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BELIZE Public Administration Country Profile Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) United Nations December 2004 All papers, statistics and materials contained in the Country Profiles express entirely the opinion of the mentioned authors. They should not, unless otherwise mentioned, be attributed to the Secretariat of the United Nations. The designations employed and the presentation of material on maps in the Country Profiles do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Table of Contents Table of Contents........................................................................................... 1 Belize ........................................................................................................... 2 1. General Information ................................................................................... 3 1.1 People.................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Economy .............................................................................................. 3 1.3 Public Spending ..................................................................................... 4 1.4 Public Sector Employment and Wages....................................................... 4 2. Legal Structure .......................................................................................... 5 2.1 Legislative Branch.................................................................................. 5 2.2 Executive Branch ................................................................................... 6 2.3 Judiciary Branch .................................................................................... 6 2.4 Local Government.................................................................................. 7 3. The State and Civil Society .......................................................................... 9 3.1 Ombudsperson ...................................................................................... 9 3.2 NGOs ................................................................................................... 9 3.3 Civil Society .......................................................................................... 9 4. Civil Service .............................................................................................10 4.1 Legal basis...........................................................................................10 4.2 Recruitment .........................................................................................10 4.3 Promotion............................................................................................11 4.4 Remuneration ......................................................................................11 4.5 Training...............................................................................................11 4.6 Gender................................................................................................11 5. Ethics and Civil Service ..............................................................................12 5.1 Corruption ...........................................................................................12 5.2 Ethics..................................................................................................13 6. e-Government ..........................................................................................14 6.1 e-Government Readiness .......................................................................14 6.2 e-Participation ......................................................................................15 7. Links .......................................................................................................16 7.1 National sites .......................................................................................16 7.2 Miscellaneous sites................................................................................16 1 BELIZE Belize Click here for detailed map Government type Parliamentary democracy; within the Commonwealth Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) Constitution 21 September 1981; amended 1985, 1988, and 2001 (in brief) Legal system English law Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo Source: The World Factbook - Belize Source: The World Factbook - Belize The Crown Colony System of Government was introduced in 1871, and the Legislative Assembly by its own vote was replaced by a nominated Legislative Council with an official majority presided over by the Lieutenant Governor. An unofficial majority was created in 1892, and this constitution, with minor changes, continued until 1935 when the elective principle was once again introduced on the basis of adult suffrage with a low-income qualification. The administrative connection with Jamaica was severed in 1884, when the title of Lieutenant Governor was changed and a Governor was appointed. Further constitutional advances came in 1954 with the introduction of Universal Adult Suffrage and an elected majority in the Legislature, the Ministerial System was adopted in 1961 leading up to Self Government in 1964. The country's name was changed on 1st June, 1973, from British Honduras to Belize. Independence was achieved on September 21, 1981 and a new independence constitution introduced. Belize's current economic base dates back to the mid-20th century when there was a shift from the production of forestry products such as logwood, mahogany and chicle towards large-scale plantation-type agriculture with citrus and banana cultivation in the south of the country and sugarcane in northern Belize. Source: Government of Belize - About Belize 2 1. General Information 1.1 People Belize El Salvador Guatemala Population 1 a Total estimated population (,000), 2003 256 6,516 12,347 Female estimated population (,000), 2003 126 3,319 6,127 Male estimated population (,000), 2003 130 3,197 6,220 Sex ratio (males per 100 females), 2003 103 96 102 Average annual rate of change of pop. (%), 2000-2005 2.06 1.55 2.55 38 35 43 Female population aged 60+ (%), 2003 6 8 6 Male population aged 60+ (%), 2003 6 7 5 Youth and Elderly Population b Total population under age 15 (%), 2003 Human Settlements c Urban population (%), 2001 48 62 40 Rural population (%), 2001 52 38 60 Urban average annual rate of change in pop. (%), ‘00-‘05 2.15 3.52 3.38 Rural average annual rate of change in pop/ (%), ‘00-‘05 1.65 -1.07 2.03 Education d Total school life expectancy, 1998/1999 .. 10.6 .. 1 Female school life expectancy, 1998/1999 .. 10.6 .. 1 Male school life expectancy, 1998/1999 .. 10.6 .. 1 Female estimated adult (15+) illiteracy rate (%), 2000 6.8i 23.9ii 38.9iii 2 Male estimated adult (15+) illiteracy rate (%), 2000 6.7i 18.5ii 24iii Employment 12.7iv Unemployment rate (15+) (%), 1999 Female adult (+15) economic activity rate (%), 1999 39 iv Male adult (+15) economic activity rate (%), 1999 80 iv Belize Notes: i 1991; ii 2 e 1992; iii 1994; iv 1997, Age 14+; v Age 10+; vi 7v .. 1 45 vi 23 2 79 74vi 2 El Salvador Guatemala 2 1998-1999 1.2 Economy GDP a GDP total (millions US$), 2002 843 14,287 GDP per capita (US$), 2002 3,332 2,190 23,252 1,939 PPP GDP total (millions int. US$), 2002 1,496 30,497 47,087 PPP GDP per capita(int. US$), 2002 5,913 4,675 3,927 Sectors b i Value added in agriculture (% of GDP), 2003 15.1 9.4 22.3 Value added in industry (% of GDP), 2003 19.7i 31.8 19.3 Value added in services (% of GDP), 2003 65.2i 58.7 58.5 2.4i -1.2 5.8 Private consumption (% of GDP), 2003 77.3i 87.9 4.9 Government consumption (% of GDP), 2003 12.7i 11.3 90.0 Miscellaneous c GDP implicit price deflator (annual % growth), 2003 Notes: i 2002 1 United Nations Statistics Division: Statistics Division and Population Division of the UN Secretariat; b Statistics Division and Population Division of the UN Secretariat; c Population Division of the UN Secretariat; d1 UNESCO ; d2 UNESCO; e1 ILO; e2 ILO/OECD 2 World Bank - Data and Statistics: a Quick Reference Tables; b Data Profile Tables ; c Country at a Glance a 3 1.3 Public Spending Belize El Salvador Guatemala Education (% of GNP), 1985-1987 4.7 3.1i 1.9ii a Education (% of GNP), 1995-1997 5 2.5 1.7ii a Health (% of GDP), 1990 2.2 1.4 1.8 Health (% of GDP), 1998 2.3 2.6 2.1 Military (% of GDP), 1990 1.2 2.7 1.5 b Military (% of GDP), 2000 .. 0.7 0.8 b Total debt service (% of GDP), 1990 5 4.3 2.8 8.1 2.8 2.3 Public expenditures 3 Total debt service (% of GDP), 2000 i Notes: Data refer to a year or period other than that specified; ii Data refer to the ministry of education only 1.4 Public Sector Employment and Wages Belize 1991-1995 Data from the latest year available Belize 1996-2000 Latin America & Caribbean average4 1996-2000 Latin America average4 1996-2000 Middle income group average4 1996-2000 0.69 0.74 0.59 0.69 0.74 0.59 0.58 0.58 1.20 .. .. 0.70 .. .. 0.30 0.34 0.37 0.46 2.16 2.16 3.61 .. .. 6.05 Employment Civilian Central Government5 Sub-national Government5 Education employees Health employees Police Armed forces SOE Employees Total Public Employment (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. .. (,000) .. (% pop.) .. .. (,000) .. 1.05 (% pop.) .. 0.43 (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. (,000) .. .. (% pop.) .. .. Wages Total Central gov't wage bill (% of GDP) .. 9.8 6.6 5.6 8.5 Total Central gov’t wage bill (% of exp) .. 30.9 20.3 19.7 21.6 Average gov't wage (,000 LCU) .. 22 Real ave. gov’t wage ('97 price) (,000 LCU) .. 22 .. 3.8 1.8 2.0 4.2 Average gov’t wage to per capita GDP ratio Source: World Bank - Public Sector Employment and Wages 3 UNDP - Human Development Report 2002 Data refer to total public expenditure on education, including current and capital expenditures. As a result of a number of limitations in the data, comparisons of military expenditure data over time and across countries should be made with caution. For detailed notes on the data see SIPRI (2001). 4 Averages for regions and sub regions are only generated if data is available for at least 35% of the countries in that region or sub region. 5 Excluding education, health and police – if available (view Country Sources for further explanations). a b 4 2. Legal Structure 2.1 Legislative Branch Bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members; appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms).6 women in parliament: 3 out of 13 seats: (23%). 1 out of 30 seats (3%).7 The Constitution provides for a bi-cameral Legislature which consists of the National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is the equivalent of House of Lords and consists of twelve Senators appointed by the Governor-General. Of the twelve Senators: Fact box: elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008) election results: seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8 six in accordance with the Prime Minister; three in accordance with the Leader of the Opposition; one in accordance with the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches; one in accordance with the advice of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau; and one in accordance with the advice of the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee. The President of the Senate shall have a casting vote in the event of an equality of votes in respect of any business at a meeting of the Senate. The Senate approves the appointment the High Commissioner, the Chief Justice, the Justice of the Supreme Court, the Justice of the Court of Appeal, the Contractor General, and the Ombudsman. The House of Representatives is equivalent to the British House of Commons and consists of twenty-nine members8. The twenty-nine electoral divisions or constituencies are distributed according to the distribution of population. The House of Representatives is presided over during their meetings by a Speaker, elected by the twenty-nine members of the House either from among themselves, or from outside of the House. No member who is a Minister is allowed to be elected to the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker. The power of the National Assembly to make laws shall be exercised by Bills passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and assented to by the GovernorGeneral. Bills other than money Bills are introduced in either House. A money Bill shall not be introduced in the Senate. Specific parts of the Constitution are amended by not less than three-quarters of all members the House of Representatives supporting a bill in the final reading. Other 6 Source of fact boxes if nothing else stated: The World Factbook - Belize Inter-Parliamentary Union - Women in National Parliaments 8 Increased from 18 to 28 by Act No. 16 of 1984), and increased from 28 to 29 by the Representation of the People (amendment) Act, 1993. 7 5 sections are amended by not less than two-thirds of all members. A simple majority of the Senate is needed when amending provisions of Part II. Source: Constitution of Belize9 2.2 Executive Branch cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister The executive authority of Belize is vested in Her Majesty and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor-General. The Governor-General appoints as Prime Minister the leader of the political party or coalition which commands the support of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives. There Cabinet of Ministers for Belize consists of the Prime Minister and the other Ministers. The Cabinet shall not be comprised of more than two-thirds of the elected Members of the party that obtains the majority seats in the House of Representatives following a general election and not more than four Senators. Ministers are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister from among members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate. The Prime Minister may also remove Ministers. Fact box: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998) The Cabinet is the principal executive instrument of policy with general direction and control of the Government and is collectively responsible to the National Assembly. The office of Attorney-General is the office of the Minister with responsibility for the administration of legal affairs in Belize. The leader of the opposition is appointed by the Governor-General. Source: Constitution of Belize 2.3 Judiciary Branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister). The judicial branch consists of the following institutions (in ascending order of hierarchy): the Magistrates’ Courts, the Family Courts, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and Her Majesty’s Privy Council in London. Belize’s Legal Aid Center has been operational since 27 November 1981. The Chief Justice heads the judiciary, which is composed of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, and has general responsibility for the administration of justice in the country. The Governor General appoints the Chief Justice in agreement with the Prime Minister and in consultation with the leader of the opposition. The Supreme Court has original and unlimited jurisdiction to hear and pronounce decisions in any civil or criminal case under any law in the country. The Court convenes four times per calendar year to hear criminal matters in each of its three 9 See also: Government of Belize - Part II - The Legislative Branch 6 districts (North, South, and Central). The Supreme Court is comprised of the Chief Justice and two other justices known as Puisne Judges. The Supreme Court justices are appointed by the Governor General upon the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, with the agreement of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the opposition leader. The appointee must have practiced law for at least five years prior to appointment. The Court of Appeal has jurisdiction to hear and rule on appeals of civil and criminal matters from both the High Court and Magistrates Court. The court is composed of the President and three appeals judges, though a panel of only three judges sits at any given session. The Court of Appeal may hold session as many as four times per year, although in practice the number of cases requires only three sessions per calendar year. The Governor General appoints judges to this court for a period specified in the instrument of appointment in consensus with the Prime Minister and in consultation with the opposition leader. The lower courts, which are commonly known as the Magistrates’ Courts, are regulated under Chapter 94 of the Belize Legislation Acts. They include the district magistrates’ courts, the justices of the peace, the Court of the Mayor, and the courts of summary procedure. The Judicial and Legal Services Commission appoints magistrates. The community elects the Mayors, who exercise jurisdiction in a determined district with the approval of the Commission. Source: Justice Studies Center of the Americas (CEJA) - Belize (edited)10 The Privy Council, which is the final court for Belize, sits in the UK. It is composed of between five and seven members of the House of Lords, who hear appeals for both criminal and civil cases emanating from the Belizean Court of Appeal. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council serves as the highest court of appeal for several independent countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies. However, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a nascent regional judicial body intended to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The ‘Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice’ (click here) was initially signed on 14 January 200111, and the Revised Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice Trust Fund entered into force on 27 January 2004 on signature by ten of the CARICOM Member States.12 The Caribbean Court of Justice is to be implemented as of March 2005. The CCJ will be based in Port of Spain, Trinidad.13 Source: Project on International Courts and Tribunals - Caribbean Court of Justice Click here for laws concerning the Administration of Justice. 2.4 Local Government There are six administrative districts in Belize: Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek and Toledo. 10 See also: Office of the Attorney General - Judiciary System in Belize Click here for background documents 12 The States that have signed the Revised Agreement as of February 2004 are: Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago; CARICOM - Press release (11 February 2004) 13 Caribbean Net News - "The Caribbean Court of Justice: Is CARICOM ready?" (9 November 2004) 11 7 The Constitution of Belize does not recognize the existence and operational structure of local government, but there has, for long, been a presence of official governing bodies at the local levels. The intended function of these forms of local government is to administer certain aspects of the specified area through the election of local representatives. In Belize, there are four forms of local government: city councils, town boards, village councils, and the alcalde system. In 1999 key amendments were made to the Belize City Council Act (click here) and to the Town Council Act (click here) that govern these bodies. Also, a Village Council Act (click here) was enacted for the first time. The alcalde system in southern Belize is the traditional Mayan equivalent to the village council system. Belize City along with Belmopan (Belmopan City Council Act – click here) are the only cities with Council status. Councilors are elected every three years to city councils (10 councilors and a mayor) and town boards (6 councilors and a mayor) in a highest vote system. Recent amendments made to the Belize City Council and the Town Board Acts now allow for the direct election of mayors. Both cities and towns have very limited legislative powers and operate by receiving subventions from central government and by collecting a limited number of taxes and fees. Historically, the major political parties have competed for control of Belize City and of the towns. Village Councils are the most basic and grassroots level of local government. Belize has over 150 villages across the nation, only some of which have defined boundaries. In a system that began in the 1950's, but was never fully institutionalized, registered villagers elect seven councilors every two years. In 1999, after the intense lobbying of some villages and civil society organizations, the House of Representatives passed an Act to legalize and define the role and powers of village councils in Belize. Unlike the municipalities, village councils have historically received no public funds and have very limited authority to manage village affairs. A minimum population of 200 has been set for villages to qualify to come under the Village Council Act. Source: Government of Belize - Chapter 14: Local Government Click here for laws concerning Local Government. 8 3. The State and Civil Society 3.1 Ombudsperson In 1999, the Government created the position of Ombudsman to act as a check against governmental abuses.14 The Ombudsman Act (amended in 2000) establishes the Office of a Parliamentary Commissioner or Ombudsman, who is appointed by the Governor-General acting on the recommendations of both Houses of the National Assembly. The term of office is three years renewable. The Ombudsman may investigate when there is reasonable cause to believe that in the execution of administrative functions: authorities have been guilty of corruption or other wrongdoing; or injustice, injury or abuse has been sustained. Source: Office of the Attorney General - Ombudsman Act - Chapter 5 (2000) The Ombudsman stated in his fourth annual report that he received 307 formal complaints between April 2002 and March 2003. While most complaints were against the Government, a number were against private entities. There were 120 complaints against the Police Department, 33 regarding the Lands Department, and 16 each against the Department of Corrections and the Family Court. The Ombudsman investigated the majority of these cases and published his findings on many of them in the annual reports. Source: U.S. Department of State (Human Rights) - Belize (2003) 3.2 NGOs The ‘Non-Governmental Organisation Act’ (2000) provides for the establishment and registration of Non-Governmental Organizations, regulates their operations to create transparency and accountability, and specifies minimum standards which must be observed by all registered NGOs. Source: UN HCHR - State Party Report (28 February 2003) 3.3 Civil Society Source: Institution - Title 14 U.S. Department of State (Background Notes) - Belize 9 4. Civil Service The Ministry of the Public Service has responsibility for general administration of the service and the Public Services Commission provides for the regulation of its operations. Source: Government of Belize - Chapter 11: The Public Service (January 2000) 4.1 Legal basis The Public Services Commission (PSC) is constitutionally charged with the responsibility of overall coordination of the Public Service.15 It holds the power to appoint, transfer, remove and discipline public officers who come under section 106 of the Constitution. It also has the responsibility of making regulations for the general management of the public service including matters related to recruitment, code of conduct, salaries, promotions and transfers. The PSC consists of a Chairman and five other members who are all appointed by the Governor-General acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition.16 Source: Constitution of Belize17 The PSC delegated all its powers of appointment, promotion, transfer, discipline and removal from office to Chief Executive Officers for officers of pay scale 1 - 8, with effect from 1 September 2002.18 With the new Public Service Regulations, the Public Service Commission for the first time administers its own regulations. The previous General Orders were administered by both the Commission and Management.19 Public Service Regulations, 2001 (No. 160 of 2001). Official Gazette, 2001-11-15, No. 160, pp. 1-61 Comprehensive legislation on public employment. Applies to all public officers; except those listed in Section 3. Part II deals with appointments and promotions, Part III with conduct of public officers, Part IV with leave of absence, Part V with training and career development, Part VI with salaries, allowances, and financial benefits, and Part VII with advances. Part VIII contains provisions concerning residential quarters, disaster management, use of telephone, correspondence between departments, and some related matters. Section 38 provides that salaries and wages of officers who go on strike shall not be paid for the duration of the strike. Repeals Public Service Regulations, 1996. Source: International Labour Organization (NATLEX) - Belize: Public and civil servants 4.2 Recruitment Source: Institution - Title 15 16 17 18 19 The Constitution also provides for the Security Services Commission, and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. Constitution of Belize See also: Final Report of the Political Reform Commission - Chapter 11: The Public Service (January 2000) Delegations of Powers of the Public Services Commission to the CEOs Public Sector Reform Initiative in Belize (8 December 2000) 10 4.3 Promotion Source: Institution - Title 4.4 Remuneration Source: Institution - Title 4.5 Training Source: Institution - Title 4.6 Gender Source: Institution - Title 11 5. Ethics and Civil Service 5.1 Corruption 2003 CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt). Corruption Perceptions Index Rank 2003 CPI Score Surveys Used Standard Deviation High-Low Range Number Inst. 90 percent confidence range 9.5 - 9.9 Country 1 Highly clean 9.7 8 0.3 9.2 - 10.0 4 46 Belize 4.5 3 0.9 3.6 – 5.5 3 3.6 -5.1 133 Highly corrupt 1.3 8 0.7 0.3 - 2.2 6 0.9 - 1.7 Source: Transparency International - Corruption Perceptions Index 2003 Surveys Used: Refers to the number of surveys that were used to assess a country's performance. 17 surveys were used and at least 3 surveys were required for a country to be included in the CPI. Standard Deviation: Indicates differences in the values of the sources. Values below 0.5 indicate agreement, values between 0.5 and c. 0.9 indicate some agreement, while values equal or larger than 1 indicate disagreement. High-Low Range: Provides the highest and lowest values of the sources. Number Institutions: Refers to the number of independent institutions that assessed a country's performance. Since some institutions provided more than one survey. 90 percent confidence range: Provides a range of possible values of the CPI score. With 5 percent probability the score is above this range and with another 5 percent it is below. There are three anti-corruption laws and one transparency law currently in place in Belize. They were all passed into law in 1994. These are the Ombudsman Act20, (click here), the Contractor General Act (click here), the Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act (click here), and the Freedom of Information Act (click here). The first three are Anti Corruption laws, and the last, the Freedom of Information Act, deals with transparency. The Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act establishes an Integrity Commission chaired by an Attorney with no less than five years standing. The Commission is charged with the responsibility of receiving the financial standings of all members of the National Assembly, City Councils and Town Councils. Every person in Public Life must, within the first three months of being elected to office, file a declaration of assets, income and liabilities with the Commission. Thereafter he or she is required to file a declaration annually, and no later than three months after 31 December in each year that he or she is a person in public life. The declarations have to be sworn before a magistrate, Justice of the Peace, Commissioner of the Supreme Court, or Registrar of the Supreme Court, who must vouch for the truth and accuracy of the contents of the declaration. Declarations are to include assets, income and liabilities of the individual in public life, his or her spouse and children. Source: SPEAR - "The Anti-Corruption & Transparency Roads Are Already Paved With Legislation" 20 See also ‘3.1 Ombudsperson’ 12 5.2 Ethics Article 121 of the Constitution establishes a brief code of conduct for government officials and public servants. A complementary code of conduct is found in the Public Service Regulations. Source: OAS (Technical Secretariat for Legal Cooperation Mechanisms) - Belize In Part IV of the Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act, an additional Code of Conduct is detailed that strictly prohibits use of office for private gain, gifts and benefits in kind, restrictions on loans, use of public funds, prohibition of bribery, restriction in acquisition of companies, and gives the Commission power to punish for breach of the Code of Conduct. That punishment may take the form of a reprimand, a fine not exceeding $10,000, seizure and forfeiture of any property acquired in abuse or corruption of office, or a recommendation to the appropriate authority for the removal from office of the individual. Source: SPEAR - "The Anti-Corruption & Transparency Roads Are Already Paved With Legislation" 13 6. e-Government 0.45 0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 Lu ci a Sa Ja in t m ai ca s ur a on d H El S G ua al va te m al a os rb ad Ba Ba Web Measure Index: A scale based on progressively sophisticated web services present. Coverage and sophistication of stateprovided e-service and e-product availability correspond to a numerical classification. do r 0 Be The index is comprised of three sub-indexes: Web Measure Index, Telecommunications Infrastructure Index and Human Capital Index. e-Government Readiness Index ha m as The index refers to the generic capacity or aptitude of the public sector to use ICT for encapsulating in public services and deploying to the public, high quality information (explicit knowledge) and effective communication tools that support human development. 6.1 e-Government Readiness liz e e-Government Readiness Index: Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003 Web Measure Index Telecom. Infrastructure Index Human Capital Index 1 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 ia Lu c in t Sa Ja m ai ca s ur a on d H G ua te m al a or El Sa lva d os rb ad Ba Ba ha m as 0 liz e Primary indicators are: PC’s, Internet users, online population and Mobile phones. Secondary indicators are TVs and telephone lines. 0.7 Be Telecommunications Infrastructure Index: A composite, weighted average index of six primary indices, based on basic infrastructural indicators that define a country's ICT infrastructure capacity. Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003 Human Capital Index: A composite of the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio, with two thirds of the weight given to adult literacy and one third to the gross enrolment ratio. 14 6.2 e-Participation e-Participation Index 0.35 0.3 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 e-information: The government websites offer information on policies and programs, budgets, laws and regulations, and other briefs of key public interest. Tools for disseminating of information exist for timely access and use of public information, including web forums, e-mail lists, newsgroups and chat rooms. Sa in tL uc ia ai ca Ja m on du ra s H al a G ua te m B El S ar ba do s as ah am B al va do r 0 el iz e Refers to the willingness, on the part of the government, to use ICT to provide high quality information (explicit knowledge) and effective communication tools for the specific purpose of empowerring people for able participation in consultations and decision-making both in their capacity as consumers of public services and as citizens. B e-Participation Index: Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003 d e-information e-decision making e-consultation 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 1 ia Sa in tL uc ai ca Ja m on du ra s H al a G ua te m lv ad or El Sa os ar ba d B B ah a m as 0 el iz e The government indicates that it will take citizens input into account in decision making and provides actual feedback on the outcome of specific issues. 2 B e-decision making: Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003 d e-consultation: The government website explains e-consultation mechanisms and tools. It offers a choice of public policy topics online for discussion with real time and archived access to audios and videos of public meetings. The government encourages citizens to participate in discussions. 15 7. Links 7.1 National sites Authority Topic Government http://www.belize.gov.bz/ Belize Legal Information Network http://www.belizelaw.org/lawadmin/index2.html Central Statistical Office (CSO) http://www.cso.gov.bz 7.2 Miscellaneous sites Institution Topic Caribbean Community (CARICOM) http://www.caricom.org/ Centro Latinoamericano de Administración Para el Desarrollo (CLAD) Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) http://www.clad.org.ve http://www.capam.comnet.mt/ Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) http://www.caribank.org/ Development Gateway http://www.developmentgateway.org/countryprofile/... European Union (EU) http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/country/... Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) http://www.iadb.org/exr/country/eng/belize/ Organization of American States (OAS) http://www.oas.org Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) http://www.oecs.org/ Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD) - OAS http://www.upd.oas.org UNPAN http://www.unpan.org/virtual_library-byregion.asp United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) http://www.undpbelize.org/ World Bank (WB) http://www.worldbank.org/bz 16