The first study to identify the digital transformation needs of countries in the region was presented within the joint project of the Government of the Republic of Korea

On April 14-15, a regional conference on digitalization was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, with the participation of more than 70 representatives of government agencies and organizations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 

The conference was organized by the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and National Information Society Agency (NIA) of the Republic of Korea and "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" JSC". 

The heads of the authorized bodies of the participating countries, together with experts from the Republic of Korea, discussed the results of the Digitization Needs Assessment Survey conducted in seven countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus. This is the first survey, which has thoroughly examined the needs of countries in the region in implementing digital transformation. The study is based on survey data and interviews conducted in countries of the region since 2021 as part of a joint project between ACSH, UNDP and the Government of the Republic of Korea. The project aims to enhance the capacity of each country's government. 

Opening the conference, the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Astana Civil Service Hub Mr. Alikhan Baimenov noted that "new technologies could be a good tool for developing human-centric governance." He added that the study discussed today is intended to ensure that further work under the project is carried out in accordance with the needs of the beneficiary countries.

The Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Civil Service Affairs Mr. Darkhan Zhazykbayev in his speech pointed out the importance of information decisions in today's world and stressed that participation in such conferences contributes to the development of regional cooperation and mobilization of efforts to digitize our countries, followed by the development of more effective and modern approaches. 

Director of the Digital Resources Policy Division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of the Republic of Korea Ms. Min Sun Jeong noted that under the programme, Korea is actively sharing its experience in creating a digital government and looking for ways to expand cooperation with participating countries. "We ask the delegations of the seven participating countries gathered today for their continued participation and active role in ensuring that this capacity-building programme achieves the best results," Ms. Min Sun Jeong said. 

UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Mr. Yakup Beris noted that "the transition to digital technologies today enables us to work and think differently, while opening up opportunities we did not even know existed. In Kazakhstan, UNDP is working with the Government of Kazakhstan and other national partners to improve citizen and business access to digital public services and is introducing digital solutions in other areas through ongoing projects."

The Chairman of the Board of the "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" Mr. Arman Abdrassilov noted that “today, digitalization is a key element in the life of every citizen”. He also noted that holding this event will serve as a good opportunity to exchange experience and study global trends and innovative solutions in the development of digital transformation in our countries. 

The guest of honor of the conference was Mr. Vincenzo Aquaro, Chief of Digital Government Branch, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). He spoke about the main directions of global and regional trends in digitalization in the context of the upcoming UN e-government survey.

The second day of the conference was held in the framework of the Holding "Zerde", where international and national projects for the development of digital transformation of government agencies, the development of information technology, innovation and Big Data management were presented to participants. 

This conference was organized within the framework of a joint regional project of UNDP, ACSH, MOIS and NIA, which aims to strengthen the capacity of officials and practitioners from seven countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) involved in the implementation of innovations in the system of public administration and digitization of public services. The project is designed for three years (2021-2023) and includes research, seminars, conferences and study visits to the Republic of Korea.

Event photos are available here.

Presentations:

• Digital Transformation of the Company's Group by the "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" JSC by Mr. Arman Abdrassilov, Chairman of the Board of the “National Infocommunication Holding “Zerde” JSC

• Presentation of the Project with the National Information Society Agency (NIA) of the Republic of Korea on the functioning of the Korean-Kazakhstani Center for Cooperation in the Field of Information Technology (ITCC) History of Korea's IT Development and Strategy by Mr. Doh-Yoon Kim, Global Cooperation Division, Executive Principal, NIA

• Presentation of the Project “Using Experiments in New Technology Policy and Regulatory Sandboxes for Digital Transformation in the Republic of Kazakhstan: Pilot Initiative” (initiatives with the UN DESA and ESCAP) by Ms. Arpine Korekyan, Governance and Public Administration Officer, Digital Government Branch, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and Mr. Siope Vakataki Ofa, Economics Affairs Officer, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

• Presentation of the “Service Integrator of Electronic Government” by Mr. Ionas Stankevichus, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" JSC

• Demonstration of the Projects of the "National Information Technologies" JSC by Mr. Rostislav Konyashkin, Chairman of the Board, "National Information Technologies"

• Presentation of the Digital Transformation Accelerator projects: Laboratory for Acceleration of Innovations in the field of Public Service by Mr. Zhandos Kadyrov, Chief Manager of the Department in the field of ICT Development and Innovation, "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" JSC and Design Thinking Program for Public Servants, cases by Ms. Ayazhan Mukanova, Director of International Cooperation Department, "National Infocommunication Holding "Zerde" JSC

• Presentation of the Projects of the “International Technopark of IT startups “Astana Hub” by Mr. Bakytzhan Yeshmukhambetov, Managing Director for Public Affairs, International Technopark of IT startups “Astana Hub”