Ms. Evelyn Wever-Croes, Prime Minister of Aruba & Minister of General Affairs, Integrity, Energy, Innovation, & Government Organization,
Mr. Mario Cimoli, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC),
Mr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary General, Trade and Economic Integration (TEI), CARICOM Secretariat,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, it is an honor to welcome you to the Capacity Development Webinar on "Leveraging Digital Government and Spearheading Innovative Digital Solutions to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Caribbean Region.
I extend heartfelt thanks to our partners, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Community Secretariat for the excellent collaboration between our organizations and to the Caribbean Telecommunications Union for creating space within this year’s ITU week for this webinar.
In a matter of months, almost 30 million people have globally been infected with the coronavirus COVID-19. Many have died, health systems have been overwhelmed, economies decimated, and the social fabric of many countries stretched to breaking point. Small Island Developing States have not been spared. COVID-19 has exacerbated their already existing challenges which could potentially inhibit the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SAMOA Pathway.
Against this backdrop, today's webinar aims to explore how digital government can help Caribbean SIDS to address those challenges.
SIDS require special attention given their small economic base coupled with their already high and growing debt servicing costs. The GDP of SIDS will likely shrink by 4.7% in 2020. More than the global average.
Increasing poverty and inequality can undermine the ability of these economies to withstand natural disasters.
SIDS have relatively weak healthcare systems. The infection and mortality rate could rise when countries reopen their economies.
The pandemic is forcing governments and societies in the Caribbean to leverage digital technologies and innovative solutions to respond to the crises for a number of reasons.
First, digital technologies can help to reinvent existing policies and approaches to improve resilience, efficiency and competitiveness.
Second, many countries have already effectively deployed ICTs and digital government instruments to provide services, particularly in the health and education sectors.
Third, ICTs are also used to promote social inclusion and economic growth, despite the technical challenges that still remain.
SIDS can take advantage of this crisis to develop forward-looking policy and regulatory frameworks for a digital government-based innovation system.
So, how can the SIDS leverage digital government?
My first message is to call for the Caribbean governments to adopt an open government approach and to use digital communication channels to provide information on COVID 19 and enable the participation of vulnerable groups.
My second message is to emphasize the need to foster capacities of the public sector to deliver services through well-orchestrated national and local digital government strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered institutional weaknesses in the area of multi-level government coordination, policy coherence and digital skills.
My third message is the pledge to reduce the digital divide among countries and social groups, particularly in the health and education sectors. Initiatives that improve digital literacy for free should be encouraged.
Finally, and this is my fourth message, this human crisis can only be defeated with a responsible and cooperative international and regional response. Caribbean SIDS have to date announced a stimulus package estimated at around 1%–4% of GDP. This amount will clearly be insufficient for mitigating the catastrophic impacts of a twin health and economic crisis. Therefore, governments will be required to adopt a regional approach to collaborate on common challenges and solutions.
As the UN Secretary General said during the launch of the Policy Brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean:
“The international community must come forward to prevent the economic devastation of Small Island economies. Latin American and Caribbean countries– and in particular Small Island developing States – should not be excluded from global assistance”. I appeal to the global community to leave no one behind, especially not vulnerable countries such as SIDS.
Building back better requires transforming the development model of Latin America and the Caribbean. It requires developing comprehensive welfare systems that are accessible to all.
I hope that you will gain new insights on how governments are leveraging digital government to address COVID-19 in the Caribbean. UN DESA stands ready to help Member States in pursuing sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic.
I wish you a fruitful discussion and a successful webinar.