WEF, Ukraine agree to work towards country's digital transformation

Its thematic focus will be the digital transformation of government, the development of e-government and widespread digital literacy, WEF said.

The World Economic Forum and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on Thursday said they will work together for the country’s digital transformation.

At the ongoing WEF Annual Meeting, they announced their mutual interest in establishing a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Ukraine with a focus on government technologies. The letter of intent to establish the GovTech centre in Kyiv was signed by WEF President Borge Brende and Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology, and Minister of Digital Transformation, Ukraine.

"We commend the inspirational work of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine as they implement a strong digitalisation agenda under the most challenging circumstances. This does not only prove the resilience of Ukraine’s government and citizens but also the digital infrastructure of the country," Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director of WEF, said. The creation of a new Centre in Ukraine would undoubtedly help Ukraine develop new partnerships and strengthen its GovTech agenda, he added.

In recent years, Ukraine has evolved into a global GovTech powerhouse, becoming the first country with a digital ID system that can be used across the nation and the fourth in Europe to launch a digital driving licence. In line with Ukraine’s goal to make 100 per cent of public services available online, almost 20 million Ukrainians are already using the Diia application, which allows them to access key documents and government services. In 2019, Ukraine re-invented the concept of the digital state, by choosing the mobile-first approach and launching the state super-app Diia. "This shaped the digital transformation culture within Ukraine, and has had an impact worldwide," Fedorov said.

"We have seen significant interest in the app from across the world and are honoured to work closely with the Estonian Government on the launch of their state app. I believe opening a C4IR on GovTech in Kyiv, jointly with the World Economic Forum, is a logical next step, and our team is excited to embark on this partnership," the deputy prime minister added. The intent to establish a GovTech centre in Ukraine comes a day after the Forum and GovTech Campus Deutschland announced the establishment of the Global Government Technology Centre in Berlin.

Upon the signing of a formal collaboration agreement, Ukraine will become only the second country to host a GovTech centre within the Forum’s C4IR Network. The ambition for such a centre in Kyiv would be to provide a platform to develop government technologies by uniting scientists, businesses, technology companies, the public sector and the global communities of the Forum. Its thematic focus will be the digital transformation of government, the development of e-government and widespread digital literacy, WEF said.