The fifth annual International e-Governance Conference in Estonia will focus on digital transformation roadmaps and present case studies from African and European countries, and beyond; it will be attended by 110 countries.
Electronic governance – or e-governance, as it’s known in Estonia – is the application of information and communication technology for delivering government services and exchange of information between government and citizens, businesses and other governments. Through e-governance, government services are made available to citizens in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner.
Since the introduction of several digital services in 2001, Estonia has become one of the global champions of the e-governance – and hence, it is now sharing its knowledge with the rest of the world.
A meeting place for e-governance experts from all over the world
From 21-22 May, the Tallinn-based e-Governance Academy – a think tank founded for the creation and transfer of knowledge and best practices concerning digital governance, internet democracy, cyber security and open information societies – is organising for the fifth time an international conference on the topics.
The event in the Estonian capital is a meeting place for e-governance experts and enthusiasts from all over the world. “Countries are all in different stages in their development but have the same goal to use digital technologies for prosperity and people’s welfare,” Hannes Astok, the deputy director of the e-Governance Academy, said in a statement.
“We invite governments, local authorities and businesses to take a closer look at future e-governance trends and to find inspiration from case studies to set brave goals and plan the next steps in their country. Collaboration between countries, regions and sectors is a key to benefit from innovations,” Astok added.
Over 450 participants representing 110 countries will participate in the conference. While the largest delegations are from Ukraine, Mauritius and Kyrgyzstan, even distant countries such as Vanuatu, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are represented. In addition, 23 ambassadors of the United Nations will also join the conference.
Estonian developments highlighted
The two-day conference will feature more than 40 experts and leaders in the area of digital government developments.
Keynote speakers will include Fabrizio Hochschild, the assistant secretary-general at United Nations; Andrus Ansip, the vice president of the European Commission; Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi, a co-investigator and the head of digital planet at Tufts University; and Liselotte Lyngso, a founding partner of Future Navigator.
The list of speakers also includes Paula Ingabire, the minister of ICT and innovation of Rwanda; Lacina Koné, Smart Africa; Siim Sikkut, the CIO of Estonia; Côme Berbain, the CTO of France; Shauneen Furlong, one of Canada’s key e-government drivers; professor Robert Krimmer, TalTech; and other experts.
At the conference, a special track is dedicated to the most interesting and forward-looking developments taking place in Estonia – artificial intelligence in governance, predictive public services at national and local level, data-based governance, digital health system, online voting, and data driven and future-proof infrastructure.
Estonian World will live stream the conference.
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The cover image is illustrative.
