Needs Assessments of Governance

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Needs Assessments of Governance Public
Administration in Syria
INNOVATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONIN THE
EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION.
Prepared By Prof. Dr. Najwa Kassab Hassan
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Syria endeavored from the mid-nineties an
ambitious development of the ICT infrastructure
to accelerate developments on all social,
economic and administrative levels.
- INTRODUCTION
During the past decades, Syria has achieved
considerable developments on the social and
economic life of the country.
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With the new millennium, Syria embarked on
administrative reforms of all governmental
institutions and bodies.
All ministries conducted a thorough and
comprehensive evaluation of its internal
procedures, processes, services and the necessary
changes. All suggested changes were studied to
insure coherency on both the internal and
inter-ministerial levels and with the new
technological requirements of e-administration
and e-government. The new structures were
approved early 2003 and is now under
implementation at various levels.
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- STRATEGY AND PLANNING Strategies of develo
pment and reformation of the public
administration is based on the overall objectives
of the government and inline with the third
millennium program and the Barcelona Declaration.
Important achievements are reached on the stra
tegic levels affecting the legislative and
executive branches of the government
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A. Achievements Affecting All Aspects Of
Governance

• Updating laws and regulation and eliminating all
  bureaucratic barriers prohibiting national and
  foreign investments
  
• Administrative reforms through training and
  recuperating Human resources.
  
• Creating Administrative information centers for
  decision support systems in all ministries
  
• Creating either a central committee or high
  committee to put the strategy for
  e-transformation
  
• Updating laws and procedures of the banking
  systems
  
• Updating and modernizing education and higher
  education, especially programs of e-learning and
  continuing education
  
• Increasing the role and involvement of all
  information mediums (public and private) in the
  processes of good governance.

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B. Reformations At The Legislative And
Jurisdictional Level

• Amending and updating the Unified Labor Law
• The proclamation of Ordinance No. 22 for the
  Year 2002 organizing the authorities of Deputy
  Ministers
  
• Eliminating of the authority of High Committees
  and transferring its rule and role to involved
  ministries.
  
• The proclamation of Law No. 24 for the year 2003
  to restructure the Ministerial Cabinet and the
  establishment of the Ministerial General
  Secretariat.
• The formation of Ministerial Decision-Support
  Committee in 2002 to assess administrative and
  other reformations done by ministries.

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C. Projects Programs Related To The
Achievement Of The Strategy

• Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of the
  Peoples Assembly.
  
• E Strategy for Syria.
• Strategic ICT program for socio-economic
  development in Syria.
  
• Support to Administrative Development.
• Project implementation and coordination unit.
• The Electronic Library.
• Syrian Virtual University.
• E-Village.
• Syrian Higher Education and research Network
  (SHERN).

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D. ICT And Governmental Sectors Levels Of
Integration

• The National Number Project.
• H-Card also known as the Smart Health Record.
• Virtual Museum.
• literacy e-radication.

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• NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITIZATION
• Despite the noticeable achievements that took
  place in Syria towards development and
  modernization, the requirements of building a
  knowledge society and the utilization of ICT in
  sustainable development necessitate changes and
  progress.

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1. Legislative Changes Affecting The ICT Sector
And Implementation

• Implementing and activating intellectual
  Properties Laws
  
• Organizing the processes of exporting importing
  software/hardware.
  
• Legislating relevant laws governing the
  distribution, exchange and protection of data.
  
• Encouraging and organizing investment in the ICT
  sector.
  
• Organizing and regulating e-Commerce and e-Trade
  and benefiting from the experience of other
  countries in this field.
  
• Legislating relevant laws authorizing and
  regulating the usage of electronic signature and
  its use.
  

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2. Legislative Changes Affecting Social And
Economic Developments

• Finalizing and implementing the new Labor Law
• Easing the process of investment and completion
  of investment projects. This is of special
  importance to the banking and financial sector.

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3. Developments And Changes Affecting The
Implementation Of A Comprehensive ICT Strategy
Reaching E-Government

• The importance of the private sectors
  participation in the development and
  implementation of any ICT development or in
  drawing the e-strategy.
• Accessibility to information through all
  available methods and mediums.
  
• Providing access to information to civil
  establishments.
  
• Establishing National Data Bank(s) providing data
  and information to all sectors.
  
• The atomization and standardization of
  processes.
  
• Supporting technology incubators projects.
• Supporting efforts of internet content
  Arabization.
  
• Supporting the local ICT industry to participate
  more in the process of development.

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4. Human Resources And Capacity Building

• Integrating IT curricula, information, and usage
  in all levels of formal education.
  
• Initiating training programs on the national
  level to eradicate PC illiteracy supporting
  programs of continuing education
  
• Supporting the utilization of existing
  infrastructure and facilities in rural areas to
  initiate training programs.
  
• Supporting the initiative of the Popular PC.
• Supporting the Mobile Internet Unit

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5. Administrative And Public Sector Reformation
And Development

• Decentralization of the processes in the public
  sector.
  
• Installing and activating information systems
  and mechanisms.
  
• Changing and modifying human resources
  management systems and procedures
  
• Training executives and managers

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6. Reformation In The Banking And Financial
Sector

• The utilization of ICT and computerization in
  banks is essential in reforming the economy.
  
• Modifying and updating relevant laws and
  legislations.
  
• Supporting micro and investment loans for
  projects requiring finance.
  
• Modernizing the insurance industry.

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7. Reformation And Modernization Research And
Studies

• Conducting Continuous research and surveys,
  studying the needs and effects of reformation and
  modernization

8. Utilization Of Mass Media

• Utilization of mass media (television
  broadcasting, local newspaper) in advocating
  reformation.

9. Reformation And Gender

• The creation of a specialized Gender information
  Center.
  
• Providing and allocating special programs for
  training females in general, and in particular,
  females in rural areas.
  
• Encouraging woman to benefit from the process of
  reformation, especially on the financial levels
  by allocating special funds for projects piloted
  or initiated by females.

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10. Reformation and Social Acceptance

• Insuring social acceptance as a manifestation of
  successful implementation to any reform.
  
• Involving opinion leaders in promoting the
  benefits of reforms