Kyiv, 9 October 2024 – Nineteen participants of a leadership programme for women involved in the digitalisation of the public sector have taken part in a week-long training course in Sweden. The women leaders studied Sweden's best digital practices, including in the areas of public governance, health care, promoting digital accessibility, and open data. The specialists also talked about the experience of Ukrainian digital transformation, and the introduction of new products in Ukraine’s Diia e-governance platform in the fields of social services and health care.

During the tour, the participants visited key Swedish government institutions: the Swedish parliament, the Ministry of Finance, the Agency for Digital Government (DIGG), the Stockholm City Administration, the Swedish Internet Foundation, the Post and Telecommunications Agency, the National Social Insurance Agency, public health organisation Swecare, and other organisations. These institutions are leading in regulating the digitalisation of Sweden.

The finale of the educational visit was a closing ceremony attended by Ulrik Tideström, Special Envoy for Ukraine – Reconstruction, Business Sector and Development, and Andrii Plakhotniuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Sweden, who presented certificates to the participants.

Sweden provides comprehensive support to Ukraine, in particular in the field of digitalisation, Ulrik Tideström said at the end of the educational visit. In particular, in cooperation with UNDP, Sweden supported the creation of 44 electronic services and digital tools, which Ukrainians have used more than 35 million times.

“Our support to Ukraine remains the No. 1 foreign policy priority for Sweden,” Mr Tideström said. “In the coming years, we are not going to support Ukraine less but more. In parallel, we’re continuing to push for additional steps for Ukraine’s integration into Europe.”

Training initiatives, implemented with Sweden’s support, contribute to building the capacity of Ukraine’s government apparatus, which is especially important during war time, said Andrii Plakhotniuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Sweden. 

“Sweden has long supported Ukraine’s reforms. We recognize this clear commitment and resolve, and we are profoundly grateful that Sweden stands by us as we undertake these changes,” the Ambassador said at the closing ceremony. “Providing these courses to train Ukrainian specialists will significantly contribute to our ongoing reform efforts.”

The educational visit to Sweden was the final part of UNDP’s “Leadership Programme for Women Involved in the Digitalisation of Public Services,” which was implemented by UNDP in Ukraine as part of the DIA Support Project, with the financial support of Sweden together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and CDTO Campus. The study visit was organised with the support of Linköping University teachers.

“The development of women leadership is our responsibility to the future generations of Ukraine,” said Valeriia Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration. “At CDTO Campus, we’re striving to help women digital transformation managers strengthen their hands-on and industry knowledge – non-technical skills needed to manage important digital projects and interact with donors and stakeholders. We’re grateful to our steadfast partner Sweden for reliable cooperation in the implementation of the programme.”

“UNDP supports the Ukrainian government in advancing the country’s digitalisation while ensuring gender equality,” said Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine. “The leadership programme and study visit to Sweden facilitated the exchange of expertise between specialists from Ukraine and Sweden, a leading country in digitalisation. This initiative aims to foster the development of Ukrainian women leaders, increasing their representation in senior public administration roles, especially in technical fields, which is crucial for economic recovery and sustainable development.”

“The study visit to Sweden gave us an opportunity to compare the practices used in Ukraine and Sweden, and brought a lot of interesting experience and ideas that the participants will be able to implement in their work,” noted Yanina Liubyva, an expert in the development of open data at the Ministry of Digital Transformation. “Sweden is a real ally of Ukraine on the path of integration into the EU. The country's experience is useful for us in many areas, such as electronic healthcare, social services, open data, and inclusiveness. Applying these lessons will help make Ukraine even more progressive, inclusive, and human-oriented, as Sweden is today.”

Background 

The six-month leadership programme began in April 2024. It included weekly webinars on the topics of digitisation and its trends, effective management and soft skills, as well as offline training. Twenty specialists representing the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Social Policy, and other central and regional authorities, in particular Vinnytsia, Luhansk, and Rivne regions, participated in the programme.

UNDP in Ukraine is conducting the programme for a second year, having launched the initiative in 2023 with funding from Sweden. Earlier, in 2022, the partners also initiated an internship programme at the Ministry of Digital Transformation for women graduates and young specialists in technical specialties.

Media inquiries

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Communications Team Leader, yuliia.samus@undp.org