After the Moldova Digital Summit 2024, we sat down with Gayan Peiris, the Head of Data and Technology at the UNDP’s Chief Digital Office (CDO). CDO sits at the forefront of driving UNDP's global digital transformation and data strategy, which includes supporting UNDP’s digital transformation programmes in countries. Gayan weighed in on the achievements Moldova has seen in recent years as well as some of the remaining challenges in its digital transformation journey. 

You often mention resilient digital public infrastructure (DPI). How would you explain it to a five-year-old?

Think of digital public infrastructure in the same way you would think about an infrastructure made up of streets and roads. Just as you need a good network of streets and roads to move freely and transport goods, you need strong digital public infrastructure to share and access technology. One cannot take full advantage of the latest tech advances, without having in place the right infrastructure. It’s like having the best car but no decent roads to drive it on!

Does the Republic of Moldova have it? What is there and what is missing, in terms of digital infrastructure? 

Many of the building blocks for digital public infrastructure already exist. You have mobile payments, the EVO app and a digital ID system. And as I mentioned during the Moldova Digital Summit, there is already a shift in mentality from “Government having to innovate” to the “Government being an enabler of ecosystems that allow innovation to flourish.”

Still, digital transformation is a journey. No country has developed the perfect blueprint. Especially in this era of rising cybersecurity attacks, each government agency in Moldova must have a plan. 

"A safe and inclusive digital infrastructure means everyone in the country can use Government-enabled systems like authentication or payment, without worrying about their privacy. Resilience is built into the system.”

How can UNDP support Governments to implement safe, inclusive, and robust DPI?

UNDP supports Governments to implement the structure across Ministries to create the right synergies and incentives. I’ve often seen digital transformation being run from a single Ministry or ICT unit, which is less effective. To achieve far-reaching impact, there needs to be buy in from the highest office. This is why Digital Delivery Units, like those in Moldova, are so effective. Interestingly, in some countries (U.S., UK, Canada), these units are set up as close as possible to the Ministry of Finance because development requires financing to realize their action plan.  

To use my car analogy again, not many people will care about the road itself, but they will start paying attention when they realize potholes could damage their cars. It’s similar with digital public infrastructure. We need to demonstrate with practical use cases why it’s important to build this infrastructure. This will help drum up support across Ministries to prioritize digital transformation.

How does digital technology change the meaning of sustainable economic growth? What does it look like, for example, for women and girls? What does inclusiveness look like in the digital age?

For different countries, inclusive digital transformation means different things. 

In some cases, women who have historically lacked access to banking due to cultural barriers can now access digital financial instruments. And with access to mobile devices, they are empowered to grow, learn and communicate. In Nairobi, for example, women can use a satellite-based lorry tracking system to know when to sell their local produce. Or, they can save a 10 km walk to the clinic by accessing personalized medical information through e-health services.

In other countries, such as Myanmar, it is about registering refugees and giving them digital IDs for the first time. This addresses a significant gap, particularly in places where certificate registration forms are unavailable in local languages. 

Inclusiveness can take on many forms, which is why we need to take a systems approach. We are not just talking about a digital system; there are broader society-wide transformations possible. For this reason, digital is considered an enabler in UNDP’s strategy and our portfolio approach.