Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development - Press Conference | UN DESA

Summary

The UN E-Government Survey 2024 highlights the global shift toward digital transformation for sustainable development. It assesses digital government capabilities across 193 countries, emphasizing the growing role of AI, digital infrastructure, and inclusivity. Despite significant progress, regional disparities persist, with 1.37 billion people lacking digital access. The survey introduces a Digital Government Model Framework, providing a roadmap for effective digital governance. Countries like Denmark, Estonia, and South Korea lead, while Africa and Oceania face challenges in affordability. The report stresses the importance of governance, investment, and collaboration to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable growth in digital services.

Takeaways

• 😀 The UN e-Government Survey 2024 focuses on accelerating digital transformation for sustainable development across all 193 member states.
• 🌍 Global digital government development has progressed significantly, with increased investments in technology and infrastructure, particularly after the pandemic.
• 📉 Despite improvements, 1.37 billion people still lack access to digital services, particularly in least developed and landlocked countries.
• 📊 The survey introduces the Digital Government Model Framework, providing a roadmap for governments to plan, implement, and assess digital transformation initiatives.
• 🤖 Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers great potential for improving public services, but its application must be carefully managed to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability.
• 💻 Regional disparities in digital development persist, with Europe leading, followed by Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa, where many countries still fall behind the global average.
• 🌏 The digital divide is a significant issue, especially in Africa and Oceania, where countries face substantial challenges in achieving digital equity.
• 🏙️ Local governments play a crucial role in digital transformation, but smaller cities face difficulties in digital service delivery due to funding and privacy concerns.
• 🌐 The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have seen impressive progress in digital government, largely driven by cooperation rather than competition among member states.
• 📈 The survey highlights that the number of countries adopting AI legislation is increasing, though there's still a gap in integrating AI regulations into broader digital government strategies.
• 💡 The report emphasizes the importance of making digital government services affordable and inclusive, particularly for underserved regions like Africa and Oceania.

Q & A

What is the focus of the UN E-Government Survey 2024?

The focus of the UN E-Government Survey 2024 is to accelerate digital transformation for sustainable development, assessing the digital government capacities of all 193 UN member states. It highlights the global progress and challenges in enhancing digital government services, with an emphasis on inclusivity, accessibility, and the ethical use of emerging technologies like AI.

What are the key findings of the 2024 E-Government Survey?

The key findings include a global increase in digital government development, accelerated during the post-pandemic recovery. However, significant digital divides persist, especially for the 1.37 billion people without internet access. The report also highlights regional disparities, particularly in Africa and Oceania, and the need for stronger governance frameworks to manage the ethical use of AI.

How does the 2024 survey address the digital divide?

The 2024 survey identifies substantial progress in closing the digital divide but emphasizes that 1.37 billion people remain without internet access, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), landlocked countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The survey calls for collective, innovative action to bridge these gaps by 2030.

What role does AI play in the future of digital government?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant opportunities to improve public services but must be managed with care. The survey suggests that AI’s application must ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability. Strong governance frameworks are needed to mitigate the risks associated with AI while maximizing its benefits for public administration.

What is the Digital Government Model framework introduced in the 2024 survey?

The Digital Government Model framework, introduced in the 2024 survey, provides countries with a roadmap for planning, implementing, and assessing digital government initiatives. The framework emphasizes the importance of leveraging technology to enhance public service delivery, promote inclusivity, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How are regions performing in terms of digital government development?

Asia has shown the highest growth in digital government, driven by both long-time leaders like Korea and Singapore, as well as emerging nations like India and Mongolia. Europe remains a leader, followed by the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. However, Africa and Oceania still face significant challenges, with their average digital government scores remaining below the global average.

How is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) performing in digital government development?

The GCC countries have shown remarkable progress in digital government development, largely due to cooperation among the member states. This collaboration has propelled the region to become a global leader in digital governance, with high levels of investment and advancement in infrastructure and services.

What role does affordability play in digital government development?

Affordability is a critical challenge, especially in regions like Africa. The survey introduced a new indicator on affordability, highlighting the vast differences in the cost of digital services between regions, such as between North America and Africa. Reducing these costs is crucial to ensuring that digital government services are accessible to all.

How does the survey assess local government digitalization?

The survey evaluates local government digitalization through the Local Online Service Index (LOSI), which assesses the digital capabilities of cities. Major cities such as Madrid, Talin, and Riyadh are recognized for their leadership in providing efficient digital services, but smaller cities often face challenges due to limited resources and lack of online presence.

What are the implications of AI legislation in digital governance?

While many countries have started implementing AI legislation, the report highlights that the number of countries with robust AI regulations is still insufficient compared to those with well-established digital government strategies. There is a need for synchronized efforts to integrate AI governance into broader digital government frameworks to ensure effective and responsible implementation.