Ten Key Elements for Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19

13 October 2020

¹The blog is adapted from an opening address delivered at the webinar Capacity Development Webinar on “Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19

The year 2020 witnessed unprecedented challenges amidst the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and quarantine measures underway to contain the virus, digital solutions - by leveraging ICTs and digital government, particularly AI, big data analytics, and robotics - have become critical to both government and non-government sectors.

Indeed, the COVID-19 crisis has provided an unprecedented opportunity for Governments to accelerate digital transformation, including digital government. In this context, digital government, which is highly reliant on real-time data and analytics, has enabled Governments:

to make rapid policy decisions,
streamline institutional coordination and business processes,
empower local authorities to address COVID-19 at the frontline and
ensure effective delivery of online services.

While the opportunities offered by the digital transformation are many, so are the challenges. Concerns have re-emerged over data privacy, the digital divides, poor ICT infrastructure in many countries, and lack of digital capacities. The general public is also demanding that their governments move quickly and take strong action in promoting and strengthening non-contact-based industries, such as distant education, telemedicine and remote employment.

Vulnerable groups, who are most affected by the digital divides and are lagging behind in the process of digital transformation, are also calling on governments to ensure an inclusive digital transformation. Increasingly, governments are expected to provide customized and personalized services to address the special demands from different parts and sectors of society.

To address some of these challenges, countries have started to review their national strategies for digital transformation in the context of pursuing a sustainable and resilient recovery in the Post-COVID-19 Era. Others have proposed new digital roadmaps or initiatives for revitalizing their economy and improving national competitiveness. Many Governments are also further expanding their digital infrastructure by developing AI, big data, cloud computing, and 5G. Some of these initiatives are included in a recent Compendium of Digital Government Initiatives in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, published by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Country experience suggests that effective digital transformation strategies and roadmaps for sustainable and resilient recovery from COVID-19 should include the following ten key elements:

committed and transformational leadership at the highest level;
alignment of a country’s digital transformation strategy with mid- and long-term development plans, and more holistic digital strategies and plans at both national and sub-national levels through whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches;
policy and legislative frameworks for data privacy and cybersecurity;
flexible and customized policies and services for special areas, such as health, education, employment, social protection, among others;
data sharing and data integration to overcome data silos across governments and sectors and enhanced interoperability;
digital social inclusion strategies to ensure that the digital transformation leaves no one behind;
harnessing frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to provide more effective services, for example in rural areas;
mid- and long-term investment in ICT infrastructure, including for the so-called “non-contact industries”;
capacity building of both government and non-governmental stakeholders; and
creating an enabling digital ecosystem and mobilizing resources for digital government transformation.

This is a long list of tasks, but it is the only pathway forward. Furthermore, the impact of the pandemic is trans-boundary and requires concerted action from all countries. The call for global digital cooperation and solidarity is more urgent than ever as digital technologies and innovation stand at the center of effective and innovative responses and recovery strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from Governments, other non-governmental stakeholders also play a critical role in promoting global digital cooperation. Partnerships are key to an effective digital government transformation.

by Mr. Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs