CAF and OECD Assess Current State of E-governments

More than 50 officials and specialists from the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Barbados, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay, shared experiences on the implementation of digital government policies that can favor progress towards more resilient and responsive governments.

The Going Digital initiative aims to make a qualitative analysis of the current state of digital government policies and initiatives in each of CAF’s member countries, identifying trends, strengths and challenges for an effective and sustainable digital transformation of the region. The end result of this work will be a strategic study that will be available during the second half of 2021, with public policy recommendations at a regional scale, as well as a brief overview at the national and/or sub-national level.

The workshop was kicked off by Pablo Sanguinetti, CAF Vice President of Knowledge, CAF Director of Digital Innovation of the State, Carlos Santiso, Edwin Lau, Senior Director of the Directorate of Public Governance, and Barbara Ubaldi, leader of the Digital Government and Open Data Unit, representing the OECD.

Subsequently, participants presented government experiences in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and how digital governance and strategic use of data have contributed to streamlining and adapting the public sector to react to this new context, and in particular in enabling policies and implementing actions.

Barbara Ubaldi presented a framework for analysis and the experiences and lessons learned from OECD countries, while Maria Isabel Mejía, senior digital government specialist at CAF, presented evidence in Latin America, emphasizing that governments in the region have relied on data, artificial intelligence and new technologies to monitor, address and forecast the evolution of the pandemic, with the aim of designing and implementing public policies and taking measures to mitigate the impacts of the health care, economic and social crisis.

Siim Sikkut, Estonian Head of Digital Government and Jessica McEvoy, Deputy Director of National and International Research at the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), also presented the measures their governments have taken during the COVID-19 crisis, by enhancing the use of data in the provision of the services required during this healthcare crisis and lockdown, with a particular approach to providing public organizations with the necessary tools to implement digital solutions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In both cases, the importance of having operational digital platforms and officials with the skills necessary for online work to ensure continuity of provision of services required by the people was evident. Estonia implemented innovative solutions in the way health care services are provided, encouraging electronic consultation. In addition, government agencies in the United Kingdom, with the support of the GDS, designed a number of new services for citizens in a matter of days, capitalizing on the capabilities they had already developed and working collaboratively with the private sector.

Subsequently, a working session was held in which the participating countries were divided into four parallel online rooms. Using a training methodology and a digital tool that enabled interaction and discussion among participants, delegates from each country identified the strengths of their digital governance strategies, the main problems, as well as possible solutions

The conclusions of the workshop included:

• The governance of digital government was one of the key issues discussed in the event. Participating countries stressed the need for instruments to enable coherent policy implementation across the public sector horizontally (per sector) and vertically (in national and local government). The need for a digital governance strategy was identified as a top priority. Countries also underscored the need for political support and leadership to foster the development of digital government in the public sector.
• With regard to data-driven public sector policies, country representatives cited challenges to the strategic use of data. Several participants highlighted integration and interoperability mechanisms within the public sector, as well as the value of open data.
• Regarding public sector capabilities, discussions focused on skills within public sector organizations. Albeit from different perspectives, countries emphasized the need for strategies to attract, train and retain qualified public servants. Engaging with relevant stakeholders is another issue frequently cited both locally and internationally.
• With regard to digital innovation, countries stressed the importance of having tools to encourage experimentation and prototyping of solutions, promoting collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the digital ecosystem (in particular entrepreneurs, academics and public-private partnerships).
• Participants also focused on the design and provision of public services. Delegates cited repeatedly the need for reducing red tape and paperwork in the public sector, with different approaches: While some countries aim at paperless administrations, others emphasize the use of digital technologies to streamline and digitize procedures. The need for instruments such as digital identity is one of the region’s critical challenges.
• Lastly, participants made reference to the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean as another essential barrier to redefining digital services, in addition to the lack of infrastructure, connectivity, inclusion, tools and skills of the population in many areas of the region.