UNESCWA-开放政府：公民参与工具（英文）-2021.4-35页_1mb

Open Government Citizen Engagement Toolkit Summary

Core Content

This document presents a Citizen Engagement Toolkit developed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to support the implementation of open government in the Arab region. The toolkit is part of a broader framework that outlines a four-phase transformation towards open government: openness, participation, collaboration, and full engagement. It emphasizes the importance of involving citizens in the decision-making and service delivery processes to enhance transparency, trust, and efficiency in governance.

The toolkit provides practical guidance for designing and implementing citizen engagement programs, focusing on three key levels of engagement: participation, collaboration, and full engagement, each with distinct goals and characteristics. It also includes a policy template, a list of technological tools and channels, and recommendations for engaging young people and building public capacity.

Main Views

1. Definition of Citizen Engagement

• Citizen engagement refers to the interaction between government/public institutions and citizens or other legitimate actors (e.g., private sector, NGOs, individuals).
• It involves citizens in decision-making processes, from providing feedback to co-creating services and policies.

2. Importance of Citizen Engagement

• It enhances decision-making, builds trust, and combats corruption.
• It helps in identifying public values, improving trust in local government, informing the public, and achieving faster and more impactful outcomes.

3. Three Levels of Citizen Engagement

• Participation: Government sets the agenda, and citizens provide feedback.
• Collaboration: Both government and citizens are active, with shared goals and policies.
• Full Engagement: Shared responsibility and co-governance, where citizens and government jointly set agendas and make decisions.

Key Information

1. Citizen Engagement Policy

• A clear policy is essential to support civil servants and encourage meaningful citizen engagement.
• The policy should include:
  • A policy statement outlining the main purpose.
  • A vision that motivates the policy.
  • Principles that ensure effective engagement (e.g., inclusiveness, openness, respect).
  • Definitions of key terms.
  • Relevant legislation.
  • Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.
  • Approaches to engagement (e.g., inform, consult, involve, collaborate).
  • An action plan (optional) to guide implementation.
  • A monitoring and evaluation report to track progress and outcomes.

2. Technology Features and Channels

• E-participation portals are recommended to support engagement, offering features such as:
  • Audio/video content.
  • Multilingual support.
  • Online forms for policies and services.
  • Access to parliamentary calendars and FAQs.
  • Integration with e-law-making systems.
• Open data is closely linked to citizen engagement and can be used to support it, following a five-star open data scheme.
• Data protection is important, including e-identification/authentication and the appointment of an information (privacy) commissioner.

3. Participatory Tools

• A range of tools are available to support citizen engagement, including:
  • Networks: Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
  • Platforms: Collaborative tools such as wikis, blogs, and office solutions.
  • Publications: Content-sharing platforms like YouTube, Flickr, and SlideShare.
  • Feedback systems: Mechanisms for collecting quantitative and qualitative input (e.g., voting, commenting, surveys).

4. Electronic Voting

• E-voting involves using digital tools to cast and count votes, with varying levels of automation.
• It can be physically supervised (e.g., in Brazil and India) or remote (e.g., in Estonia).
• Successful e-voting systems must meet high standards for security, accuracy, integrity, privacy, and accessibility.

5. Collaborative Tools

• These tools are more complex than traditional social media and are used for collaborative projects.
• Examples include video teleconferencing (VTC), instant messaging (IM), and Microsoft (MS) tools.
• The classification of collaborative tools (Figure 2) shows how their usage evolves from information sharing to knowledge creation as the user base expands.

6. Engaging Young People

• The toolkit includes a dedicated section on engaging youth in open government.
• Recommendations include using appropriate channels and methods that resonate with young people, such as digital platforms and social media.

Conclusion

The Citizen Engagement Toolkit by ESCWA offers a structured and practical approach to implementing open government in the Arab region. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring engagement strategies to local contexts, leveraging technology to enhance participation and collaboration, and building public capacity to ensure inclusive and effective governance. The toolkit serves as a foundational resource for governments and public institutions aiming to foster a more transparent, participatory, and responsive governance model.