1. An E-Government Policy that outlines the wider vision, mission, guiding principles and core objectives that are to shape the delivery of government services in Belize during the next three to five years; 2. A set of roadmap strategies for the design of effective E-Government platforms based on the agreed EGovernment Policy framework; 3. An E-Government action plan that gives direction to the roadmap, detailing the steps, timelines, potential partners and/or resources to implement the strategies and achieve the vision for E-Government in Belize; 4. An ICT Innovation Policy that outlines the wider vision, mission, guiding principles and core objectives that are to shape the development of ICT and innovation in Belize during the next three to five years; 5. A set of high-level projects and roadmap strategies for the design of effective ICT Innovation platforms based on the agreed ICT Innovation Policy framework. These five components are intended to be complementary, with delivery of E-Government services being a driver for ICT innovation in Belize even as local advances in the ICT sector support innovation in E-Government. The ultimate goal is to improve Belize’s governance mechanisms, increase efficiency, enhance competitiveness, encourage innovation, attract new and more appropriate flows of foreign investment, and assist Belize in becoming a nation capable of leaping beyond old models of economic development to embrace and refine creative ways of engaging internally, with the region, and with the world. This intervention is critical now for a number of reasons, not least of which is Belize’s relatively poor performance in terms of global development standards and technology benchmarks when measured against the best in class. Moreover, stakeholders across all key sectors express the very strong view that the country’s existing policy, regulatory and governance frameworks in relation to ICT are simply not fit for purpose, running counter to best-inclass global trends and negatively impacting the competitiveness of the business sector and, by extension, the national economy. Analysis of WEF and other global rankings, comprehensive exchanges with stakeholders, research into the local ICT sector, and uncovering of global best practices have resulted in identification of the seven (7) strategic themes this Policy will use to guide E-Government development and implementation in Belize over the course of the next three to five years. These seven strategic themes are: 1. Public Sector Infrastructure Development: Building out a world-class Government Wide-Area Network (GWAN) for the Belize public sector using common and shared platforms that enable delivery of robust, seamless, user-friendly, end-to-end E-Government and ICT services internally and to external clients. 2. Creative Regulatory Reform: Designing and implementing pioneering policy and regulatory approaches to ICT adoption and usage in the public service that allow E-Government to flourish in a secure environment. 3. Targeted Human Capacity Development: Shaping public sector frameworks for training, education and career-long learning that bridge significant existing deficiencies in individual and overall human capacity. 4. Improved Government Efficiency: Enhancing public sector responsiveness and the diffusion and use of ICT by upgrading existing delivery channels, creating new channels for delivery, designing compelling new content and services, changing the culture of bureaucracy and developing appropriate governance models. 9