A key enabling element in the development of an Information Society and in the related process of democratization is the application of ICT technologies to Governance. Driven by public and political pressures for reform, accountability and improved service, the emergence of On-Line Governance, whilst delivering these services, is becoming a vehicle for far-reaching developments in public-access to information, the promotion of public fora, and the evolution of both legislative and administrative institutions. Although the industrialized countries have gained a considerable lead in harnessing these new technologies, developing countries, given the adoption of enabling policies, have an opportunity to leap-frog over decades of evolutionary development.

UNESCO is mandated by its Member States, inter alia, "to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image and to foster international co-operation in the fields of communication, information and informatics in order to narrow the existing gap between the developed and developing countries in these areas. UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 1996-2001 foresees a special focus on the application of communication and information technologies for development, democracy and peace. With this and other considerations in mind, UNESCO has decided to give attention to the development of On-Line Governance, undertaking to provide its Member-States, particularly developing countries, with information on the experiences, trends and issues in this area.

The Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT) - a foundation sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Malta - is committed to the dissemination of good practice in IT policy and application, particularly in the areas of Public Service and National Strategies.

UNESCO and COMNET-IT have therefore agreed to collaborate in the conduct of a global survey in On-line Governance. At the first phase (ending in autumn, 1999) responses to a detailed questionnaire processed through national UNESCO commissions were analysed and utilised as the basis for a number of initial products, available on this web site.

The partners in this project are currently engaged in consolidating the project through the securing of data from more countries and the identification of the next steps and potential additional partners.