USAID, ESTDEV, and Ukraine Expand Cooperation to Support the Digital Transformation of Countries

Together with Ukraine, this collaboration will support the adoption of digital public infrastructure, with the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) providing expert guidance to partner countries that will improve exchanges between operating systems. 

“Estonia has long been the model for how technology can be harnessed for civic progress. No country has all the answers, but Estonia really offers powerful inspiration showing not only how technology can improve the performance of government, but also how it can dramatically expand the involvement of citizens in governance,” highlighted Samantha Powers, Administrator of USAID, in her opening speech at the OGP Global Summit.

„Estonia’s wish is to further deepen and expand the existing good partnership with USAID to other regions of the world – for example, Africa – focusing on digital cooperation and education,” said Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia.

“ESTDEV has had excellent cooperation with USAID. We look forward to having more joint projects in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, and also in Africa, with a particular focus on leveraging Estonia’s expertise in digital innovation and e-governance,“ said Andrea Kivi, Acting Executive Director of ESTDEV.

Estonia is a global leader in building secure digital public infrastructure through tools like the widely-adopted data exchange platform X-Road and its forthcoming digital government platform mRiik. Ukraine’s Diia platform, which connects more than 19 million Ukranians with more than 120 government services, has positioned Ukraine as a world leader in digital government. USAID is committed to working with a range of partners to help countries model these successes, including by adopting technologies that provide safe, trustworthy, and inclusive public and private services, reduce corruption, and foster citizen engagement in political processes. As part of this commitment, Administrator Power previously announced in May 2023 that USAID would support Colombia, Kosovo, and Zambia accelerate progress in establishing and strengthening their digital public infrastructure.

The announcement about USAID’s collaboration with ESTDEV builds off of USAID’s long-standing partnership with Ukraine to advance the country’s digital transformation.

Starting in 2016, the Government of Ukraine, in close partnership with USAID, laid the groundwork for Diia to become what it is today – through investments in digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity and data privacy, laws and regulations, strengthening and expanding the skills of government officials, and engagement with citizens and civil society. Together with USAID, Ukraine is now sharing this technology with other countries, including the underlying infrastructure, process, systems, and approaches that have made it possible.