UNDP lauds Guatemala’s digital transformation efforts, offers recommendations

Guatemala is on the journey to digitization, but its national digital ID still faces administrative and cultural hurdles, according to a new post on the blog of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The piece explores Guatemala’s engagement with the UNDP’s Digital Readiness Assessment (DRA), which aims to accelerate inclusive digital transformation by convening with diverse stakeholders from government, the business world, civil society groups and academics. It says that in Guatemala, “UNDP led the process in close collaboration with the Presidential Commission on Open and Electronic Government (GAE), and Red Ciudadana, a civil society organization focused on promoting democracy and bringing people closer to public policy participatory processes. The process engaged more than 100 stakeholders and included the analysis of 30 datasets and over 50 documents.”

While Guatemala scored high on connectivity, entrepreneurial environment, public uptake, political leadership and a coherent vision for digital transformation, it faces many of the same challenges seen in digitization efforts across the globe. Of particular note is the issue of regulation: “the rapid pace of technological advancement often outstrips regulatory adaptations,” says the blog. “In Guatemala, strengthening data protection standards and enablers for e-commerce are important priorities.” The post says that a broader analysis of gaps in existing regulatory and legislative frameworks and policies could also be crucial to successful digital transformation.

A core challenge is Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), encompassing data exchange layers, digital payment mechanisms, and national digital ID. “While Guatemala has made strides in this area, launching the Open Data Portal by the Ministry of Finance, issues related to timely data updates and adequate data management and governance still exist,” says the post. It cites awareness, a lack of necessary digital skills and technical limitations as hindrances to widespread uptake and development of DPI.

“Although there are strong institutional and legal bases to amplify use, there’s a need to invest in technical expertise and digital solutions,” says the post, pointing to the scattered digital payment initiatives at various levels of government.

Human-centric design and robust safeguards are essential for DPI

In light of the DRA, the UNDP is offering several recommendations for Guatemala moving forward. First is to build “a sustainable DPI approach,” including “building robust governance to ensure safeguards are in place, and strengthening the local digital ecosystems on which the success of DPI implementation lies.” Equality is a key concern, and “safeguards should involve incorporating gender responsive measures” and be “built on a rights-based framework that promotes inclusivity and equitable access.” To this end, the country has already joined the Digital Public Goods Alliance, “a multi-stakeholder initiative with a mission to accelerate the attainment of the sustainable development goals in low- and middle-income countries by facilitating the discovery, development, use of, and investment in, digital public goods”.

It also recommends bolstering connectivity to close gaps and adopting “a design thinking mindset focused on people.”

“A people-centered approach that champions participation, interaction, and user-centric design is paramount,” say the authors of the blog, Shabnam Sabetian and Sebastien Hurtado. “From enabling better feedback to more effective evaluation of digital adoption, this approach will ultimately transform how a country goes about developing products, services and processes as part of its digital transformation.”

Article Topics

data protection  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  gender inclusivity  |  Guatemala  |  social protection  |  standards  |  UNDP