Ministry of Digital Economy launches e-participation policy

AMMAN — The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship has prepared an e-participation policy defining the roles and responsibilities of government agencies in enabling e-participation, on aspects related to information, consultations, or decisions.

The e-participation policy consists of three pillars: E-information, e-consultation and e-decision-making, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

E-information seeks to provide information in an “understandable” form that guarantees easy and comprehensive access. 

The second pillar, e-consultation, seeks to conduct public consultations to obtain opinions of stakeholders and interested parties about the government’s work.

E-decision-making, the third pillar, involves engaging beneficiaries in the decision-making process.

The Cabinet, which has approved the 2021 Jordan E-Participation Policy, has sent the document to all ministries, institutions and government agencies to comply with its content.

The e-participation policy aims to activate e-tools to enhance societal participation in government legislation and decision-making and improve the quality of public services. The policy also aims to enhance transparency, increase confidence in the government and improve the flow and access to information.

The policy is applied to all laws, plans, instructions and regulatory tools issued by government agencies, municipalities and governorates, to make decisions that better suit the needs of beneficiaries.

According to the document, the government will also work to promote women’s e- participation by monitoring public dialogue to reduce sexism and all forms of hate speech.

The government, in cooperation with the National Committee for Women’s Affairs, will also study the mechanisms to empower women digitally and integrate them in the government’s plans.

The Council of Ministers will receive an annual report outlining the government departments’ commitment to the e-participation policy. The report will also include necessary legislation and guidelines to facilitate the implementation and application of the policy.