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The Background to the ICA

1. Background to ICA
2. History of the ICA (1.8Mb PDF)
3. Purpose of ICA
4. Current ICA Membership
5. ICA's Relation to other Major Organisations
6. Benefits of an ICA Membership
7. Annual ICA Conference
8. ICA Publications
9. ICA Study Groups
10. Criteria for Membership
11. National Representatives
12. Requests for Membership and Subscriptions
    

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Background to ICA

The International Council for Information Technology in Government Administration (ICA) is a nonprofit international association. It promotes and facilitates the informal exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences on the management, organizational impact and use of information technology (IT). Annual conferences, study groups, regular publications and frequent contacts between ICA members and associates are used to achieve ICA's goals.

ICA was established in 1968 as a result of an international symposium that was held in Jerusalem. Originally known as the Intergovernmental Council for ADP, it took its present name in 1986.

A fuller account of the history of the Council and the factors affecting its development may be found in the ICA publication 'ICA - A Unique Contribution to International Cooperation' which was published in September 2000. You can download the document as an Adobe PDF file.

Download the History of the ICA (1.8Mb PDF)

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Purpose of ICA

ICA provides officials in national governments with a vehicle for addressing key issues and emerging policies related to the initiation, development and implementation of computer-based systems in and by the public sector. It is an international forum for the support of senior management in the formulation of IT policy to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government administration.

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Current ICA Membership

ICA’s current membership has representation from the following 26 nations: Australia, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Taiwan, Spain, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Chairpersons from ten different countries have inspired, led and managed ICA for various durations since its inception.

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ICA's Relation to other Major Organisations

ICA maintains ongoing relations with several international organizations with activities in the IT field, for example:

• The European Commission in Brussels
• The Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT)
• European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA)
• International Institute for Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
• Conferencia de Autoridades Iberoamericanas de Informatica (CAIBI)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP)

These relations mainly take the form of mutual attendance at meetings and conferences and the sharing of best practices and contacts in emerging technology management.

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Benefits of an ICA Membership

ICA's annual three-day conference gives members an opportunity to participate in establishing a comprehensive picture of IT trends around the world. The Annual Conference's 'round table' allows each member country to report on major events related to the management and use of IT and to solicit assistance from colleagues. Additionally, the working group sessions provide an opportunity for debate with other ICA members and for the identification and analysis of significant topics important to all jurisdictions.

ICA provides access to timely and relevant IT information. The Internet provides access to the ICA web site (managed in the UK) and to those functions that allow communication with ICA colleagues in 25 countries.

ICA-sponsored Study Groups provide valuable experience in working with colleagues from other countries and with different cultures on practical issues of common infrastructure and policy. ICA Study Groups have a history of anticipating worldwide issues of major concern to IT managers and public policy executives.

ICA membership facilitates the building of IT contacts in 25 countries and other major organizations. These contacts help members, their governments and allied organizations to base the planning and implementation of their IT activities on knowledge of what works across the world.

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Annual ICA Conference

ICA's major event is the Annual Conference. The practice is to rotate conferences among member countries. Recent ones have been hosted by:

• Bratislava, in Slovakia (1999)
• Canada, in Ottawa (2000)
• Germany, in Berlin (2001)
• Singapore (2002)
• Estonia, in Tallinn (2003)
• Cyprus, in Limassol (2004)
• Austria, in Salzburg (2005)
• Mexico, in Guadalajara (2006)

Each conference is organized around an overarching theme, one that is of strategic interest for ICA members. The conference format allows delegates, normally no more than five per jurisdiction, to share knowledge through formal presentations, panels, working groups, plenary sessions and round table discussions.

Topics covered in recent conferences have included:

• At the Gates of the Millennium
• Government in the "E" World; (To "E" or not to "E")
• Innovating and Transforming Government through Information Technology
• Real-time Government: Collaboration at the next level
• E-Gov FAQs: Searching for the Right Answers
• Anticipating the Citizen's Needs in the 21st Century
• Whole Of Government - Filling The Holes

This year the theme for the 41st Conference is "Building Trust Through Transformational Government".

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ICA Publications

All ICA publications can be found on this web site www.ica-it.org. ICA publish a "General Issue" every year. This publication provides a forum for regular in-depth consideration of topical issues. It contains the latest news on ICA activities as well as articles of general interest to those concerned with the use of IT in the public sector. In addition, once a year, the Proceedings Edition of ICA Information provides a full record of ICA's Annual Conference. Study Group Reports are special publications. ICA also publishes occasional documents and advice on topics of current interest.

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ICA Study Groups

Between conferences, ICA commissions international Study Groups to consider topics of special interest. Six to nine members normally form a Study Group. They are selected for the variety of their experiences and to represent different areas of IT. Non-lT members are sometimes considered depending on the topic to be studied. Normally, Study Groups emphasize policy and management issues related to the use of IT resources by national governments. They are active for up to two years, or less for "fast-track" analysis, and prepare a formal report describing the results of research conducted across member countries. Findings and recommendations are included in these reports which are presented at an Annual Conference then published by the Council on its web site. A report on "Security - Policy Technology and Operational Aspects" will be published this year.

Examples of published Study Group Reports include:

• Information Sharing Within and Between Departments
• Government Secure Intranets
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) - Portfolio Management Awareness Survey 2004
• Knowledge Management within Government Administration
• Security, Policy, Technological and Operational Aspects

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Criteria for membership

Any national government concerned with the use of IT for central administration and service delivery that agrees to the purpose and working procedures of the organization may seek membership in ICA. Membership is restricted to one such national body for each country. The annual fee is £2000 (from 2001). A formal application for membership, signifying agreement to the purpose and working procedures of ICA, should be submitted in writing to the ICA Board of Officers. The application should identify the status of the body applying for membership in the name of its country and state its ability to represent its government's IT policy and activities. The ICA Chairman and Board of Officers will consider each application for membership and make a recommendation of acceptance at the next annual general meeting of the ICA Council. The Council will decide by vote on the acceptance of a new member.

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National Representatives

Each member country or organization appoints a National Representative and a Deputy National Representative to the ICA Council. National Representatives actively participate in ICA's work on behalf of the member country or organization and are responsible for contributing to the formulation of ICA policy and priorities, participation in Study Groups, for electing its officials and for ensuring its financial stability. The National Representative is the prime contact for the Programme Committee in setting up the Annual Conference, for the Treasurer in arranging for payment of the annual membership fee, for the Vice-Chairman in establishing Study Groups for the Editor in producing ICA publications.

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Requests for Membership and Subscriptions

Applications for membership and requests for subscriptions or for individual copies of ICA publications should be addressed to:

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