LIMA, Nov 2 (NNN-ANDINA) — Top government authorities from the Americas, Asia, and Europe will convene on Nov 10-11 in Lima for the region’s most important meeting on electronic government, the Inter-American Development Bank has announced.
The Seventh Digital Government Ministerial Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in conjunction with the 16th Annual Meeting of the Electronic Government Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (GEALC Network), which is organizing this summit in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Peruvian Secretariat of Digital Government and Transformation.
The event will foster discussion about innovative solutions to make public administrations more efficient and strengthen their capacity to meet citizens’ needs. It will also be a space for sharing experiences and best practices.
This meeting comes at a pivotal moment for Latin America and the Caribbean: following the pandemic, its digital transformation is gaining high-level momentum to achieve regional integration, as well as reinvigorate an inclusive and productive economy and society.
The meeting’s keynote speaker will be Fernando de Pablo Martin, General Director of Digital Government of Madrid —a city that tops the United Nations’ digital transformation rankings.
The summit will also feature presentations from countries in other regions, like Korea, Estonia, and Portugal, as well as international bodies like the IDB, the OAS, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Telecommunication Union.
The summit’s plenary sessions will be open to the public. Anyone involved in technology, public policy, academia, civil society, and the private sector can participate.
On the first day of the summit, the IDB will unveil its Guide to Digital Transformation for Governments. This document is one of the most complete guides to digital transformation. It aims to support the public sector in Latin America and the Caribbean as it undertakes a crosscutting, comprehensive, and citizen-centered digitization process.
Also, during the first day, event participants will vote to choose the winners of the excelGOB award for excellence in digital government.
The award has two categories: 1) digital transformation and cross-border digital services, with special mentions for gender-sensitive approaches and emerging technologies; and 2) open data. The excelGOB awards showcase the best solutions for citizen-centered public management implemented by the region’s governments, and they disseminate and systematize the region’s best practices in digital government.
The second day will include the first test run of the regional scheme for cross-border electronic signatures. By allowing countries to recognize each other’s digital signatures, this mechanism will enable reliable and secure electronic transactions between countries and further the region’s integration.
This ministerial summit advances the Regional Program for Digital Transformation approved at the Ninth Summit of the Americas, organized by the OAS in Los Angeles, United States, on June 8-10. This program commits to pursuing innovative digital ecosystems, open and digital government, cybersecurity, plus “inclusive, resilient, efficient, and equitable” economic recovery “using digital technologies.”
Since the GEALC Network was established 19 years ago, senior officials from member countries have attended bi-annual ministerial meetings and annual meetings to chart a path for using information and communication technologies in the region’s public policies.
The Electronic Government Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (GEALC Network), backed by the OAS and the IDB, is the main mechanism for governments in the region to coordinate and exchange knowledge on digital policies. — NNN-ANDINA
