UN sees positive strides in digital government service delivery

Digital government has made major steps forward around the world over the past two years, according to a new report from the United Nations.

The 2024 E-Government Survey shows that the proportion of the global population left behind in digital government development has been reduced by half, from 45 percent in 2022 to 22.4 percent. The UN uses an “E-Government Development Index,” or EGDI, to compare countries to each other and past performance. EGDI scores from 71.5 percent of member nations have now reached levels the UN considers high or very high.

Denmark, Estonia and Singapore are, unsurprisingly, the world leaders in digital government. Estonia’s X-Road and digital identity initiatives have been identified as models to follow by governments around the world. Similarly, Singapore’s national digital ID has been examined as a positive example by governments in Japan and elsewhere.

Asia has made the most gains out of the five global regions examined, though several countries in the Americas also scored major increases in their EDGI score. Mauritius and South Africa are the first countries from Africa with very high EDGI scores.

“The Survey highlights the strides made in digital government and addressing the persistent digital divide, particularly in regions like Africa and Oceania. While the divide may not be fully bridged by 2030, the latest advancements present a significant opportunity,” says Li Junhua, United Nations under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs. “By accelerating efforts and adopting innovative, inclusive solutions, we can ensure that all nations benefit from the transformative power of digital government, making public administration more effective, resilient and equitable.”

Indonesia plans consolidation of digital public services

The SBPE digital government system Indonesia has been building up has already contributed to a dramatic rise in the country’s EDGI ranking, and received passing marks in a project assessment.

The World Bank has assessed the “ID for Inclusive Service Delivery and Digital Transformation in Indonesia” initiative as satisfactory in terms of progress towards its objectives, “moderately satisfactory” in terms of overall implementation progress and moderate in terms of overall risk rating.

The components of the program include $75.2 million for civil registration, $107.7 million for identity verification, digital identification and ICT infrastructure, and $67 million for adoption, capacity upgrades and project management.

The country was ranked 106th in the EDGI rankings in 2008, and is 64th in the latest rankings.

Indonesian government departments have released some 27,000 apps, the Jakarta Globe reports.

The INA Digital platform was introduced by Indonesia’s government in May to address this fragmentation. The platform reached its official launch on Monday, allowing access to health, education, social benefits and various services through digital ID. The government has budgeted 6.2 trillion Indonesian rupiahs (approximately US$386.3 million).

As part of the platform’s launch the State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry will gather feedback on the platform’s service portals and digital ID from between 10,000 and 40,000 users, according to Antara. Public services can be accessed through the INAku portal and government administrative processes through the INAgov portal, each utilizing the INApas digital ID.

Pilots will follow, region by region, throughout 2025.

Some 480 local governments in Indonesia, just under 88 percent of the total, have implemented digital transactions, Antara reports.

Article Topics

Asia  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital inclusion  |  financial inclusion  |  government services  |  Indonesia  |  United Nations  |  World Bank