Several years after the acceptance of Electronic Government by governments worldwide as part of their reform initiatives, there is a growing recognition that over-reliance on technology, insufficient collaboration in government, lack of emphasis on building human capacity and inadequate public consultation all limit possible benefits of such initiatives. As a result, the focus has been shifting from technology-enabled improvements in government operations (Electronic Government) to improvements in interactions between government, citizens, businesses and civil society (Electronic Governance). Under the new focus, it is no longer acceptable to let technical or organizational issues drive Electronic Governance initiatives alone. Instead, a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder and community-oriented approach is required.

The approach is promoted by the series of International Conferences on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV). The aim of the series, established by the United Nations University through the UNU-IIST Center for Electronic Governance, is to bring together practitioners, developers and researchers from government, academia, industry and non-governmental organizations to share the latest findings in the theory and practice of Electronic Governance. Following its first two editions in Macao, China (ICEGOV2007) and Cairo, Egypt (ICEGOV2008), ICEGOV established its identity as:

• A Global Conference - ICEGOV consistently attracts submissions from more than 45 countries, including over 60% representation from developing and transition countries.
• A Multi-Stakeholder Conference - ICEGOV is well attended by all major stakeholders of technology enabled innovation in government: government, academia, industry and NGOs.
• A Networking Conference - ICEGOV brings participation from across thematic, national, and development borders, with common interests in transformational use of technology in government.
• A Research and Practice Conference - ICEGOV includes a healthy balance of research-, practice- and solution-related work - looking at technology, at the processes surrounding its implementation and management, or at the wider context of Electronic Governance.
• A Capacity Building Conference - ICEGOV features a rich program of invited talks, invited sessions, tutorials, workshops, panel discussions, posters, demos, etc. all taught, moderated or organized by leading researchers and practitioners in the area.
• An International Development Conference - The focus on Electronic Governance helps consider how government investments in technology, resulting in expected social and economic benefits, contribute to the fulfillment of the national development goals.
• A UN Conference - With international development focus, with United Nations University as the founder of and the main force behind its editions, and with several UN organizations being actively involved, ICEGOV exhibits a strong UN character.

The 3rd International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2009) will take place in Bogota, Colombia during 10 - 13 November 2009, under the patronage of the Ministry of Communication, Government of Colombia, and co-organized by: (1) Center for Electronic Governance at United Nations University IIST, (2) Observatorio de Sociedad, Gobierno y Tecnologías de Información, Universidad Externado de Colombia, and (3) Programa Gobierno en línea, Ministry of Communication.