The Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) has launched a new initiative to improve the quality and security of electronic public services, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UK Government.

When COVID-19 restrictions were imposed, nearly all public services were made available online, increasing the amount of citizen data that needs to be managed and stored securely. With funding from the UK’s Good Governance Fund, UNDP will assist the PSDA to analyse potential cyber threats to service delivery and make its systems of prevention more resilient.

To protect personal data, the PSDA will develop data collection and management standards that will be expanded to all public agencies in Georgia. The initiative will continue until February 2021 with over USD 80,000  in UK funding.   

“Even before the pandemic, Georgia was a pioneer in applying digital tools to deliver public services in user-friendly ways,” said UNDP Head Louisa Vinton. “COVID-19 has accelerated that trend, but it has also heightened the risks to privacy and personal data. To ensure that Georgia’s public sector can continue to harness ‘digital disruption’ to benefit citizens, we need to act now to mitigate these risks.”

“Since the first days of the pandemic, the Public Service Development Agency has worked to digitalise public services and ensure uninterrupted and secure service delivery to the citizens,” PSDA Head Zurab Sanikidze said. “Cyber security and effective data management are crucial to protect personal data and enhance the safety of the service delivery process.”

“More and more people are using digital services as a result of COVID. In many ways use of the internet has made responding to the crisis easier – children have been able to continue their studies, and businesses continue to operate, thanks to digital technology. But with increasing use of the internet comes an increasing need to keep everyone’s data safe,” British Ambassador to Georgia Mark Clayton said. “Work to improve the resilience and security of Georgia’s public services is part of the wider partnership we enjoy with Georgia on cyber security in all forms. I look forward to this work continuing in the future.”

Georgia’s Law on Information Security, adopted in 2012, grants the PSDA the exclusive right to deliver electronic public services and manage the country’s civil registry. Working under the aegis of the Ministry of Justice, the PSDA is among the key suppliers of over 400 e-services for citizens and businesses, accessible through the citizen portal my.gov.ge, operated by the Digital Governance Agency. The PSDA is also responsible for promoting e-governance and introducing innovation for people-centered service delivery across the public sector.

The assistance to the PSDA is just one component of a wider UNDP initiative to support the ongoing Public Administration Reform in Georgia, implemented in partnership with the UK Government.

Media contacts

• Sophie Tchitchinadze, UNDP, +995 599 196907, sophie.tchitchinadze@undp.org
• Ira Sulava, UNDP, +995 599 579105, irine.sulava@undp.org
• Sopo Torchinava, PSDA, +995 577 791819,  s.torchinava@sda.gov.ge