A framework for accessible m-government implementation

The great popularity and rapid diffusion of mobile technologies at worldwide level has also been recognised by the public sector, leading to the creation of m-government. A major challenge for m-government is accessibility – the provision of an equal service to all citizens irrespective of their psychical, mental or technical capabilities. This paper sketches the profiles of six citizen groups: Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired, Motor Impaired, Speech Impaired, Cognitive Impaired and Elderly. M-government examples that target the aforementioned groups are discussed and a framework for accessible m-government implementation with reference to the W3C Mobile Web Best Practices is proposed

United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Kenya

The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2014-2018) for Kenya is an expression of the UN's commitment to support the Kenyan people in their self-articulated development aspirations. This UNDAF has been developed according to the principles of UN Delivering as One (DaO), aimed at ensuring Government ownership, demonstrated through UNDAF's full alignment to Government priorities and planning cycles, as well as internal coherence among UN agencies and programmes operating in Kenya. The UNDAF narrative includes five recommended sections: Introduction and Country Context, UNDAF Results, Resource Estimates, Implementation Arrangements, and Monitoring and Evaluation as well as a Results and Resources Annex. Developed under the leadership of the Government, the UNDAF reflects the efforts of all UN agencies working in Kenya and is shaped by the five UNDG programming principles: Human Rights-based approach, gender equality, environmental sustainability, capacity development, and results based management. The UNDAF working groups have developed a truly broad-based Results Framework, in collaboration with Civil Society, donors and other partners. The UNDAF has four Strategic Results Areas: 1) Transformational Governance encompassing Policy and Institutional Frameworks; Democratic Participation and Human Rights; Devolution and Accountability; and Evidence-based Decision-making, 2) Human Capital Development comprised of Education and Learning; Health, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Environmental Preservation, Food Availability and Nutrition; Multi-sectoral HIV and AIDS Response; and Social Protection, 3) Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth, with Improving the Business Environment; Strengthening Productive Sectors and Trade; and Promoting Job Creation, Skills Development and Improved Working Conditions, and 4) Environmental Sustainability, Land Management and Human Security including Policy and Legal Framework Development; and Peace, Community Security and Resilience. The UNDAF Results Areas are aligned with the three Pillars (Political, Social and Economic) of the Government's Vision 2030 transformational agenda

Indonesia's Forest Moratorium: Impacts and Next Steps

The authors identify opportunities for progress with the recently extended Indonesian forest moratorium, a policy aiming to protect an area the size of Japan from development

10 out of 10 for Scottish school design? : providing an accessible, sustainable environment for 21st century education

This paper describes an on-going research project which aims to measure the extent to which the social model of disability is embedded within the school design process in Scotland. Proponents of the disability movement have called for societal structures to be reconceived based on the divergent capacities of the individual. The social model of disability can be used to explain the way in which disability is conceptualised as a barrier created by external factors which is imposed over and above an individual’s impairment. This model is used as a basis for conceiving a ‘social model of architecture’ and exploring the progress of architectural practice in responding to change. The largest school building programme in the history of Scotland has taken place, yet there is no conclusive research evaluating the performance of accessible design. This project investigates the inclusive education discourse in Scotland and its relevance to the built environment, the extent to which best practice guidelines are being met and the degree to which accessibility is considered throughout different stages of the design process. Results will be analysed to discuss the extent to which the social model is embedded within current school design and the case of Scotland’s schools will be used to develop a framework for implementation which takes into consideration a holistic view of the entire design process

Monitoring of Spatial Data Infraestructures

SDI monitoring and evaluation is increasingly attracting the attention of both public sector bureaucrats seeking justification for providing public sources to SDI and SDI practitioners requiring a measure of success of their SDI strategy. In recent years, a shift from an intuitive to more rational SDI assessments can be observed. SDI monitoring and evaluation is becoming operational and is already part of some SDI implementations and practices. Based on an analysis of the operational monitoring systems of the Dutch national SDI (GIDEON), the European SDI (INSPIRE) and the Catalan SDI (IDEC). We describe, analyze and compare comprehensively the design and application of operational SDI monitoring systems and identify common issues to be taken into account for monitoring of SDIs. This can support further improvement of evaluation practices and operational setups of SDI monitoring systems

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order (2006) duties

This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order (2006) duties. These duties require public authorities in Northern Ireland to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and to encourage the participation of disabled people in public life. The duties also require public authorities to produce disability action plans and to report annually on progress towards disability equality. The report provides a framework for evaluation of progress and applies this to provide an assessment of the implementation of these duties up to 2009 and makes recommendations to improve the effectiveness and implementation of the duties

Post-2015 WASH targets and indicators: a review from a Human Rights Perspective

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The Impact of Enlightened Shareholder Value

This paper documents and analyses the findings of a study conducted in relation to selected reports of all of the retail companies that are listed on the FTSE 100 in order to ascertain the impact of enlightened shareholder value on UK corporate governance. The findings are also analysed in light of other studies and commentary

E-government: A comparison of strategies in local authorities in the UK and Norway

In Europe almost all countries have implemented some form of e-government, not to mention the UK and Norway which are now both well into their sixth year of e-government implementation. These six years have seen various strategic plans formulated, implemented and also intermittently postponed in the two countries. Although time may result in the amplification of e-government experience for Norway and the UK, the postponement of implementation deadlines indicates that not only political and social issues, but also strategic and organisational issues need to be addressed when formulating plans for deploying e-government. Using empirical research this paper examines the strategies adopted by the UK and Norway in the context of aligning central and local government plans for implementing e-government services. While technical, political and social issues are considered as key areas to be addressed in any e-government exploitation plan; this paper examines how different perspectives on e-government definition, strategy, awareness and related organisational change influence implementation. The need to align central and local e-government plans, guidelines for local level implementation, user centred solutions, strong leadership and a common understanding of the definition of e-government are highlighted in the paper as some of the key components of good e-government implementation practice