C.A.R.M.EN - Budapest Delegates Hungry for CARMEN

The Carmen Project was on display at this year’s International eParticipation and Local Democracy Symposium in Budapest on 26-28 July. The event, which took place at the Inter Continental Hotel on the banks of the Danube, brought together over 300 delegates from across Europe and the world to discuss the evolving relationship between eGovernment and eParticipation and to critically re-examine the way in which ‘readiness’ in these areas is defined and measured globally.

The event was designed to attract a wide variety of delegates, with the intention of discussing where we are in eParticipation and eDemocracy, and what the direction this should take in the future. The organizers sought to ensure involvement from many different sectors to enable all those who work in the field had a voice in the discussions. For example, youth groups from the UK were sponsored to attend, to ensure a truly participatory event.

Partners of the symposium included the UN, Council of Europe, Department of Communities and Local Government (UK), the International Centre of Excellence for Local eDemocracy (ICELE), the National Association of Secretaries of State (USA) and the Politech Institute. These organisations were joined by politicians, civil servants and eDemocracy vendors and practitioners. Key sponsors of the event included Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Serco. All of these organisations demonstrated a willingness to work with governments and practitioners to ensure that the goals and outcomes of the discussions were carried forward.

The delegates were addressed by prominent speakers such as Andrew Pinder (Former UK eGovernment Envoy), Guido Bertucci (UNDESA), Paul DeGregorio (Chair of the US Election Assistance Commission) and Michael Cross (Guardian Newspaper, UK). Topics discussed included eVoting, Authentication, Social Inclusion and Youth Engagement and the conference was noted for its challenging agenda and the zeal of the participants involved, who were keen to learn from each other and share ‘Best Practice’ on all areas of eDemocracy and eParticipation. The desire to learn amongst the participants was demonstrated by the large numbers at master classes on blogging, accessibility and the UK Government Voice Toolkit.

The UN held a parallel session at the event entitled ‘e-Participation and e-Government: Understanding the Present and Creating the Future’, and the UN delegates provided interesting and significant contributions to discussion over the 3 days. Their speakers included prominent eDemocracy practitioners from across the world, including members of Accenture in the USA and Germany, government advisors from Spain, South Korea and Jordan, and academics from across Europe.

Carmen was represented at the event by Ken Bellamy and Gary Heane of Sheffield City as well as Susie Ruston of 21c Consultancy Ltd. Carmen leaflets were distributed amongst attendees through inclusion in the delegate bags, and a stand was set up in the exhibition area and manned by Sheffield. There was keen interest in the project from the delegates; particularly from those attending the session on Authentication, and interesting discussions took place on the project itself and the authentication agenda in general.

Carmen was further highlighted in the eGovernment Connections and Challenges session, where Gary Heane took to the rostrum to discuss Sheffield’s EU projects. The popular and lively session was chaired by Michael Remmert of the Council of Europe and also featured presentations from Dr Peter Blair, a UK Government Advisor, Jose Gricar of the University of Maribor, and Chris Newby, a Liverpool City Councillor and Chair of Eurocities.

The event as a whole was a great success. The three days of sessions and networking were enjoyed by all, and delegates left Budapest feeling energized and full of ideas and inspiration for the road ahead. The successful dissemination of Carmen at such a large and prestigious event was an important way to market the great work being done on the project, and allows for the sharing of knowledge across Europe.

For more information about the Symposium event please visit www.eparticipationsymposium.org