Digital Government

The UN E-Government Survey 2016 on “E-Government in Support of Sustainable Development” offers a snapshot of trends in the development of e-government in countries across the globe. According to the Survey more governments are embracing information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver services and to engage people in decision-making processes in all regions of the world.

The 2018 UN E-Government Survey is published as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advances to its third year. Governments have the critical responsibility to pursue policies and measures to build resilience and assist those most affected by shocks in achieving SDGs. They must find ways to anticipate disasters and shocks and lower their impact. Digital technologies are increasingly being used by governments to improve the response to disasters and other shocks to improve the resilience of communities.

The present policy brief is drawn from a recent study by ECA entitled “Towards improved access to broadband in Africa”. It summarizes the evidence on broadband access in Africa and provides key policy recommendations for consideration by African policymakers and decision-makers. It is hoped that it will contribute to explorations of how best to build up broadband infrastructure on the continent and thus make broadband services easily accessible and affordable to citizens and firms.

This report presents an assessment of the existing National Reporting Platform (NRP)s in ESCWA member countries and introduces the main seven characteristics and principals for designing and implementing a national data platform that enables countries to move towards achieving the SDGs.

Within the context of global digital transformation, Arab countries are largely lagging behind. This is substantiated by a host of economic indicators demonstrating weak levels of competitiveness and continuously increasing unemployment rates, pointing to considerable vulnerabilities in their economies.

This study investigates the laws that have an impact on fostering open government, specifically the right to access information. It also sheds light on the legislations that impact accountability such as the laws related integrity, anti-corruption, and protection of whistle-blowers.

GEMS indicator aims to measure the maturity of government services provided through the portal and through mobile applications in the Arab region. 

The aim of the training is to improve knowledge and enhance understanding of the complex nature and intersectoral challenges facing sustainable groundwater governance and management in the Arab region. The AWARENET Coordinator Mrs. Dima Kharbotli presented an overview of the network and its most prominent activities. 

A panel discussion on data policy is being held by the World Bank in conjunction with the National Center for Digital Economy of Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Institute for the Development of the Information Society.

Asia and the Pacific is a key driver of a technological revolution that is profoundly transforming the way we live, work and relate to one another. This Regional Conversation will discuss pathways to digital inclusion and innovation drawing from the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders.