Policy Dialogue Trip
Information Technology Conference
Professional Computer Association Conference


Policy Dialogue
Date: July 20 – August 4, 1995, U.S.
Delegation: President of the Civil Service Board Dr. Hassan Shalaq, President of the Central Inspection Board Faouzi Hobeiche, President of the Central Disciplinary Board Judge Marurice El-Khaouam.

A two-week policy dialogue trip to the U.S. was organized by the Center in order to provide practical knowledge to delegates concerning modern organizational and human resource management policies. Meeting with representatives of various federal and state agencies, members were given the opportunity to gain an understanding of institutional processes in the U.S.

Focusing in general on a variety of issues including the introduction of IT to government, management information systems, personnel management, and oversight procedures, the delegates participated in the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration in San Antonio, Texas and traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with senior officials at the Government Accounting Office, the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and USAID. In addition, they met with their counterparts in New York State government agencies and with experts in institutional development at the University of Albany. Experience gained during the trip helped the delegates to later establish a framework for developing and implementing a program of administrative reform that would promote decentralization and at the same time support increased accountability, transparency, and efficiency.
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Information Technology Conference
Beirut, February 11-16, 1996

Prior to assistance to the executive oversight agencies beginning in 1996 virtually all the work of public administration in the country was completed manually with the few existing computers functionally outdated. Ledgers and paper filing systems were utilized extensively with reports and budgets delivered to various government offices by hand. The Center worked closely with OMSAR to help develop the strategy and structure of a comprehensive information technology policy that would support the goal of administrative reform. An IT policy workshop was organized by the Center in Beirut February 11-15, 1996 in order to facilitate this process of development and implementation of an IT policy in the country. Attended by Members of Parliament, ministers, and representatives of other government institutions, three major recommendations were formed during the conference:

1. Establish a national resource management policy for the Government of Lebanon
2. Establish an organizational structure to support the implementation of national information standards and policies
3. Implement the policy as quickly as feasible especially given the widely supported rehabilitation activities focused on modernizing public administration and improving the quality of services delivered to citizens

A ministerial committee for IT policy was formed in March of 1997; based on the recommendations developed and in coordination with the committee the Center began to introduce IT to the three oversight agencies: the Civil Service Board, the Court of Audit, and the Central Inspection Board.
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Professional Computer Association Conference
September 29, 1997

A conference was organized by the Professional Computer Association to further support the introduction of Information Technology (IT) resources in government agencies and institutions. Attended by ranking officials and senior-level government staff as well as representatives of several local computer firms, the conference addressed current and planned uses of IT by the government. The Center’s Country Director Mahmoud Batlouni emphasized several main points during a presentation: the need for the private sector to assist the government with economic development and the incorporation of IT into the public sector; the importance of developing a national IT policy that would establish standards and guide policy implementation; and the need for a centralized unit within government to manage and enforce the IT policies and standards.

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