronic governance is a triangle. This triangle includes authorities, bodies of state authority, the public and the business. Therefore, it is extremely important that in its future activity the created Center would rely on business and NGOs”, said Inna Malyukova, Head of the Board of “Center for Initiatives in Electronic Governance” NGO.
“Adamant” Company provided live Internet coverage of the opening ceremony.
Technical support of the event: Information-analytical firm “EKSOR” LLC, SITRONICS Information Technologies Corporation.
Partners of the National Center for Support of Electronic Governance:
- International Renaissance Foundation – idea and initiative;
- State Committee of Informatization of Ukraine;
- Main Administration of the State Service of Ukraine;
- Ukrainian State Enterprise of Postal Service of Ukraine “Ukrposhta”;
- SITRONICS Information Technologies Corporation;
- Adamant Group of Companies;
- Microsoft Ukraine;
- Pirit System Company;
- Intel Ukraine Microelectronics Ltd;
- “Scientific Park “Kyivska Politechnika” Corporation;
- Ukrainian Internet Association;
- Regional Center for Development of Electronic Governance in AR Crimea;
- “Center for Initiatives in Electronic Governance” NGO.
- Electronic Governance Academy (Tallinn, Estonia) – international partner.
The National Center for Support of Electronic Governance prepared a brochure “Experience in Implementation of E-Democracy and E-Governance in Ukraine”. The brochure is a first effort to generalize the stages of establishing electronic governance in Ukraine.
Contact person: Olesia Arkhypska, Director for Information and Communication Activities of the IRF, Head of Direction “Electronic Governance. Electronic Democracy”, tel.: 044 461 97 09, e-mail: arkhypska@irf.kiev.ua.
