Minister of Public Service Meets with UN DESA Officials on Digital Government Initiative
The Solomon Islands Minister of Public Service, Honourable John Tuhaika JR met with Mr. Juwang Zhu, Director of Public Institutions and Digital Government at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and Mr. Vincenzo Aquaro, Chief of the Digital Government Branch, during the side events of the United Nations General Assembly.
The bilateral meeting followed up on discussions initiated at the UN Public Service Forum in June 2024, held in South Korea, where the Solomon Islands delegation first raised the importance of advancing e-government initiatives in the country. During the meeting, the Minister expressed gratitude to UN DESA for the opportunity to engage further on this critical issue.
This engagement is part of the Government for National Unity and Transformation’s broader priority to modernize and improve the public service, with a particular focus on leveraging e-government to enhance service delivery and efficiency. This will provide a valuable platform for Solomon Islands to learn from global best practices and explore further collaboration on digital government strategies.
“The GNUT government is committed to modernizing public service through digital transformation. We are seeking specific support from UN DESA to send a technical team to assess the current state of e-government in Solomon Islands. This will provide us with a roadmap to enhance our digital infrastructure and service delivery”.
In response, Mr. Zhu thanked the Solomon Islands delegation for their proactive approach. He acknowledged the country’s efforts in seeking tailored assistance and reaffirmed UN DESA’s commitment to supporting the Solomon Islands. “Solomon Islands is one of the first countries to come forward with a specific request for support in e-government development. We are pleased to make this request one of our priorities for funding in 2025,” said Mr. Zhu.
The meeting marks an important step forward in the GNUT government’s ongoing efforts to leverage digital solutions for improved public service delivery. Both parties are committed to working closely to ensure the successful implementation of this initiative. As a key aspect of this initiative, the Ministry of Public Service has been invited to participate in the upcoming Global Symposium on Data and Digital Governance in Shanghai, China, scheduled for 19th– 21st October 2024.
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