News

Tajikistan and Kazakhstan Hope to Enforce Democracy with the Help of ICTs

The representatives of Tajikistan’s and Kazakhstan’s municipalities and NGOs have started the last day of their week-long study trip to Estonia. Based on Estonia’s experience and in collaboration with the experts of the e-Governance Academy, participants will work out an action plan to implement electronic governance solutions in selected pilot towns in Tajikistan.

„After several years of economic recession in Central Asia there is a newly-emerging interest in modernizing the society and developing e-governance,” says Ivar Tallo, board member of the e-Governance Academy and a long-time adviser on e-governance to several Central Asian governments. According to Tallo, governments hope electronic solutions would help cut bureaucracy and strengthen democracy, giving people more possibilities to have a say in local life.

Whereas Kazakhstan has recently shown a remarkable progress in developing information society, the same  has not yet happened in Tajikistan. According to statistics, the number of regular internet users in Kazakhstan has raised up to over 20 per cent while remaining below 10 per cent in Tajikistan.

The cooperation of Estonia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in e-democracy is supported by the Open Estonia Foundation's East-East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program.

More information on the project:

Nele Leosk
e-Governance Academy
e-mail nele@ega.ee