UK, Ukraine and Estonia Commit to Trilateral Cooperation on e-Governance
The UK, Ukraine and Estonia have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on e-governance.
On 13 December 2023, the UK, Ukraine and Estonia signed a Memorandum on Cooperation setting out their commitment to a trilateral programme of activity on e-governance and digitalisation. The scope includes artificial intelligence, data, digital public services and digital innovation. It takes forward a commitment announced by The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan at the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.
Digital technologies have the capacity to revolutionise every aspect of how governments function, contributing to increased efficiency in the delivery of public services. Digitalisation can also facilitate transparent processes and accountable decision-making and improve investor confidence.
At the June 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, the Government of Ukraine showcased its excellence in e-governance. Digitalisation has been a key part of Ukraine’s efforts to transform the state long before the start of the full-scale war and more than proved its worth in the early days of the invasion. Ukraine’s flagship e-governance app, Diia, is a world-leading innovation, delivering over 100 public services to over 50 per cent of the population, including those displaced internally or externally. As testament to its success, the Diia model is now being exported internationally.
Estonia, an established and leading digital nation, delivers 99 per cent of its government services online. Working closely with Ukraine, Estonia has recently announced the development of mRiik, its own e-governance app.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (representing a number of Government Departments), Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, are pleased to have signed a Memorandum on Cooperation on e-governance that will benefit all three countries and complement work already in progress. The cooperation will cover shared challenges and opportunities facing governments in working digitally and delivering services, and include knowledge-sharing on frontier issues and consideration of joint projects.
The Memorandum was signed by:
The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister of State;
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology and Minister for Digital Transformation;
Tiit Riisalo, Estonia’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Information Technology.