eRegulations.

ORG
A TURN-KEY E-GOVERNMENT TOOL FOR BUSINESS FACILITATION
Making administrative procedures transparent, swift and efficient is an essential part of an enabling environment for private sector development, good governance and the rule of law. UNCTAD has created a web-based eGovernment system called eRegulations to help developing countries and countries in transition work towards better business facilitation, simplification and automation of rules and procedures relating to investment and income generating activities. This system contributes to greater transparency and efficiency in the public service, improved governance and cost reduction. The eRegulations system currently exists in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America (www.eRegulations.org).

Procedures seen from users point of view All steps clearly listed For each step, contact data, forms, costs, duration, legal basis and complaints are listed

Business facilitation Simplification of procedures eGovernment Government 2.0

Objectives of the system

Provide full transparency on rules and procedures by offering stepby-step descriptions of all necessary administrative procedures, seen from the user's viewpoint; Help governments simplify procedures by allowing identification of unnecessary steps and requirements; easy

Promote good governance by increasing the awareness of administrative rules and procedures, thereby establishing the conditions for a balanced dialogue between the users and civil servants; Set a basis for regional & international harmonization of rules by facilitating the exchange of good practices among countries.

A turn-key eGovernment tool

The eRegulations system allows Governments to present administrative procedures online in a detailed and precise way in several languages. It gives governments a complete vision of how their policies are put into practice. They can see through the system the number of entities involved in each procedure, the requested forms, the total cost and processing time and can check whether the administrative practice follows the legal basis for each procedure.

UNCTAD BUSINESS FACILITATION PROGRAMME

Clearly structured procedures

Procedures are detailed step by step, from the user's point of view. For each step, the system shows what is expected at the end, who are the civil servants in charge, the forms and other documents required, the cost if any, the processing time, the legal justification of the step and ways of complaints and recourse in case of disagreement. The information is certified by the entities in charge of each step.

A platform for simplification

Documenting procedures in detail through the eRegulations system is an opportunity for administrations to review their procedures and to rationalize them. The system makes it easy to see if procedures conform to the rules and simplify them when they are not.

A tool for democratic governance

Users can send ideas for simplification of procedures, report incorrect information or send complaints through the system and be sure that their messages reach the civil servants in charge of those procedures. This makes eRegulations a useful, interactive and participatory Gov 2.0 tool for democratic governance.

A directory of institutions, forms and laws

The system also provides an online directory of laws, institutions and administrative forms which can easily be updated by the administrations in charge of each procedures.

Implementation process
The eRegulations system is implemented by UNCTAD in requesting countries. The system is visible online after a few weeks and documenting the main business procedures such as company creation, work permits and land acquisition usually takes about six months. In a second phase, UNCTAD assists governemnts in building their capacity to update the system and document more procedures, to identify simplification possibilities, and to promote awareness of rules and regulations among national and international businesses. Once clarified and simplified, procedures can be computerized by implementing UNCTADs eRegistration system.

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT Division on Investment and Enterprise - Investment Capacity-Building Branch - Palais des Nations, 1211 Genve 10, Switzerland Tel. +41 22 917 55 61 - Fax. +41 22 917 01 94 | frank.grozel@unctad.org - www.eregulations.org

UNCTAD BUSINESS FACILITATION PROGRAMME