On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Samantha Power spoke about the desire of the United States to spread the success of the “Action” program in other countries. According to Power, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided funding to Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation to help develop Diya and improve the program’s security, as well as providing $8.5 million to expand the program’s wartime services.
Ukraine is ready to share its approach and technologies with other countries, and USAID plans to start discussions with countries about using Action as a template for creating their own applications. As part of the forum, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is discussing this idea with several countries and potential partners from the private sector who could help with its implementation and scaling. Samantha Power sees these efforts as part of a broader outreach to democratic reformers around the world.
“We want to look at the bright spots, at countries that are committed to transparency and anti-corruption, that go against global trends,” Power said. She emphasized that the government of Moldova has already expressed interest in Ukraine’s approach to e-government.
Power also hopes for cooperation with the countries of the Global South. Given the current economic obstacles, she said, those leaders who work to eradicate corruption and improve governance will have an additional opportunity to improve the lives of their citizens. In her view, an app that helps citizens pay taxes or access documents without waiting in line for hours could be one of the tangible improvements.
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When implementing such applications, special attention should be paid to security and privacy. The government could potentially use such a program to track the movements and actions of citizens or manipulate the provision of public services. Power noted that these issues have not yet been fully thought out, USAID approaches them with awareness of all the risks inherent in the introduction of new information technologies. It is betting that replicating the Action model will promote access to services, economic growth and government transparency.
According to Power, the project is in its infancy. Currently, $650,000 has been allocated for feasibility studies in countries that have expressed interest, including factors such as smartphone penetration and regulatory issues.
The “Action” application was launched in Ukraine in 2020. It allows citizens to access identity documents, register businesses, receive various government services and participate in surveys using a smartphone. The program is constantly expanding its functionality, including options useful in wartime, such as reporting damage from Russian strikes. As of the end of 2022, the “Action” application was used by about 18.5 million people – more than half of the adult population of Ukraine.
The “Barrier-free” section has appeared on the “Action” website – it contains all the necessary information about life situations and state services
Source: Axios
