The ‘Electronic Government Model for World Heritage Cities’ project, launched by UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) in 2006 and financed by the Government of Spain through its Ministry of Public Administration, was officially closed in Quito on 24 November.

During the ceremony chaired by Quito’s Mayor, Mr Paco Moncayo, representatives of the three participating cities, Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Cusco (Peru) and Quito (Ecuador), shared the experiences derived from the project and evaluated its results.

The project succeeded in sensitizing local governments and citizens on the benefits of e-government services as well as in promoting the use of ICT to foster transparency and accountability, while encouraging citizens’ participation in decision-making processes at the municipal government level. The right to access information was the underlying principle in each of its different components.