Welcome to the United Nations
Five years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is clear that there is a strong commitment and momentum for implementation in the decade of action for the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also clear that implementing the SDGs presents major challenges for Member States, particularly when compounded with the need to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the year 2020 witnessed unprecedented challenges to the world amidst the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and quarantine measures underway to contain the virus, digital solutions by leveraging ICTs and digital government have become critical to delivering essential public services and keeping people informed and engaged. Digital government, highly reliant on real-time data and analytics and full data sharing across government institutions and among stakeholders, has also enabled Government to prioritize and make rapid policy decisions, streamline institutional coordination and business processes, and empower local authorities to address COVID-19 at frontline. Yet, with more swift and assertive digital efforts by leveraging ICTs and digital government for effective responses to address the virus, concerns have re-emerged over data privacy, the digital divides, and lack of digital capacities in many countries. Read more