Digital Government podcast

As the fifth Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School currently taking place in Tallinn, attendees reflect on a year of diplomacy in cybersecurity. Some of them, too, having gone from participants to speakers. The program, organised annually, is designed to bridge theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in cyber diplomacy, and for Claudio Peguero and Alban Andreu, the Summer School has turned out to be a point of growth and community-building.

Claudio Peguero is Ambassador and Advisor on Cyber Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic. Alban Andreu, instead, Policy Officer in the Strategic Affairs and Cybersecurity Department of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

In this podcast episode, the two alumni-turned-speakers share their experience during and after the coursework, and how the previous year’s learnings played a role in their diplomatic work. Yet a testament to the Summer School’s role in shaping effective and adaptive cyber diplomacy leaders. 

Can a group of Caribbean islands become the Estonia of the region, looked up to on digital transformation and service delivery? E. Jay Saunders thinks so – for both citizens and businesses. He is the former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Investment, and Trade of the Turks and Caicos Islands. And at the 10th e-Governance Conference, by all rights took part in a panel on enlightened digital leadership.

In this episode, Saunders takes us through what digitalisation means for small countries in the area. Between breaking down barriers to better access digital markets, and providing citizens with a 24/7 experience of government that has nothing to envy from what they see in countries – on paper and volume of state revenue – with larger availability of resources and capital.

"2024 is the biggest election year in human history. Half of the world’s population – some 3.7 billion people – have the opportunity to vote this year across 72 countries.” So notes Merle Maigre, Head of Cybersecurity at e-Governance Academy, on host duties for this podcast episode on securing elections.“Voting is at the very heart of democracy, making it vital that we safeguard the integrity of elections.” October, being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, provides the perfect backdrop to discuss these issues. Maigre is joined in the conversation by Priit Vinkel, Senior Expert at e-Governance Academy and former head of the State Electoral Office, and Tonu Tammer, former head of Estonia's CERT and Associated Expert of e-Governance Academy.
Elections are no longer solely about paper ballots and polling stations with sliding curtains. So what to look out for, in order to safeguard them in the digital era?

In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is advancing fast in digital development. A series of initiatives in the last ten years significantly brought the country forward in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. However, the transformation does not stop there.

With support from both the population and high-level decision-makers, digital leaders in the country have the opportunity (and full legitimacy) to look further ahead. Nuria Kutnaeva, Minister of Digital Development of Kyrgyzstan, tells us in this podcast episode where the country is at – and where it is headed next.

Digital advancements present us with numerous opportunities to move forward on the path toward more inclusive and democratic societies. That has been the case when tech-enabled social movements and civil society organisations to sprout, regroup, and act. However, the opposite holds true too – technology is agnostic, and supported by authoritarian or malicious intents, it can be used to threaten, surveil, and cancel out opposition.

Doug Rutzen, President and CEO of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and professor at Georgetown University, saw how this dualism unfolded throughout the past three decades. In this podcast episode, we discuss where we were and where we’re at. A wide-ranging conversation on including the Global South, safeguarding civic spaces, and advocating for the rule of justice (not just that of law).

Costa Rica has one Minister for four domains – science, innovation, technology, and telecommunications. It is Paula Bogantes Zamora, who joined us on stage at the latest e-Governance Conference 2024 for a panel on leadership in driving digital transformation. 

Very fittingly so, as Costa Rica keeps advancing on its path towards effective and all-encompassing digital transformation. From healthcare to education, through digital identity and interoperability, a lot has been done already in the country. 

Bogantes joins us for a chat on achievements, challenges, and future plans – during and beyond her term as Minister – in a small Central American country that keeps digitalisation at heart.

Digital governance, done right, calls for leaders and changemakers to be versed in a variety of spheres and domains. Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, diplomacy, relations with societal stakeholders. In a way, that was to be expected – digital development and technological advancements accelerated global and international integration, of both markets and general trends, in the past thirty years.

All themes Paul Timmers, Research Fellow at Oxford University and Chairman of the Board at e-Governance Academy, has enthusiastically dived in in this podcast episode. An argued review of what awaits, how is Europe equipped to face the implications of technological dependence, and competition with other major international blocs.

Putting digital transformation to work for the benefit of society means taking an extra step, to Lacina Koné. The CEO of Smart Africa supports the idea that on the way from digital buzz to business success, efficient digital government can be key in attracting and retaining top talent and investments. On the path towards a digital Africa, though, a mix of deep-rooted challenges and bold steps to take awaits. Dive in this briefing on the state of digital transformation for business and society in Africa, with Lacina Koné, the CEO of Smart Africa. 

Since years already, the Republic of Moldova has had to take measures to safeguard the integrity of its national cyberspace in the face of russian interference and aggression. In doing so, it has been supported by international partners and the European Union. But little would have been possible, without the effort and dedication of its civil servants.

It was our pleasure, then, to award the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation of Moldova as Partner of the Year 2024, at the latest e-Governance Conference and to speak to Alexandru Corețchi, Director of the IT and Cyber Security Service of the country, during the Conference days in Tartu.

In a heartfelt interview on our Podcast, he removes the lid on what national cybersecurity agencies did to keep Moldova’s online ecosystem safe and secure, and the necessity for continuing support to ensure the country’s independence – online too.

Digital frontiers are constantly reshaping the world, making digital diplomacy and public digital infrastructure critical areas of innovation and policy. Naturally, as governments navigate the complexities of fast-paced technological advancements that actively impact society, the need for a robust digital public infrastructure (DPI) and the effective use of digital public goods (DPG) becomes crucial.

In this last instalment of our Podcast before the upcoming e-Governance Conference 2024, we spoke to Nele Leosk, Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs in the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The paths of digital progress and civic empowerment are tied and bound together, so how nations can benefit from sharing and re-using digital tools to enhance governance?

 Digital public goods, digital public infrastructure and commons are shaping the digital societies of tomorrow. So the question is how can policymakers navigate the challenges of reusing, adopting, and scaling existing digital solutions and create synergies across national, European, and international digitalization initiatives to deliver effective digital public goods. The panel session at the upcoming e-Governance Conference 2024 will give the floor to Mr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Tiago Carneiro Peixoto, Coordinator for Digital Government Services at the World Bank to hear some examples and lessons. Join us at the e-Governance Conference on 22 May for discussion on “Uncovering the potential of digital public infrastructure”.