‘Ukrainian models serve as a blueprint for other countries’
Learning from Ukraine’s digital transformation: Lena Lázaro Rüther explains in an interview how this works and why collaboration with this pioneer is so important. She heads the international GovStack initiative in Ukraine.
Ukraine is a pilot country for the GovStack initiative. Why is this collaboration so important, especially since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine?
Ukraine’s digital transformation is crucial to its resilience. Citizens and companies can still use important government services, especially in times of crisis. For example, they apply digitally for driving licences, or set up companies. It relieves the burden on everyone, including the authorities and municipalities. These digital systems are secure, easy to use and can be customised. They make government services faster, more transparent and more trustworthy.
This is exactly what GovStack supports worldwide. It makes Ukraine a role model on how to implement digital transformation quickly and in a citizen-centred manner. It’s why GovStack and Ukraine are working together – so that other countries can learn from their best practices.
The GovStack initiative was launched in 2020 by Germany, Estonia, the International Telecommunication Union and the Digital Impact Alliance foundation. The initiative supports countries and organisations in setting up digital public services cost-effectively and securely using a modular system. More than 20 countries are already involved. GIZ implements work together with other partners on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
How exactly are GovStack and Ukraine working together here?
The partnership started in 2022. At that time, the focus of the partnership was on aligning the Ukrainian platform ‘Diia.Engine’ with GovStack’s global standards. The platform is now represented on GovMarket, the digital marketplace for exchange between the public sector and providers of digital solutions, such as start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises.
We have also organised workshops and joint events. They allowed Ukraine to share its digital transformation experiences and present the GovStack approach internationally.
In future, the focus will be on the ‘Diia Global’ initiative. It aims to raise the international profile of Ukraine’s digital government model and provide other countries with practical, reusable tools. Together with Eurasia Foundation and the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation, a digital wallet is currently being created based on the ‘Diia’ application. Digital wallets facilitate access to government services. People can use ID cards, access social benefits or make payments online. This increases transparency, fairness and efficiency.
So other countries can learn from the Ukrainian model?
Absolutely. They can benefit from tried and tested solutions that are presented clearly. With these blueprints, it is possible to avoid expensive failed attempts. Ukraine shows how digital, citizen-centred and trustworthy administration can function, even in times of crisis.
Many governments are facing similar challenges. They need to protect data, build trust and reliably link digital identities with various services. A GovStack-compliant document management system based on ‘Diia’ offers a flexible, proven solution for this.
Modules allow countries to determine their own priorities and at the same time benefit from international standards. In this way, digital government services can be set up faster, more securely and tailored more closely to citizens’ needs.
