Dear Chairman Baimenov,

Chairman Zhazykbayev,

Ms. JEONG,

Mr. Aquaro,

Mr. Abdrassilov,

Distinguished speakers, guests, and participants.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this regional event dedicated to the evaluation of the results of the Digitization Needs Assessment Survey.

On behalf of UNDP, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Korea for their continued commitment to support our joint initiative on digitalization and innovation in the public sector in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Allow me to also express my deepest appreciation to Mr. Baimenov and his team for their strong leadership in bringing this initiative into reality.

We highly value our new partnership modality and institutional cooperation established for the benefit of the key partners in seven beneficiary countries of the region that I am warmly greeting today in Kazakhstan.

This year, UNDP launched its new Digital Strategy 2022-2025 to get ahead of the ever-evolving digital reality to accelerate work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

The Strategy outlines the vision where “digital technology is a fundamental force for change” for people and planet. It calls to tap into the power of digital technologies for better results in both UNDP’s programming and operational systems. As a key enabler for sustainable development, digitalization helps to reach those most vulnerable utilizing innovations brought by technological progress.

In Kazakhstan, UNDP is working with the national partners to improve citizen and business access to digital public services and implement digital solutions in our portfolios:

-     From the Digital Portal for Social Services for people with disabilities to upgrading IT staff to accelerate digital transformation in the public sector, UNDP is helping Kazakhstan build an inclusive, ethical and sustainable digital society.

-       By introducing SMART patrolling systems in protected areas to collect and monitor wildlife data and creating digital maps of grazing areas for local akimats, UNDP is helping people and institutions to innovate with technology.

Corporately, UNDP also continues to transform and lead by example to meet current and future technological needs by upgrading digital skills of its staff and reengineering the processes helping to future proof the organization. 

Thus, going digital is driving new ways of working and thinking while opening-up opportunities that we could not have imagined.

Today, most governments around the world are increasing their use of digital technologies, creating opportunities to deliver more responsive and effective services to citizens and restore public trust.

I hope that today's discussion on the results of the needs-assessment survey will further accelerate the digitization process that has already begun in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, also taking into account the benchmarking practices as we have observed in the Republic of Korea.

In closing, I wish all participants productive deliberations and call on all participating countries and institutions to use the Astana Hub's platform, networks, and collective knowledge to create inclusive and responsible digital solutions for sustainable development for all.