LocationsLatest digital innovations in public service delivery - focus of study visit to South Korea by civil servants of Central Asia and Caucasus countries
September 27, 2022
More than 20 government officials from 7 countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus visited relevant government institutions of South Korea to explore best practices, policies and technologies in digitalization of public services.
The study visit was organized as part of a joint project of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of South Korea, the National Information Society Agency (NIA) of South Korea, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH). It was funded by the Government of the South Korea.
As part of the three-day visit, a seminar was held on the topic, “Provision of public services using the latest digital technologies”. Civil servants and practitioners also visited the government agencies of South Korea, where successful cases of innovations in public administration and public services were presented, including the policies and practices of e-cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital identity systems and blockchain-based public services.
Opening the study visit, President of the NIA Mr. Jongsung Hwang noted that with the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world had realized the importance of establishing and promoting digital government and of providing online public services using new technologies, such as AI and Big Data.
In that regard, he noted that, as part of a joint project, since 2021 the MOIS, NIA, UNDP and the ACSH have been enhancing the capacity of civil servants in innovation and digitalization of public administration and public services in seven countries.
In his welcoming remarks, the Chairman of the ACSH Steering Committee, Mr. Alikhan Baimenov, emphasized the value of cooperation with the Government of South Korea and the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
“Across the world, digital tools and GovTech are clearly one of the main instruments in response to the challenges that public administration faces in the new reality. Along with ensuring the use of modern technologies, overcoming interdepartmental disunity is a key priority, taking into account the interests of the whole country. It is very significant that South Korea, as a world leader in the field, is ready to share its experience using the Hub’s platform,”said Alikhan Baimenov.
Mr. Sungjoo Son, MOIS Director of the Digital Government Cooperation Division, emphasized the readiness of the MOIS to share its experience and knowledge, given the interest of the countries in the region:
“We see that all countries participating in the program are firmly committed to digital innovation in the public sector".
The MOIS and NIA have arranged study visits to the Digital Government Exhibition Hall (Sejong), the Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corporation and the National Information Resource Service (Daejeon). Participants also visited the Anyang Smart City Centre, where they explored integrated data processing for public order and security of the city's public, and also Samsung SDS, where they explored innovative digital transformation solutions, including analytics, artificial intelligence platforms and blockchain technologies.
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For reference: The aim of the joint regional development project of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security of South Korea, the National Agency for the Information Society of the Republic of Korea, the United Nations Development Programme and the Astana Civil Service Hub is to increase the capacity of civil servants and practitioners involved in introducing innovations in the public administration system and digitalization of public services provision in seven countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia). It is a three-year project (2021-2023) and includes research, seminars, conferences and study visits.
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