19 July 2018: The tenth edition of the UN E-Government Survey, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), concludes that while e-government began with bringing services online, the future will be about the power of digital government to leverage societal innovation and resilience, and to transform governance to better achieve the SDGs.

The survey is the “only global report” that assesses e-government development status of all UN Member States, according to the authors. It measures e-government effectiveness in the delivery of public services, and aims to enable countries to learn from each other, identify areas of strength and challenges in e-government and shape their policies and strategies in this area.

The 2018 edition of the survey titled, ‘Gearing E-Government to Support Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies,’ seeks to provide analysis and evidence to “further utilize the potential of e-government” to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The survey examines: the preconditions and the enabling environment for mobilizing e-government to build resilient societies; e-resilience and building the resilience of e-government; global trends in e-government; regional development and country groupings performance; improving cities resilience and sustainability through e-government assessment; and fast-evolving technologies in e-government.

Among its conclusions, the survey notes that since 2014, all 193 UN Member States have been delivering some form of online presence. According to the 2018 E-Government Development Index (EGDI) − a composite index which assesses e-government development at the national level, including the provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity − Denmark, Australia and the Republic of Korea lead the world in providing government services and information through the internet, followed by the UK, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, France and Japan. The survey also presents the findings of a pilot study on applying e-governance to local governments in 40 municipalities around the world. It lists as the top cities: Moscow, Russian Federation; Cape Town, South Africa; Tallinn, Estonia; London, UK; Paris, France; Sydney, Australia; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Seoul, Republic of Korea; Rome, Italy; and Warsaw, Poland. The EGDI is presented bi-annually by DESA.

Per the survey, since 2012, there is a “steady increase” in the number of country websites with information about specific programmes benefiting women and children, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous people, and people living in poverty. The report indicates that a growing number of countries provides targeted online services to vulnerable groups: 86% in the Americas; 79% in Asia; 57% in Africa; and 15% in Oceania. However, despite some development gains and major investments in several countries, e-government and digital divides persist, it says. For instance, 14 countries in the Low EGDI group are African and belong to the least developed countries (LDCs). The survey also finds that insufficient training and accessibility and “e-illiteracy” are the most common barriers to e-government resilience.

The publication stresses that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are recognized as an enabler of all phases of disaster risk management, from prevention, reduction, and preparedness to respond and recover, and emphasizes the need to protect critical ICT infrastructure from disaster impacts. In addition, it states that inter-regional and global data sharing and coordination among concerned countries and regions are crucial, considering that some disasters such as floods, cyclones and typhoons, and droughts are transboundary in nature.

The survey was produced by the DESA Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) in collaboration with UN regional commissions, UN agencies, and several international experts, researchers and related organizations. The E-Government Survey was first issued in 2001, and further editions were released in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. [Publication: UN E-Government Survey 2018: Gearing E-Government to Support Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies] [UN press release on report]