The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are highly committed to digital government, but the inclusion and use of digital tools for citizen participation continue to be a challenge.

Representatives from the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay and experts from the United Nations discussed progress and challenges in the Latin American and Caribbean region to ensure that digital government continues to be a powerful engine for promoting a sustainable future. for all, during a meeting in which the results of the 2022 edition of the United Nations Survey on E-Government Development 2022: the future of digital government.

The virtual seminar United Nations Survey on the development of Electronic Government 2022: Advances and challenges of digital government in Latin America and the Caribbean, was held on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 and was organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Planning Economic and Social Organization (ILPES) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea.

At the meeting, experts from DESA United Nations presented the global and regional rankings and analytical findings of the United Nations E-Government Survey 2022, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. They also highlighted the main findings of the Online Local Services Index (OSI) which, for the first time in 2022, included assessments of digital government development in the most populous city in each of the 193 United Nations Member States.

In their presentations, the DESA United Nations experts highlighted that despite the multiple crises in the last two years, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, both at the national and subnational levels, have remained committed to the search for strategies of digital government. Many of these strategies were implemented specifically to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022, of the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, 58% (19) exceeds the global average (0.6102) and 6 countries (Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru) are located in the very high level in the Electronic Government Development Index (EDGI) and the proportion of countries in the high levels has been increasing progressively since the first editions of the Survey. Mexico, Grenada, the Bahamas and Colombia rank highest in the EDGI high group and are well positioned for accelerated digital government development, although some policy approaches and strategic investments may need to be modified to gain sufficient momentum.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, challenges remain. Online government services need to be accessible to people anytime, anywhere to make everyday life easier and to provide potentially key support in times of crisis. One issue that requires particular attention concerns the efforts of governments to actively engage the public in electronic consultations and other forms of electronic participation, which, as seen in the 2022 survey, continue to be limited.

Following the presentations, a panel of country representatives discussed the regional results of the Survey. The panelists included Mr. Hebert Paguas, Executive Director; Agency for Electronic Government and the Information and Knowledge Society (AGESIC) of Uruguay; Mr. José Inostroza, Head of the Digital Government Division; Ministry of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of Chile; Ms. Paula Brenes, Director of Digital Governance; Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) of Costa Rica; and Ms. Carol Roach, Assistant Principal; Department of Transformation and Digitization, Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Bahamas.

Participants agreed that the key success factors for their countries included considering digital government as a state policy, improving security, and promoting an integrated platform of digitized services. On the way forward, the participants agreed on the need to improve online services, making them simpler and more agile, and improve people’s participation. In general, the main challenge continues to be not leaving anyone behind.

About the United Nations E-Government Survey

The United Nations E-Government Survey, published by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, is prepared over a two-year period following an established methodology. It analyzes how digital government can facilitate integrated policies and services in 193 UN member states. The Survey supports countries’ efforts to provide effective, responsible and inclusive digital services for all, close the digital divide and leave no one behind. In the report of the High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation of the Secretary General, the E-Government Survey is recognized as a key classification, mapping and measurement tool that supports the digital transformation of countries.

Following the global launch of the 2022 Survey on September 28, regional webinars and briefings are taking place to share more insights and key findings globally, regionally, and locally. The Survey will be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, thanks to collaboration with external partners.