News and Briefs: World e-Parliament Report 2008 - ICTs remain under utilised for e-participation purposes

摘要

While much interest, and in some cases great enthusiasm, exists within parliaments and in civil society for using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enhance communication with citizens, many challenges remain before expectations are translated into reality.rnEarlier this year, the Global Centre for ICTs in Parliament, an initiative of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), published the World e-Parliament Report 2008, representing a first effort to establish a baseline of how parliaments are using, or planning to use ICTs to help them fulfill their responsibilities and to connect to their constituencies. The report is based on the responses and comments provided by 105 assemblies from around the world to a Global Survey on the use of ICTs in parliament, conducted between July and November 2007. It also draws on experiences exchanged during the World e-Parliament Conference 20071 and relevant publicly available information.