OASIS and World Bank Present Workshop on Open Standards for Government Transformation

Representatives from Canada, Ghana, New Zealand, U.S. and Others Discuss Public Financial Management, Secure Identity, Cloud Computing and Interoperability

Boston, MA, USA; 9 April 2009 — OASIS, the international open standards consortium, joins with the World Bank Group’s Global Information and Communication Technologies Department to invite representatives from the public and private sectors to participate in an eGovernment Workshop on 17 April in Washington, D.C. The workshop will explore the significance of open standards for efficient, citizen-centric and transformational government. Issues surrounding public financial management, e-procurement, security, and interoperability frameworks will be discussed. Participants in Washington will be joined via interactive video links with officials from developing countries where the World Bank supports e-Government projects, including Russia, Moldova, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. “The World Bank is committed to helping countries put in place the tools for effective, efficient government,” said Randeep Sudan, World Bank practice leader for e-Government. “We are pleased to join efforts with OASIS in this workshop. We hope to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences of countries that are currently implementing e-Government projects, and raise awareness about the importance of open standards.” “At this time of global economic crisis, when governments are planning major reforms of their regulatory regimens, it is imperative that consideration for open standards be part of the solution. Standards build trust, support greater transparency and accountability, and reinforce citizens’ confidence,” said Laurent Liscia, executive director of OASIS. “The OASIS eGov Member Section is privileged to work with the World Bank to promote the use of open standards for transformational government.” Sponsors of the workshop include IBM, Microsoft, and Adobe. There is no charge to attend; however, space is limited and advance registration is required. The workshop is being held in response to a successful event that was co-hosted by the OASIS eGov Member Section and the Belgian Federal Ministry of Finance (SPFF) in Brussels in February 2009. Representatives from more than 20 countries were in attendance. Additional information: http://events.oasis-open.org/home/egov-dc-workshop/2009 http://go.worldbank.org/ZCBGZ1FTK0 About OASIS: OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) drives the development, convergence, and adoption of open standards for the global information society. A not-for-profit consortium, OASIS advances standards for SOA, security, Web services, documents, e-commerce, government and law, localisation, supply chains, XML processing, and other areas of need identified by its members. OASIS open standards offer the potential to lower cost, stimulate innovation, grow global markets, and protect the right of free choice of technology. The consortium has more than 5,000 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries. http://www.oasis-open.org About The World Bank Group’s Global Information and Communication Technologies Department: The Global Information and Communication Technologies Department (GICT) is a joint department of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Working with both the public and private sectors, GICT serves as the World Bank Group’s core department for research, policy, investments and other programs related to ICT in developing countries. GICT provides governments, private companies, and civil society organizations with the expertise and capital needed to develop and apply ICTs to reduce poverty and foster development. http://www.worldbank.org/ict Press contact: Carol Geyer OASIS Director of Communications carol.geyer@oasis-open.org +1.978.667.5115 x209