The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and British Embassy in Sarajevo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a $5 million four-year digital transformation programme, which will focus on the introduction of new digital solutions, policies and services, as well as advancing digital skills and capacity in the public sector, UNDP said on Friday.
“The UK has significant experience as a global leader in digital government. As part of our commitment to supporting reforms in BiH, we want to share this knowledge to help transform the way governments in BiH work, increase their accountability to citizens, and better deliver the services citizens rely on. We have already begun to do so. And, this Memorandum is a public statement that we will bring together the UK’s digital experience and leadership with the local sector expertise and knowhow of UNDP as they launch the new Digital Transformation programme for 2020-2024”, said Matt Field, British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how important accessible services are to citizens, but also how important it is for the public administration to be able to continue working in a context when physical presence is not possible.
“For UNDP, digital governance and transformation in the public sector is a high priority and is a long-term priority. The digital transformation affects all parts of our society and all parts of our lives these days. We are very proud today to formalise our partnership through this Memorandum of Understanding, aiming to work at scale and to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of support to our partners so that e-governance and e-services are available to all citizens”, said Steliana Nedera, Resident Representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ongoing global technological transformation has led to irreversible ways in which citizens are communicating among themselves and with their governments. Global experiences show that technology can ensure significant savings to public budgets and increase the effectiveness of public services.
The Digital Transformation Programme 2020 – 2024 contributes to BiH’s public administration reform efforts and aims to accelerate the evolution of public services by looking at policy and regulation, opportunities for technological innovation, and by supporting the enhancement of digital skills of officials across all government levels so that they are able to use the new tools in place and to embed these new practices into their work, to the benefit of citizens across the country, the statement said.
