Use and deployment of the new Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) has been rapidly growing o na global scale since the early 1990s.
While the initial focus of the so-called "ICT revolution" was on
infrastructure deployment and connectivity, a critical shift has now taken
place.
While most developing countries still face, to various degrees, serious access challenges, the focus is now on the deployment and use of specific ICT applications and to address traditional development problems and challenges.
A surge in the use of ICTs by government, civil society and the private sector started in the late 1990s with the aim not only of improving government efficiency and service delivery but also to promote increase participation of citizens in the various governance and democratic processes.
The focus of this area is on two related outcomes: 1) empowerment of people via ICT-based networks and new communication channels (in addition to traditional media); and 2) provision of basic public services via ICTs in underserved and marginal areas. The former is a much broader outcome that has links to most governance related areas included in the three core clusters of the practice including elections and parliaments. The latter has specific links local governance and public administration reform as well as the achivement of several of the Millennium Development Goals.
Although e-governance is a relatively new dedicated sub-practice area of UNDP, the organization support to e-governance programmes and policies predates the creation of the dedicated sub-practice and builds upon the pioneering work that UNDP has done on ICT for Development since 1992. The bulk of this work has focused on providing support to governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) in using ICT to deliver better public services and enhance the participation and involvement on citizens through networking in the various governance related processes and issues.