0 USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals Open Source Software From E-Government to Government Transformation

1 “Fight against impunity” USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay being implemented by Casals & Associates, Inc.  Component 1: Increase the Investigative Capability of the Public Ministry (equivalent to U.S. Department of Justice) Modernize and strengthen technical, scientific, and human resources in the Public Ministry. Produce more reliable evidence through specialized analysis. Strengthen safeguards for the handling and storage of evidence.  Component 2: Increase the Capacity of the Judiciary Disciplinary System Strengthen the Supreme Court's Superintendence Council (Consejo de Superintendencia) through the creation of a system of internal controls and disciplinary measures to hold those involved in corruption accountable.  Component 3: Strengthen Internal Government Auditing Systems and Civil Society Participation in Oversight Activities Adopt an efficient and transparent internal and external control system in the Controller General's Office. Promote oversight activities carried out by citizen watchdog groups.

2 “Fight against impunity” USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay being implemented by Casals & Associates, Inc.  Component 4: Improve and Protect Integrity of Documents held in the Public Registry Network and integrate the databases of the Motor Vehicles Registry, the Judiciary Court Records Registry and the Department of Identification of Persons Registry. Strengthen the System of Registration and Identification of Persons to maintain a more reliable system of personal identification.  Component 5: Increase Transparency and Effectiveness of Public Finance Legislative Oversight Improve the efficiency and transparency of Congress's system of analysis and oversight of budgetary executions by public entities. Make information more accessible to the public in order to promote citizen oversight. Establish mechanisms that promote coordination on public budget oversight among Congress, other branches of government, the Controller General's Office, and interest groups from civil society. Increase the ability of members of Congress to represent the interests of their electoral constituencies in public budget issues.

3 USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals Open Source Software From E-Government to Government Transformation

4sd2qd Challenges  Lack of government-wide IT standardization  Information control to bolster power  Disparate standards and procedures increase costs and reduce efficacy  Sustainability

5 Information Integrity  Information integrity is at risk and, and although it is technically possible to share these databases among multiple agencies, it really is not practical for two primary reasons: Multiple and diverse information systems—operating systems, databases, and connectivity levels—that not only make interconnectivity difficult but also make day-to-day management expensive and hard to achieve results, and Unwillingness among officials of different government entities to share information which is perceived as “proprietary.”

6 Operations at Government Agencies vs. IT Strategic Plans Government Agencies Annual budget Depend on politicians (elected, short term presence, interested in showing progress) Investments in IT infrastructure do not show immediate progress Key decision after each election: “Continue existing plan” or “start all over” IT Strategic Plan(s) Multi-year budget Depend on civil servants (long term presence) IT Infrastructure is necessary before being able to show any progress in other areas Constant evolution of technology Source: Miguel Garcia-Gosalvez, 2007.

7 USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals Open Source Software From E-Government to Government Transformation

8 IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals  Connect missing agencies to the Fiber Optics Metropolitan Network (already in place)  Information Ownership => Information Control  “If I am responsible I need to control it”  Information Audit Trail  Standardization  Increase use of Open Source Software  Reduce/eliminate Expensive Licensing and SLAs  Avoid Piracy / Right in front of citizens  Increase Sustainability  Policies and Procedures

9 USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals Open Source Software From E-Government to Government Transformation

10 Problems solved by Open Source Software (OSS) Source: Gartner, March Published on April 13, 2007.

11 Current use of Open Source Software (OSS) Source: Gartner, March Published on April 13, 2007.

12 Drivers for Open Source Software (OSS) Source: Gartner, March Published on April 13, 2007.

13 USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals Open Source Software From E-Government to Government Transformation

14 From E-Government to Government Transformation  E-Government has been a “fashionable” topic for the last decade  Success stories do exist, however…  One key lesson learned: “Technology is only one component in a transformation program”  Technology should move from a support role to a driving one  More than specific technologies, it is key how they are deployed to initiate and sustain transformation