The World Governments Summit Organisation, in collaboration with Oliver Wyman, issued the report “The Next Evolution of Government: Navigating Digital”, through which they highlighted a fundamental future transformation in governments’ role and work systems, from being a central service provider to an active ecosystem which enables customers to access services through a digital space that ensures reliability, privacy, safety, and equality.
The report emphasises the central role of governments in providing access to shared digital platforms for services provision. It further addresses the challenges facing governments in adapting to the digital age and its rapid changes, including digital equality, regulatory supervision, cybersecurity, and national sovereignty.
The report also outlines solutions to address these challenges, which demand a re-design of governments’ role in the digital space to ensure smooth and fair access for all, and guarantee user safety and security. Solutions include three pillar and two models of digital platforms that will shape the future of governments.
According to the report, future government development requires governments to establish their role in the digital space through active participation in the relevant development efforts, regulations, oversight, and supervision. It discusses several key principles for government success, including agility in meeting personalised expectations proactively, inclusion by ensuring that digital services are accessible to all, developing skills, and providing opportunities for all segments of society to access the digital world, and transparency in the ethical and secure use of technology and data.
The principles of successful governance also include developing accountability for both service providers and users regarding technology and data, enhancing the security of individual data, protecting it from any potential breaches or unauthorised access, respecting privacy, and driving innovation in using and developing technology.
The report showcases the main tasks of governments since the inception of government work, which include maintaining nations’ sovereignty, stability and safety; monitoring and resolving conflicts; ensuring public order and the rule of law; regulating the economy; supporting stability, growth, equitable distribution of resources, and seamless provision of goods and services.
The report introduces the evolution of the government work model, represented by the concept of “Government as a Platform.” This model is based on hosting government service systems in a single digital centre, including APIs, shared components, open standards, and standardised data sets, while building services backed by governance procedures that ensure their integrity, security, privacy, transparency and accountability.
It also pinpoints that the “Government as a Platform” concept includes re-designing IT infrastructure to create a central digital platform to enable seamless service delivery across various departments, enhancing interoperability, openness, cost reduction, and developed government services.
Mohamed Yousef Al Sharhan, Managing Director at World Governments Summit (WGS), stated that the WGS, through the launch of subject matter reports, is committed to expanding government knowledge, enhancing governments’ readiness for the future, and promoting their ability to anticipate changes fueled by rapid technological development.
Adel Alfalasi, CEO of the UAE and partner in the Government and Public Institutions Practice, Oliver Wyman, said, “This new report addresses some of the critical risks and opportunities of the current period by exploring the possible trajectories and digital platform models that will shape the next evolution of government.”
The World Governments Summit announced that it has signed nine knowledge partnerships with leading consulting firms and global research thinktanks to issue a series of reports and studies that identify key trends and opportunities for governments to focus on over the coming phase to enhance their future readiness.
The reports focus on shaping the future of governments worldwide, studying global shifts and challenges, identifying the priorities and requirements of the coming phase, and developing new methods and work mechanisms based on the latest data, thereby enabling the next generation of governments.
You can read the full report through the following link:
https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/observer/reports/2024/detail/the-next-evolution-of-government