National Capacity Building Workshop to Accelerate Digital Government Transformation in Sri Lanka was successfully conducted from 7th to 8th June 2023

National Capacity Building Workshop to Accelerate Digital Government Transformation in Sri Lanka was successfully conducted from 7th to 8th June 2023 to build digital government capacities of key government officials to contribute to accelerating the pace of digital government transformation in Sri Lanka.

The training was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) and its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka (SDCSL) and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) with support from United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Sri Lanka.

Capacitating key government officials from government ministries and public institutions is essential to drive their institutional digitization efforts and accelerate the pace of e-government transformation. The workshop allowed government officials to learn from best practices and models from leading countries like Singapore and the Republic of Korea etc. and facilitated expert reflections and interactive dialogue between officials from the government of Sri Lanka with resource persons from UNDESA, UNESCO etc.

Delivering the welcome remarks, Mr. Christian Skoog, UN Resident Coordinator a.i. in Sri Lanka commended the collective efforts of the UN DESA, SDCSL and ICTA which are well aligned with the UN Secretary Generals Roadmap on digital cooperation. He further stated that harnessing the power of digital technology can empower communities, bridge existing gaps and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Senior Prof. Niranjan D. Gunawardena, Secretary, the Ministry of Technology and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, stated in his welcome remarks, that that he hopes the results and recommendations of the workshop will have an important impact on the formulation of digital economic strategies in Sri Lanka 2030. He further stated that the expert reflections, knowledge on recent trends and global innovative practices will assist Sri Lanka to identify new approaches and actions to be taken towards a digitally capable-connected government.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Kyu Chang Ko, Head of the United Nations Project Office on Governance emphasized that digital government transformation is not a destination, but an ongoing and dynamic process, which requires continued whole-of-government efforts and fostering partnership between government, private sector and people.

The sessions also included interactive activities and evaluations, the outcome of which is expected to feed into the National Digital Economy Strategy formulation process.