Parliaments across the world slow to go online

A press conference in second life

Only 10 per cent of parliaments in the EU, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Canada use the internet to reach out to the citizens, according to a recently published UN report. The figures are interesting, if you consider that 21.9 % of the world population is online.

The World e-Parliament Report 2008, produced by The Global Centre for ICT, documents how parliaments around the world are using, or planning to use ICT, to connect, engage with and fulfil their responsibility to their constituencies. It also shares lessons learned and good practices from different regions and institutions around the world.

It reported that out of the 105 national legislatures participating in the survey, only 10 per cent were “leading” when it came to using websites, webstreaming sessions, communicating with citizens. Most parliaments had difficulties in keeping their websites up to date and accessible to the wide public, and failed to make available vital documents such as text of bills online.

There is definately a link between national income and the level of ICT used in and by parliaments, but the survey reported tha it was not only poor countries that failed in their online management.

What do yout think, is this a significant digital divide, a democractic deficit? or do parliaments engage with their citizens in sufficient other ways?