On Wednesday in Davos, Ukraine and Germany signed a letter of intent to establish the Global GovTech Board, which will unite digital leaders from around the world, reports the correspondent of the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency.
"With the Global GovTech Board, we are creating a space where global leaders in IT and digital transformations can collaboratively seek solutions to global challenges, enhance govtech practices, develop common strategies, and build effective, innovative governments of the future," noted Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, who signed the letter on behalf of Ukraine.
"It is surprising that there has not been a platform uniting digital leaders of governments at this level until now. We are excited to bring this to life, building on the foundation of GGTC in Kyiv and Berlin with the support of the governments of Ukraine and Germany," stated Manuel Kilian, CEO of the GovTech-Center in Berlin, who, along with State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Interior Markus Richter, signed on behalf of Germany.
The Global GovTech Board is expected to serve as a platform where leaders of digital transformation from various countries can develop new technological solutions for citizens, work on enhancing cybersecurity, and create joint international projects. The Board will operate on a permanent basis, with Ukraine and Germany as co-founders coordinating its work through GovTech centers in Kyiv and Berlin.
As reported, the creation of this initiative followed the establishment of the Kyiv GovTech Center (GGTC Kyiv) in December 2024, supported by the EGAP Program implemented by the Eastern Europe Foundation with funding from Switzerland. This center became the second in the world after Berlin and the 21st center in the global network of "Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution" (C4IR) of the World Economic Forum.
"This will essentially be the first community of digital ministers in the world," commented Zoya Litvin, head of GGTC Kyiv, to the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency regarding the signing of the letter.
According to her, the Global GovTech Board is expected to operate on an ongoing basis through committees and subcommittees, workshops, and analytical work, not limited to holding annual meetings.
Litvin specified that the first meeting is planned for the end of February this year, and all ministers of digital transformation or relevant leaders will be invited.
"An important nuance is that finally the global narrative about Ukraine will not just be about us allegedly leading in corruption, but will highlight our success stories in digital transformation," emphasized the head of GGTC Kyiv.
The organizers of the Ukrainian House in Davos are the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, UMAEF, and Horizon Capital.