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Special Reports
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T h e C e n t r a l I n f o r m a t i o n
Technology Office (CITO) of Belize
is the core government agency of
Belize responsible for ICT functions.
CITO started collaborating with the
TaiwanICDF in 2013 to implement
the ICT Technical Cooperation
Project (Belize), becoming the main
driver behind e-government in the
country. Michelle Longsworth, the
director of CITO and key person of
this project, was a recipient of the
ICDF International Higher Education
Scholarship Program and completed
a Master’s degree in computer
science from National Tsing Hua
University (NTHU) of Taiwan.
Speaking of the ICT Technical
Cooperation Project (Belize) and the
implementation of corresponding
e-government policies, Michelle
points out that between 2014 and
2015, an import-export system based
on the World Customs Organization
(WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards
to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade
(SAFE Framework) was designed
with the TaiwanICDF’s assistance.
Databases from six trade-related
government departments (such
as the Belize Bureau of Standards,
the Fisheries Department and the
Forestry Department) were integrated
to establish Belize Electronic Licenses
and Permits System (BELAPS), a
comprehensive one-stop window for
customs and trade services. In 2015,
ISO 27001 standards for information
security management system (ISMS)
were introduced through a special
project and training on information
security was conducted. Support
and technical assistance provided
by Taiwanese consultants helped
to establish a common standard
for information security, strengthen
the utilization of information security
managemen t measu res , and
successfully achieve ISO 27001
certification.
Enhancing transparency of
government and its agencies
Michelle believes that the success
of the ISO 27001 project not only
resulted in CITO now having in
place properly documented policies,
implementation procedures compliant
with international standards, as
well as a more efficient and secure
network, but has also increased
CITO’s visibility around the country.
Michelle further emphasizes: “After
becoming an ISO 27001 certified
institution, other gover nment
agencies and private entities now
seek our services for guidance when
implementing their own ICT projects
to ensure that their internal audits
and risk management activities are
in line with ISO 27001 standards.
These efforts achieved an extremely
important benefit of enhancing the
transparency of the government and
its agencies.”
Michelle further points out: “We
have gained a lot from working with
the TaiwanICDF over these years.
In addition to sharing the capacity
and experience in developing
and implementing these complex
systems, we also learned a lot
about Taiwan’s professionalism
and culture in the IT sector. For
example, Taiwanese consultants
and TaiwanICDF project managers
made sure that support was available
at all times. Any requests we raised
were quickly answered with help
and assistance, setting our minds at
ease.”
The Belizean government has
great expectations for promoting
e-government. Despite shouldering
such heavy respons i b i l i t i es ,
Michelle is filled with confidence:
“Collaboration is the key to the
success of all projects. The CITO
staff cooperates closely with the
Taiwanese team. With everyone’s
wholehearted input, I am confident
that we will be able to provide better
and more efficient services in the
future, to build greater citizen trust,
participation and capacity to engage
in government processes. All these
would help our country to achieve the
government’s Horizon 2030 Vision
goals.”
Michelle Longsworth, Director, Central
Information Technology Office of Belize
Joint cooperation between the two sides
is the key to project success
1
Interview