GOVERNANCE E Q U I TA B L E G R O W T H , F I N A N C E & I N S T I T U T I O N S N OT E S GovTech Maturity Index 2022 Update Regional Brief: South Asia March 2023 © 2023 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the data included in this work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusions set forth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Attribution: Please cite this brief as follows: World Bank. 2023. “GovTech Maturity Index, 2022 Update — Regional Brief: South Asia.” Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions Notes. Washington, DC: World Bank. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522- 2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. >>> Contents Acknowledgements iii GovTech Maturity Index Regional Briefs 1 Regional Overview 3 Country-Level Overview 6 GovTech Focus Areas 7 Core Government Systems 7 Public Service Delivery 10 Digital Citizen Engagement 12 GovTech Enablers 13 Digital Governance/GovTech Projects 16 Future Directions 18 Resources 20 >>> Acknowledgements This brief was prepared by the GTMI team led by Cem Dener (Task Team Leader, Lead Governance Specialist) and composed of Kimberly Johns (Co-Task Team Leader, Senior Public Sector Specialist), Hubert Nii-Aponsah (Consultant), Charles Victor Blanco (Senior Public Sector Specialist), Hunt La Cascia (Senior Procurement Specialist), Çağla Giray (Consultant), Till Hartmann (Junior Professional Officer), Youngseok Kim (Senior Governance Specialist), Asami Okahashi (Governance Specialist), Freida Siregar (E.T. Consultant), and João Ricardo Vasconcelos (Senior Governance Specialist). Overall guidance for the 2022 GTMI regional briefs was provided by Roby Senderowitsch (Practice Manager) and Arturo Herrera Gutiérrez (Global Director). The team benefited from the comments and contributions of the World Bank Governance and Digital Development Global Practice regional units, as well as the Identification for Development (ID4D) and the Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px) initiatives (ESAG1, ESARU, IDD03, and IDD06). The team is also thankful to Liudmila Uvarova and Sandra Valdivia Teixeira for their support on dissemination activities. Cyrel Crisologo San Gabriel provided editorial services, and Maria Lopez provided graphic design services. This report was made possible by the World Bank’s GovTech Initiative and the GovTech Global Partnership trust fund. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< iii 1. >>> GovTech Maturity Index Regional Briefs GovTech is a whole-of-government approach to public sector modernization that promotes a simple, efficient, and transparent government with the citizen at the center of reforms.1 The GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) measures the key aspects of four GovTech focus areas in 198 economies—supporting core government systems, enhancing service delivery, mainstreaming citizen engagement, and fostering enablers—and assists government officials, World Bank teams, and practitioners in the design of new projects. Several indexes are available in the public domain for measuring the specific aspects of digital government, including the United Nations (UN) eGovernment Development Index (EGDI) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Digital Government Index. Although these indexes are useful for monitoring the progress of digital government initiatives and good practices in general, none of them fully capture the critical dimensions of digital transformation in the public sector. The GTMI is a comprehensive composite index that comprises 48 key indicators—40 of them are updated or expanded GovTech indicators and eight are highly relevant external indicators, including the UN EGDI. The key indicators measure the relatively less-known aspects of GovTech focus areas across 198 economies. The GTMI is the simple average of the normalized scores of four components: the Core Government Systems Index (CGSI), based on 17 indicators; the Public Service Delivery Index (PSDI), based on nine composite indicators; the Digital Citizen Engagement Index (DCEI), based on six indicators; and the GovTech Enablers Index (GTEI), based on 16 indicators.2 The similarities and differences of the GTMI findings compared with other global indexes are discussed in the GTMI 2020 and 2022 Update reports, which present the GTMI methodology in detail. The GTMI is neither intended to create a ranking, nor capture the extent of GovTech implementation, or assess a country’s readiness for GovTech. Rather, it provides a snapshot of the GovTech maturity and helps in identifying gaps that represent opportunities for improvement. Countries are grouped into four categories, A to D.3 Group A comprises the GovTech leaders demonstrating substantial progress and good practices in all four focus areas. Group B economies have significant GovTech investments and good practices in most of the focus areas. Group C economies have ongoing activities to improve some of the GovTech focus areas. Group D includes economies with minimal focus on GovTech initiatives. 1. The World Bank launched the GovTech Global Partnership (GTGP) Initiative in 2019 to support client countries in their efforts to harness the opportunities of digitalization for public sector modernization. The GovTech approach represents the current frontier of digital government transformation. Please visit the GovTech website for details. 2. The meaning of enablers in this context may be different from the use of enablers and foundations in other World Bank reports or tools, including World Development Reports and the Digital Government Readiness Assessment, and elsewhere within the GovTech context. The GovTech Enablers Index measures the presence of several crosscutting enablers relevant to advancing GovTech; however, it does not quantify their effectiveness or performance. 3. All economies were grouped into four categories, A to D, based on the normalized GTMI scores reflecting the key aspects of four focus areas (A = Very high >=0.75 and <=1; B = High >=0.50 and <0.75; C = Medium >=0.25 and <0.50; D = Low <0.25). EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 1 The GTMI is not comparable to the UN EGDI, since it measures different aspects using different indicators based on the information and evidence provided by government officials or available in government websites. Although similarities exist in about 80 percent of the economies, the GTMI may present a different view than the UN EGDI in some countries (see Appendix C of the GTMI reports for further explanation). Hence, ranking or comparison of countries based on their GTMI component scores may lead to misleading conclusions. Instead, the change in the GTMI group of an economy can be used as an indicator of the progress to avoid any misperception. The GTMI is intended to present the state of play in digital government. When using the GTMI, readers are encouraged to examine the initial pointers presented in the GovTech Dataset and collect further evidence to understand the level of implementation, effectiveness, and reception of GovTech solutions and their enablers in each economy. For a comprehensive diagnostic, the updated Digital Government Readiness Assessment (DGRA) toolkit developed by the Digital Development Global Practice can be used to validate degrees of implementation, expand on all areas, and provide country-specific recommendations. The 2020 edition of the GTMI was based on remote data collection (mainly due to the pandemic). The 2022 GTMI update is essentially based on the World Bank’s GovTech Dataset (October 2022 version), which is publicly available in the World Bank Data Catalog. The dataset captures the online survey responses of formally designated public officials to 48 key indicators and 303 sub-indicators (153 of which are used in the GTMI calculations and the remaining 150 are informative). Additional evidence was gathered in the form of functional URLs and public documents to support the reported progress. The GTMI findings presented in this brief are based on the GovTech dataset to minimize subjectivity biases, which may not be consistent with the available evidence. The dataset will be updated every two years to reflect progress in the four GovTech focus areas. The new GTMI Data Dashboard was launched in November 2022 (together with the 2022 GovTech Dataset) to enable users visualize and explore the data collected on 48 key indicators and related sub-indicators. The GovTech Projects Database (October 2022 version) presents the details of more than 1,440 investments funded by the World Bank in 147 countries since 1995. The projects included in the database cover a broad spectrum of solutions funded by all related global practices of the World Bank.4 As a part of the dissemination activities, a series of regional GTMI briefs were prepared in consultation with the World Bank regional units and country teams to complement the 2022 GTMI Update report, which was released in December 2022. The regional briefs will cover the East and South Africa (AFE), the West and Central Africa (AFW), the East Asia and Pacific (EAP), the Europe and Central Asia (ECA), the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the Middle East and North Africa (MNA), and the South Asia (SAR) regions of the World Bank. Each regional brief presents an overview of the progress within the last two years, together with good practices, gaps, and opportunities identified in public sector digital transformation based on the 2022 GTMI findings, to inform policy decisions and the design of new projects. So far, the GTMI findings have been used in the design of more than 15 new investment lending projects since 2021. Some of the World Bank projects supporting various reforms are also included to complement the presentation of country cases. Please reach out to the GTMI team (gtmi@worldbank.org) for your questions, clarifications, and suggestions on the GTMI update report, datasets, dashboard, or regional briefs. 4. In addition to the projects led by the Governance Global Practice, the database also includes a core part of Digital Development Global Practice’s business lines of data infrastructure and digital public infrastructure and the cross-global-practice initiatives of Identification for Development (ID4D) and Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px), together with the activities of other global practices. The new projects initiated after the October 2022 update of the database may not be captured in this brief. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 2 2. >>> GovTech Maturity Index Regional Brief South Asia Regional Overview According to the GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) 2022 update for the South Asia (SAR) region, five countries are in group A or B, exhibiting substantial focus on GovTech initiatives, and the remaining three countries are in group C (Figure 1). These initiatives were largely linked with enhancing the delivery of public services and strengthening core government systems. The regional average GTMI score of 0.608 is higher than the global average of 0.552, which demonstrates the progress made in the last two years. However, there are some country-specific gaps in all GovTech dimensions that represent significant opportunities for improvements in public sector digital transformation, as indicated in the following sections of the brief. >>> Figure 1: 2022 GTMI Regional Outlook, South Asia Afghanistan Pakistan India Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh GTMI A GovTech Leaders B Significant Focus C Some Focus D Minimal Focus Total # of Economies 2 3 3 0 8 Average GTMI Scores GTMI 0.608 CGSI 0.686 PSDI 0.733 Sri Lanka DCEI 0.432 GTEI 0.580 Maldives 0.0 0.5 1.0 Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Please refer to the 2022 GTMI Update report for details. Note: The regional average GTMI scores in each GovTech focus area and the number of economies in each GTMI group are presented together with the map. GTMI = GovTech Maturity Index, CGSI = Core Government Systems Index, PSDI = Public Service Delivery Index, DCEI = Digital Citizen Engagement Index, GTEI = GovTech Enablers Index. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 3 According to the 2022 Digital Government/GovTech projects database, a total of 197 projects have been funded by the World Bank since 1995 in the eight SAR countries. Of these projects, 147 investments have been completed. As of December 2022, there were also 45 active and 5 pipeline projects supporting key GovTech and Digital Development agenda on digital government, data infrastructure, and digital public infrastructure. Total commitments are about $27.3 billion, $6.6 billion of which is on DG/GovTech solutions (Table 2). Existing diagnostic reports (Digital Economy Reports, Digital Government Readiness Assessment), the 2022 GTMI update, global datasets, and regional briefs can be used to monitor progress in the adoption of digital technologies and to identify priority engagements while designing new activities to address country-specific challenges in the upcoming years. >>> Figure 2: Average GTMI Scores, by GTMI Group, SAR The regional average of the GTMI scores between groups 1.00 1.00 0.892 A and C widened from 2020 to 2022 (Figure 2). Despite an 0.815 2020 2022 increase in the GTMI regional average from 0.579 to 0.608, 0.75 0.75 0.611 0.579 0.626 0.608 the digital divide has increased since progress was not 0.50 0.50 widely distributed across the region. Although the regional 0.38 0.399 average (0.608) is higher than the global average (0.552), 0.25 0.25 there is more room to advance toward the contemporary technology frontier. 0.00 0.00 A B C D A B C D # Econ: 1 5 2 0 # Econ: 2 3 3 0 >>> Figure 3: Average GTMI Scores, by Income Level, SAR Improvements were observed across most income levels 1.00 1.00 in SAR within the last two years (Figure 3). However, the 2020 2022 progress was not evenly distributed, since the only low- 0.75 0.645 0.75 0.684 0.579 0.608 income country in the region lagged behind higher-income 0.50 0.442 0.50 0.406 countries (confirming the trend in Figure 2). This pattern 0.354 0.319 highlights the need to allocate adequate resources for critical 0.25 0.25 GovTech investments to advance digital transformation in the public sector. 0.00 0.00 H UM LM L H UM LM L # Econ: 0 1 6 1 # Econ: 0 1 6 1 Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: GTMI = GovTech Maturity Index, SAR = South Asia, H = high-income economies, UM = upper-middle-income economies, LM = lower-middle-income economies, L = low-income economies. Most of the SAR economies are in groups A and B (five out of eight, or 62.5 percent) (Figure 4). Only three economies are in group C and there were none in group D. These maturity levels are higher than most of the other regions, demonstrating a stronger focus on the GovTech agenda from a global viewpoint, especially in public service delivery platforms and core government systems. In the meantime, there are opportunities for further improvements in all countries regarding the digital citizen engagement and enablers (digital skills, innovation, cybersecurity, and other areas). EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 4 >>> Figure 4: GovTech Maturity in the World Bank Regions, by GTMI Group, 2022 AFE 4 14 5 3 AFW 11 5 5 1 EAP 7 7 5 6 ECA 1 3 10 16 LAC 3 11 7 11 MNA 3 4 5 8 SAR 3 3 2 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Economies D C B A Source: World Bank data (163 economies). Note: AFE = East and Southern Africa, AFW = West and Central Africa, EAP = East Asia and Pacific, ECA = Europe and Central Asia, LAC = Latin America and the Caribbean, MNA = Middle East and North Africa, SAR = South Asia. The SAR countries have primarily concentrated on GovTech initiatives associated with improving the delivery of public services, like most of the other regions. Some emphasis has also been placed on the modernization and interoperability of core government systems, as well as the broader GovTech environment (Figure 5). However, the region followed a pattern similar to other regions where there was slow progress in improving citizen engagement. This indicates a need to allocate more resources to address existing gaps in CivicTech and other focus areas highlighted in subsequent sections. >>> Figure 5: Average GTMI Scores, by Region, 2022 1.00 0.75 0.50 0.25 0.00 AFE AFW EAP ECA LAC MNA SAR Avg CGSI Avg PSDI Avg DCEI Avg GTEI Source: World Bank data (covering 163 economies in all regions). Note: AFE = East and Southern Africa, AFW = West and Central Africa, EAP = East Asia and Pacific, ECA = Europe and Central Asia, LAC = Latin America and the Caribbean, MNA = Middle East and North Africa, SAR = South Asia, CGSI = Core Government Systems Index, PSDI = Public Service Delivery Index, DCEI = Digital Citizen Engagement Index, GTEI = GovTech Enablers Index. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 5 3. >>> Country-Level Overview Five countries in the region (62.5 percent) participated in the 2022 Central Government GTMI online survey and provided comprehensive information about their digital transformation initiatives. For three non-participating countries, the GTMI team collected relevant data remotely from the government websites (except new performance-related sub-indicators). Compared with the 2020 GTMI data, only Bangladesh advanced to a higher GTMI group, and Nepal moved one level down (Table 1). The remaining six countries maintained their positions. There was some progress in several focus areas in most of the countries within the last two years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic challenges. In the SAR region, Afghanistan is the only country included in the World Bank’s current list of fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS). Despite a decrease in the GTMI average score from 0.442 in 2020 to 0.354 in 2022, Afghanistan remained in group C. It should be noted that due to the recent regime change, most of the relevant government websites were not updated in 2022. Consequently, the GTMI component scores mainly reflect the findings of the 2020 dataset. >>> Table 1: Overview of the GTMI Groups, SAR, 2022 Group A Bangladesh, India B Bhutan, Pakistan*, Sri Lanka C D GTMI Very High Afghanistan¯*, Maldives, Nepal* High Medium Low Economies in group GovTech leaders Significant focus on GovTech Some focus on GovTech Minimal focus on GovTech Economies 2 3 3 0 %E 25% 37.5% 37.5% - - Total 8 Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: Blue represents a movement to a higher GTMI group and red indicates a drop from a higher GTMI group compared with the 2020 GTMI data. Black implies no change in the GTMI group. % E means percentage of the economies included in the relevant group. Economies highlighted with (*) did not participate in the 2022 Central Government GTMI online survey. Fragile and conflict-affected economies are shown with (¯). EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 6 4. >>> GovTech Focus Areas The GTMI data collected encompasses 40 key indicators (35 existing, 5 new), as explained in detail in the GTMI report. They are presented below to reflect the state of four GovTech focus areas, together with selected good practices and possible improvements. Eight external indicators used in the calculation of the GTMI groups are not included in Figures 6 to 9 and their indicator numbers are not displayed. Please refer to the GTMI report for a detailed explanation of all 48 GTMI indicators. Core Government Systems All economies in the SAR region report having all core public financial management and social insurance systems in place (financial management information system, tax, customs, human resources management information system, payroll, social insurance, pensions, e-procurement, debt management). More than half of the economies have government cloud, enterprise architecture, interoperability framework, and service bus platforms. These foundations are crucial for a transition to shared government platforms and a whole-of-government approach, and to help economies improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations (Figure 6.1). There have been improvements in seven (out of 14) existing core government systems index (CGSI) indicators compared with the 2020 GTMI data. The most visible increase is the expansion of a national strategy on disruptive tech (in half of the economies), followed by public investment management system (38 percent) (Figure 6.2).5 Also, open-source solutions are widely used in the public sector at the central and subnational levels in most of the economies (e.g., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). Despite an overall positive trend, the progress (in terms of improved responses to CGSI indicators) is visible in less than half of the countries. Two new key indicators (denoted by N) did not reveal substantial changes in responses regarding the use of social insurance/pension systems and interoperability frameworks within the last two years. New GovTech initiatives could focus on ensuring that existing systems are not only present but also interoperable, well-designed, and effectively used to improve service delivery performance. New initiatives could also promote shared digital infrastructure (e.g., government cloud, service bus), and data governance to enable increased effectiveness and a whole-of-government approach. 5. Percentage increases or decreases indicate that some country responses were switched from “No” (or Planned) to “Yes,” or from “Yes” to “No,” respectively. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 7 >>> >>> Figure 6.1: CGSI Indicator-Level Responses, SAR, 2022 Figure 6.2: Changes since 2020 Nat’l Strategy on Disruptive Tech I-17 3 2 3 I-17 0% 50% Open Source Software Policy I-15 4 4 I-15 13% 0% Public Investment Mgmt System I-14 5 3 I-14 0% 38% Debt Management System I-13 8 I-13 0% 0% e-Procurement Portal I-12 8 I-12 0% 13% Social Insurance/Pension System I-11 8 I-11 N 0% 0% Payroll System I-10 7 1 I-10 0% 0% Human Resources MIS I-9 8 I-9 0% 0% Customs Mgmt Information System I-8 8 I-8 0% 0% Tax Mgmt Information System I-7 8 I-7 0% 25% Treasury Single Account I-6 5 3 I-6 0% 25% 0% Financial Mgmt Information System I-5 8 I-5 0% 0% Government Service Bus I-4 5 1 2 I-4 25% 0% Gov Interoperability Framework I-3 6 2 I-3 N 0% 0% Gov Enterprise Architecture I-2 5 1 2 I-2 25% 13% Government Cloud I-1 5 2 1 I-1 13% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Yes Planned / In progress No % Decrease % Increase Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: CGSI = Core Government Systems Index, MIS = management information system, N = new indicator, SAR = South Asia. Selected good practices and opportunities for improving CGSI are presented below: ● In India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is the key entity promoting the use of shared digital platforms including the NIC National Cloud (under MeghRaj GI cloud, with a list of audited cloud service providers) and Aadhaar Infrastructure (with 1.36 billion enrollment as of January 2023). The Government Electronic Marketplace (GEM) was launched in 2016 as a stand-alone procurement platform with its own embedded e-Tendering and e-Reverse Auction modules. GEM is designed as an alternative to procurement wherein the buyers can define their requirements from a set of pre-defined specifications. Besides the bidder selection, an end-to-end e-marketplace handles the following key functions online: (1) issuance of purchase order, (2) goods receipt note or service delivery acknowledgement, (3) online invoice submission, and (4) payment approval workflows and integration with budgeting and financial management information system (FMIS). The e-procurement systems being used at state levels (e.g., Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), which are end-to-end systems with many value-added features for improving efficiency and transparency (as states are major procurers in India), are also innovative platforms to highlight. ● In Bangladesh, the e-GP platform brought every step of the procurement cycle online: registration (public agencies, bidders, banks), procurement planning, tendering (invitation, preparation, submission of bids, bid security), evaluations, award, contracting, and payments. Additional features were added over time to further enhance transparency, including the creation of a citizen portal to disclose procurement and contract management data using the Open Contracting Data Standard, as well as procurement performance information. The adoption of e-GP has led to reduced administrative and transaction costs (7 percent savings in procurement costs compared with the manual process); increased savings in fiscal 2021 totaling $1.1 billion); increased competition and participation of bidders (the number of registered bidders in e-GP increased from 23,000 in fiscal 2017 to 96,446 in fiscal 2021); and increased transparency and perceived fairness from firms, as demonstrated, for example, by an impact evaluation. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 8 The Bangladesh Enhancing Digital Government and Economy Project (P161086), which became effective in February 2022, is designed to improve the efficiency and cybersecurity of digital government, among other objectives. One of the expected results of this important project is the cost-efficiency savings on the use of the Integrated Digital Platform as a shared cloud-computing platform by any Government of Bangladesh agency to build, operate, and maintain its sector-specific systems, applications, and services, including the provision of (1) infrastructure-as-a-service to cloud- enable the National Data Center; (2) platform-as-a-service to develop a shared IT platform; (3) software-as-a-service to provide common applications for Bangladesh government employees, including document management system, electronic catalog-based procurement, and online communications and collaboration tools; and (4) institutionalization of Bangladesh National Digital Architecture (BNDA) as architectural blueprint and the de facto guideline for implementation of ICT initiatives across the government. The whole-of-government approach to digital government reduces the need for each agency to invest in their own IT resources, cuts IT operational and overhead costs, improves interoperability and coordination between systems and agencies, and enables agencies to focus on core digital services delivery to citizens and businesses instead of technologies. Digital skills training is one of the important initiatives that will cover emerging technology and industry-led training for over 100,000 students (which is estimated to cost $295 million until 2025). Also, the Bangladesh Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) (P160758) and its Additional Financing (P174056) include specific support for the digitalization of public procurement by expanding the coverage of the e-GP system as well as enhancing citizen engagement and monitoring. ● In Nepal, the National Information Technology Center (NITC) of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology is hosting the core government systems of line ministries and agencies. Most of the existing public financial management information systems are custom software solutions maintained by the IT units of line ministries. The NITC is being used as a shared main data center or business continuity center. The Ministry of Finance has a large number of systems, including open-source solutions to automate the full budget cycle and publish the budget results without delay. However, there is room to improve the interconnectivity of these platforms. The Integrated Public Financial Management Reform Project (P164783) supported the development and enhancements of key systems to help operationalize public financial management functions in the federal context in Nepal. The project also supported public investment management for federal and provincial governments. Enhancements of the Line Ministry Budget Information System (LMBIS) for both federal and provincial governments have enabled the required internal control mechanisms for bulk budget release and suspension, incorporation of a procurement plan as a basis of budget, and automation of budget authorization between provincial LMBIS and provincial Treasury Single Account. The Provincial Computerized Government Accounting System supported accounting and reporting of the provincial governments, including electronic fund transfers. Enhancement of the Revenue Management Information System enabled revenue collection from digital platforms for the federal and provincial governments. The Public Asset Management System enabled recording and management of public assets of the three tiers of government. The Nepal Audit Management System supported paperless audit of those three tiers. Further, the required enhancements and integration of various systems (treasury, revenue, accounting, and asset management) have enabled production of consolidated financial reports for the three tiers of government, including Extra Budgetary Units, based on Nepal Public Sector Accounting Standards. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 9 ● In Pakistan, the central government and various provincial governments are making great efforts to improve and integrate core government systems to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency (currently the CGSI score is 0.42, which is below the regional average). In this context, improvements in government processes, technological infrastructure, automatic data exchange, and the intention of becoming paperless public institutions are sought through several regional and provincial GovTech initiatives. Sindh Public Sector Management Reform Project (P145617) supported several interventions such as tax collection improvement, ICT infrastructure, automation, procurement, adoption of proactive feedback mechanisms, and establishment of service delivery units in Pakistan. One of the most important achievements was the geotagging and proactive feedback system developed to help address management challenges in the vast provincial public investment portfolio, which has improved project monitoring and allowed plans to be executed more efficiently. So far, 292 annual development program schemes and 3,999 sub-schemes have been recorded in the progress monitoring dashboard and 400 beneficiary feedback reports have been received. Likewise, under the digital training programs, about 600 Sindh government employees were trained on how to handle procurement issues. Examples of other major achievements include establishment of data centers and automation of government functions. These initiatives are framed in the search for the modernization of public institutions with clear objectives toward digital transformation. Pakistan Raises Revenue (P165982) is a five-year project with four objective areas. One of the most relevant activities from the GovTech point of view is the automation of data exchange to improve the interoperability of tax administration systems (Inland Revenue, Customs, and the Ministry of Finance) following the guidelines of the central government as a part of the $80 million investment. The World Bank is also supporting the development and rollout of e-procurement systems through improvements in legislation and training/capacity building under the Governance and Policy Project for Balochistan (P156411) and the Governance and Policy Program for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (P156410). Other relevant activities supporting the development and rollout of e-procurement systems in federal and provincial governments include PFM and Accountability to Support Service Delivery Program-For-Results (P157507), Punjab Resource Improvement and Digital Effectiveness (P171417), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—Spending Effectively for Enhanced Development (P175727). Public Service Delivery Most of the economies in the SAR region have had online service delivery channels in place for some time, as reflected through relatively high Public Service Delivery Index (PSDI) scores. In addition to national integrated online service portals, most countries also have launched state, provincial, and local service delivery platforms supporting universal access to public services. The human-centric design of service portals is highly visible in India. Integrated customs single windows are also visible in half of the region’s economies (Figure 7.1). Compared with the 2020 GTMI data, there were net decreases in two existing indicators (customs single window and tax online services), mainly because of more detailed questions capturing the difference between transactional and informational services and the interconnectivity of existing platforms. Responses to two new key indicators (social insurance and job portals) revealed that the existing platforms were maintained without major improvements within the last two years (Figure 7.2). EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 10 >>> >>> Figure 7.1: PSDI Indicator-Level Responses, SAR, 2022 Figure 7.2: Changes since 2020 0% Job Portal I-25 7 1 I-25 N 0% 0% Social Ins/Pension Online Services I-24 7 1 I-24 N 0% 50% Customs Services/Single Window I-23 4 1 3 I-23 0% 0% e-Payment Services I-22 8 I-22 88% 13% e-Filing for Tax/Customs I-21 7 1 I-21 13% 13% Tax Online Service Portal I-20 7 1 I-20 0% 13% Online Public Service Portal I-19 6 1 1 I-19 38% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Yes Planned / In progress No % Decrease % Increase Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: N = new indicator, PSDI = Public Service Delivery Index, SAR = South Asia. Some of the good practices related to online public service delivery platforms are presented below: ● India’s National Government Services Portal lists more than 12,329 services from states for 15 key public service sectors. Monthly visitor summary reports reflect the portal visitor patterns (more than 118,000 visitors daily, about 3.2 million new visitors, and 9.7 million page views in January 2023), the services of interest (top five services were the Kisan scheme for fund transfers to farmers, three Aadhaar card services, and pensioner claims), and the devices used for access to services (73 percent through mobile devices, 27 percent through PCs/laptops). The Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) is an all-in-one secure multichannel, multiplatform, multilingual, and multiservice freeware mobile app for accessing 1,672 central and state government services provided by some 300 departments. DigiLocker is a cloud-based, secure, and dedicated personal storage space (digital wallet) for issuing, sharing, and verifying critical lifelong documents and certificates, linked to the person’s Aadhaar number. ● Bangladesh is among the GovTech leaders in the region, based on the improvements reported in all four focus areas since 2020. Under the a2i program, the myGov.bd platform is a one-stop shop that provides access to about 1,500 online services provided by 26 ministries. The Bangladesh National Digital Architecture, developed through the World-Bank-funded Leveraging ICT Growth, Employment and Governance Project (P122201), works as the digital governance framework, which also provides guiding principles for any application development. Through MyGov, mobile app users can submit an application, track the status, and make payments. Additionally, about 8,000 Union Digital Centers (UDCs) have been established across the country to assist people living in rural areas with the help of digital centers, and the 333 Call Center is available to assist vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the centers make an extra effort to accommodate specific needs and cultural considerations. UDCs have created some 13,372 entrepreneurs across the country within a decade. Following the design thinking workshops where citizens shared their concerns, every UDC across the country now has at least one female and one male representative in tandem to provide both free and fee-based access to public and private services to citizens. The female representatives ensure that women, specifically rural women of underprivileged areas, do not hesitate to receive any service from these centers. Other successful platforms include the IBAS++ (Integrated Budget and Accounting System), and Surokkha (vaccination platform). The Strengthening PFM Program to Enable Service Delivery (P167491) project in Bangladesh has been assisting the government in improving pension service using electronic fund transfers (EFT) since 2018. As of October 2022, all new pensioners have been registered in the employee/payroll database. Their monthly pension and allowances are now paid through EFT from the first month of retirement. Furthermore, this platform is linked with Bangladesh’s national ID system to make the electronic Pension Payment Order (ePPO) fully operational. The pension backlog (delay in processing applications) has been reduced by the government officials to less than 200 (in a population where over 25 million individuals are above 60). Also, 85 percent (1.3 million) of payments were made through EFT. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 11 ● Sri Lanka has improved its GovTech maturity across public service delivery, core government systems, and digital citizen engagement within the past two years. As part of the 2020 Digital Transformation Strategy, core government systems are expected to be enhanced and interconnected to improve public service delivery. With the support of World Bank’s Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC),6 the ICTA has piloted the form.gov.lk initiative to bring online services to 10 divisional secretariats. It uses a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, which runs on existing infrastructure such as the Lanka Government Cloud (LGC 2.0), and the Lanka Government Network connecting 860 government offices throughout the country. Also, an online service portal provides access to 205 mostly transactional services of 90 organizations, and 60 services are accessible via mobile apps. In January 2023, the government revealed its plans to replace the ICTA with a new regulatory policymaking body. The future of digital infrastructure and services now managed by ICTA will soon be determined. ● In Nepal, the National Portal provides access to mainly informational services, and the Nagarik App was launched in 2020 to provide universal access to selected services. Also, the ConnectIPS e-payment system was launched in 2021 as a shared platform for fund transfer and service payments from various channels through a public–private partnership (PPP) arrangement. The Strengthening Systems for Social Protection and Civil Registration Project (P154548) leverages digital solutions to improve the coverage and delivery of social security allowances (SSA) and civil registration and support transition to ePayments in Nepal. Key achievements to date include: (1) beneficiaries of the SSA program have exceeded 3.5 million; (2) 417 registration camps have been established at Local Levels (LLs); (3) 735 LLs have signed contracts with commercial banks for delivery of SSA through ePayments; (4) about 90 percent of the 6,743 wards across the country are registering civil events online; and (5) the Integrated Social Registry (ISR) framework has been approved, all exceeding 2023 targets. Digital Citizen Engagement In the SAR region, three countries (India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) have relatively high Digital Citizen Engagement Index (DCEI) scores compared with other economies. More than half of the countries (62.5 percent) have platforms intended to capture citizen feedback on policy issues or public services, as well as open data portals (Figure 8.1). Also, four out of eight countries (50 percent) reported having national platforms for citizen participation, as well as government portals containing government data and informative publications to enhance good governance. Meanwhile, fewer countries (three out of eight, or 37.5 percent) publish citizen engagement statistics to help monitor and track progress. Three out of eight SAR countries indicated an improvement in open government portals and two countries reported progress in platforms that receive feedback, revealing some positive developments within the past two years (Figure 8.2). Furthermore, one of the countries reported improvements in publishing citizen engagement statistics and enhancing national platforms intended for citizens to participate in policy issues. However, Afghanistan and Bhutan experienced challenges in improving their open data portals. 6. Narimatsu, Junko, Aneesa Mendis, and Jagath Seneviratna. 2021. “Digitalization is the Way Forward for Sri Lanka.” End Poverty in South Asia (blog), May 17, 2021. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 12 >>> >>> Figure 8.1: DCEI Indicator-Level Responses, SAR, 2022 Figure 8.2: Changes since 2020 Citizen Engagement Stats Public I-32 3 5 I-32 0% 13% Gov Platform for Citizen Feedback I-31 I-31 13% 5 3 25% Nat’l Platform for Citizen Particip I-30 13% 4 4 I-30 13% Open Data Portal I-29 25% 5 3 I-29 0% 13% Open Government Portal I-28 4 4 I-28 38% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Yes No % Decrease % Increase Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: DCEI = Digital Citizen Engagement Index, SAR = South Asia. Selected good practice cases related to digital citizen engagement are presented below: ● India’s open data portal (MyGov) provides access to shareable data and information in both human-readable and machine- readable forms. Most of the available data are dynamically updated daily through application programming interfaces (APIs). This is intended to promote wider accessibility and application of government-owned data and to unlock the potential of data for national development. MyGov also offers multiple channels through which individuals can participate effectively in policymaking, including opportunities to participate in relevant polls and surveys, and offer feedback including complaints or constructive criticisms. Citizens can also inquire about government services and express their opinions through various social media channels, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. ● The Bangladesh National Portal is the open government portal that serves as a platform for publishing government data, and information about services and initiatives to increase transparency on government actions. While there is a national platform that allows citizens to contribute to policy matters, the Grievance Redress System is also available to receive complaints and enable citizens to submit petitions. Comprehensive citizen engagement statistics are published through 333 to monitor and enhance public engagement, together with the data on calls received, answered, or dropped, as well as the statistics on user satisfaction. ● Pakistan has placed a greater emphasis on citizen feedback within the last two years. The Pakistan Citizen’s Portal (PCP) was launched in 2018 as a government-owned mobile app to promote citizen-centric participatory governance. More than 4 million citizens have been registered and almost 5 million complaints have been submitted so far. GovTech Enablers Advancements in GovTech Enablers Index (GTEI) indicators are highly visible in some countries, including Bangladesh and India. Overall, more than 60 percent of the economies have recently updated their digital transformation strategies, and dedicated digital government entities exist in most countries to oversee GovTech initiatives (Figure 9.1). However, adopted public sector innovation strategies exist in only half of the countries. While data protection laws are effective in six countries in the region, only two have a data protection authority. Nevertheless, three of the countries plan to establish data protection authorities and half of the countries in the region are implementing digital signature platforms. This reflects a building momentum toward strengthening the GovTech ecosystem in SAR. Support is therefore required to maintain the momentum and realize the potential of the region. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 13 Since 2020, countries in SAR have focused significantly on GovTech enablers to foster digital transformation. Based on the 2022 GTMI survey responses, there are significant increases in countries working toward a whole-of-government (WoG) approach to digital transformation and utilizing a dedicated entity to coordinate these efforts (Figure 9.2). >>> >>> Figure 9.1: GTEI Indicator-Level Responses, SAR, 2022 Figure 9.2: Changes since 2020 I-48 N 0% Gov Policy on GovTech Startups I-48 4 4 0% I-47 0% Gov Entity for PS Innovation I-47 5 3 0% I-46 0% Public Sector Innovation Strategy I-46 4 2 2 50% I-45 0% Gov Strategy/Prog on Digital Skills I-45 5 2 1 75% 0% Digital Signature Platform I-42 3 4 1 I-42 25% 13% Data Protection Authority I-39 2 3 3 I-39 13% 0% Data Protection/Privacy Laws I-38 6 1 1 I-38 38% 0% Right to Information Laws I-37 7 1 I-37 0% 0% Whole-of-Government Approach I-36 4 2 2 I-36 63% 13% GovTech/Digital Transf Strategy I-35 7 1 I-35 13% 0% Dedicated Data Governance Entity I-34 3 5 I-34 0% 0% Dedicated DG/GovTech Entity I-33 7 1 I-33 88% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Yes Planned / In progress No % Decrease % Increase Source: World Bank data (eight economies). Note: DG = digital governance, GTEI = GovTech Enablers Index, N = new indicator, PS = public sector, SAR = South Asia. Other important areas of focus are ensuring a conducive legal and regulatory environment for digital government to flourish and fostering innovation and upskilling. Specifically, progress was noted in seven out of eight SAR countries with establishment of an entity dedicated to GovTech, and five economies advanced in their pursuit of an institutionalized whole-of-government approach. New and improved digital skills strategies and programs are also visible in six countries, which is indicative of better preparation for the impending disruptive technology revolution compared with other regions. Selected good practices and opportunities for improving the GTEI indicators are summarized below: ● In Bangladesh, the ICT Division (established in 2012) leads the GovTech agenda and institutionalizes the WoG approach. The National Data Center (NDC) and Aspire to Innovate (a2i) program are also involved in the implementation of digital agenda. The Learning & Earning Development project focuses on strengthening skills to advance digital transformation as part of a broader national strategy. The National ICT Policy also enhances public sector innovation by providing support for GovTech startups and private sector investments. The Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation Project (P167506) was launched in 2021 to equip Bangladeshi youth and workers with the skills needed to improve employment prospects. One important component of the project is the creation of an electronic technical and vocational education and training (e-TVET) platform for blended learning. The goal is to have it functioning by 2026; 1 million students are expected to benefit, and they will be able to register for public and private digital job matching platforms. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 14 ● In Bhutan, a dedicated autonomous Government Technology (GovTech) Agency was launched in December 2022 under the former Ministry of Information and Communications, replacing the Department of IT and Telecommunications and driving digital transformation. A high-level ICT Steering Board coordinates digital transformation activities, while the Ministry of Finance’s Gross National Happiness Commission monitors and reports on digital government spending. One of Bhutan’s flagship programs under the 12th Five Year Plan is Digital Drukyul, for which the government has set aside $30 million to deploy a fiber-optic government network, integrate citizen services, bring ICT into the nation’s schools, establish one digital identity, and increase digital talent and literacy, among others. The Ministry of Information and Communications reported that 72 percent of the program’s targets had been achieved as of November 2022.7 ● India is following a WoG approach, which has been institutionalized, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), established in 2016, leads the advancement of GovTech. MEITY’s priorities include empowering citizens, promoting R&D and innovation, enhancing efficiency through digital services, and ensuring a secure cyberspace. Several programs are available to improve public sector innovation and digital skills. FutureSkills Prime, for instance, aims to make India a Digital Talent Nation by democratizing learning. It offers National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) certifications to strengthen technology skills and open doorways to digital career opportunities. Empowerment of women is also an important area, and training opportunities are provided to government officials and educators. The India Digital Financial Inclusion of Informal Sector (P167886) project (closing in 2023) aims to foster increased use of digital financial services by women in low-income households and engaged in informal activities in the target states. With the goal of reaching at least 500,000 women across six states in India, several mobile apps, including the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) app offering a range of digital services, have already been developed to enhance financial literacy and proficiency while catalyzing the adoption of digital financial services for households to access formal financial instruments. 7. Chimi, Karma. 2022. “MoIC Minister Updates Parliament on the Status of Digital Drukyul Flagship Program.” Bhutan Times, November 14, 2022. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 15 5. >>> Digital Governance/GovTech Projects Historically, most of the World-Bank-funded digital governance (DG) projects have supported the establishment or modernization of core government systems, digital infrastructure, connectivity, social safety nets, health, education, and other sector applications within the last two decades. New DG/GovTech activities (active and pipeline projects launched within the last five years) are focused more on the implementation of new digital transformation programs, online service delivery channels, citizen engagement, and other critical components of the GovTech ecosystem. A summary of 197 DG/GovTech investments funded by the World Bank global practices since 1995 is presented in Table 2.8 This section presents a summary of World-Bank-funded activities led by related global practices supporting the public sector digital transformation.9 The Governance Global Practice (GGP) is leading one pipeline and 16 active GovTech projects in six SAR countries to support the modernization and extension of core public financial management systems, online public services, e-procurement portals, and other public administration reforms. The Digital Development Global Practice (DD GP) is leading one pipeline and four active projects in five countries10 to support digital transformation programs, use of digital ID, digital connectivity solutions, cybersecurity, and government cloud.11 Other practices (Education; Health; Social Protection; Poverty; and Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation) are leading the remaining 23 active and three pipeline projects focused on sector-specific applications (including financial inclusion, health and education management information systems, social protection, payment systems, and land administration). India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are the top three countries benefiting from the World-Bank-funded digital government investments so far (about 63 percent of the 197 projects). The current portfolio includes 48 active and pipeline GovTech projects in seven countries, and most of these are multisectoral solutions mainly related to central government systems, public services, and enabling environment. In India, most of the active and pipeline projects are supporting state-level reforms. Digital Development (DD) teams are leading three important digital transformation projects in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal, and a new project is expected to be active in Pakistan in 2023. The implementation of the Afghanistan Digital CASA Project (P156894) was paused under the current regime in Afghanistan. Other practices are contributing to most of these projects (e.g., DD and GGP teams collaborate in Bangladesh and Pakistan). 8. The Digital Governance/GovTech Projects Database includes most of the World Bank Group investments since 1995. However, some recently approved projects or previous projects without a relevant theme code or tagging may not be visible in the dataset. 9. See World Bank. 2022. “An Overview of World Bank Group Digital Governance and GovTech Projects.” Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions Notes – Governance. Washington DC: World Bank. 10. DD projects include an IDA commitment annex that describes the contribution to the GovTech agenda. 11. DD GP business lines include (1) Broadband Connectivity, Access, and Use; (2) Digital Data Infrastructure; (3) ICT Industry and Digital Jobs; (4) Digital Safeguards; (5) Digital for Climate; and (6) Accelerating Digital Use Cases Across Sectors. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 16 Pakistan Digital Economy Enhancement Project (P174402) is another activity set to launch in 2023 to enhance the government’s capacity for digitally enabled public service delivery for citizens and businesses. The development of whole-of-government frameworks, adoption of the Pakistan Digital Government Data Governance and Interoperability Framework, establishment of a national Data Exchange Layer, preparation of a cybersecurity roadmap, and the development of Pakistan Business Portal are among the results expected to be achieved within the next four years. Some of the social protection projects/programs also support improvements in digitalized citizen registration systems such as the Pakistan Crisis-Resilient Social Protection (CRISP) program (P174484). The Digital Nepal Acceleration (DNA) Project (P176543) was approved in June 2022 to support the expansion of broadband access to 1 million residents, in part by mobilizing private capital investment into rural broadband. It also seeks to improve citizens’ ability to participate in the digital economy by supporting digital skills training, higher education, and entrepreneurship. The project aims to expand digital services by supporting data centers, and it has been supporting the establishment of a cybersecurity center for increased governance and trust. Digital Maldives for Adaptation, Decentralization and Diversification (P177040) is another new operation approved in June 2022. It aims to enhance the competitiveness of the broadband market; improve identification for in-person and online service delivery; and promote effective and sustainable use of digital technologies, data, and analytics for climate resilience, in part through establishing a climate data platform. Governance teams are leading two active digital governance projects in Bangladesh, while in India (Assam), the focus is on service delivery improvements. Most of the remaining GGP projects are supporting the modernization and integration of core government systems (FMIS, tax, e-procurement, HRMIS/payroll). Other cross-practice activities are focused on accelerating the digitalization in sectors including education, health, and social protection, as well as in financial inclusion, payment systems, and land administration. Additionally, the Geo-Enabling initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) has been supporting the systematic enhancement of monitoring and evaluation, and supervision of investments in fragile and conflict-affected countries since 2018. Identification for Development (ID4D) and Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px) initiatives are supporting several relevant activities in the region to strengthen existing identification systems. Digitalization efforts in the Maldives include modernizing the foundational ID system and enabling new modes of digital authentication, as well as providing guidance on aligning the planned legislative framework on data protection with international standards and best practices. A new impact evaluation launched in Pakistan will estimate the impact of biometric verification on women’s land inheritance, with further technical assistance provided on building the ecosystem for digital authentication and verifiable credentials. Based on the findings of the 2021 ID4D report and dataset, an estimated 850 million people worldwide (about half of them children), often individuals within the most marginalized and vulnerable groups, lack an officially recognized ID. Many more have IDs that are not suited for the digital age or that put their data privacy at risk. Based on the ID4D global dataset, the estimated number of people without an ID in SAR is about 202 million (about 11 percent of the 1.9 billion total population in eight countries). Future projects could also focus more on strengthening existing identification systems and enhancing accessibility, the use of digital authentication for remote and online service delivery, and strengthening privacy-by-design and user empowerment features, in alignment with the Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development.12 Also, many countries including India, Singapore, and Thailand have been developing their digital public infrastructure (the identification, data exchange, and payment systems underlying the digital economy) over the last decade and are starting to see the wide-ranging benefits of having a robust set of interconnected systems in place. Considering the substantial investments made on core government systems and GovTech enablers, opportunities exist in many countries to build their DPI as a part of the whole-of-government approach. 12. Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development: Toward the Digital Age. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 17 6. >>> Future Directions New projects could focus more on the adoption of a whole-of-government approach, digital citizen engagement, digital public infrastructure, data governance, cybersecurity, coordination of ongoing activities, monitoring and reporting of digital spending and results, and other key components of the GovTech enabling environment (e.g., leadership, effective regulations, accountable institutions, digital skills, innovation, and incentives for startups) to maximize the benefits of the government’s investments. The following opportunities exist in all countries to address key digital transformation challenges: ● Institutionalization of the whole-of-government approach by allocating the necessary resources, coordinating large-scale digital governance initiatives, and monitoring and reporting the results. ● Digital transformation of local government services, shared local infrastructure, and the intergovernmental fiscal relations. ● Use of technology and geospatial data and climate models to assess and mitigate the risks of climate change on public investments and assets. ● Transition to shared digital platforms (e.g., government private cloud, service bus, digital signature) for cost-effective, reliable, and secure hosting services. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 18 ● Improving the interoperability and interconnectivity of existing government systems and online services through government service bus and application programming interfaces (APIs), ideally based on open-source solutions. ● Building digital public infrastructure (DPI) to enable the provision of essential society-wide functions and services for identification and authentication, data exchange, and payments that are fundamental to social and economic development. ● Daily use of existing PFM information systems (FMIS, tax, e-procurement, HRMIS) to record and report all transactions for decision support, performance monitoring, and timely web publishing of budget results. ● Additional investments on technical/digital skills development and public sector innovation to ensure the sustainability and expansion of digital solutions, with a focus on gender balance. ● Alignment of the development partner support, and agreement on a clear strategic plan for digital transformation to avoid duplication of investments and activities. ● Exploration of the use of artificial intelligence/machine learning in specific public sector applications in collaboration with the private sector and civil society organizations. ● Allocation of adequate government resources for the operation and maintenance of existing systems/platforms to ensure their sustainability. ● Focusing more on improving Internet access, concrete outcomes for the citizens, and digitalization of end-to-end public services in the next generation of digital transformation projects. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 19 >>> Resources ● The GovTech Data Dashboard presents maps and graphs allowing users to digest and explore the findings of the GovTech Dataset and the GovTech projects database. ● The GovTech Dataset presents the GTMI data for 198 economies. ● The GovTech projects database presents the details of more than 1,450 activities funded by the World Bank in 147 countries since 1995. ● DE4A Country Diagnostics, Digital Development, July 2022. ● ID4D Global Dataset, Digital Development, December 2022. ● ID4D Principles, 2021 (2nd Edition). ● ID4D Practitioner’s Guide, October 2019. ● GEMS: Geo-Enabling initiative for Monitoring and Supervision13 managed by the Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) Group. GovTech publications are classified into five categories: crosscutting, core government systems, public service delivery, citizen engagement, and GovTech enablers. ● GovTech Maturity Index, 2022 Update: Trends in Public Sector Digital Transformation, Equitable Growth, Finance & Institutions (EFI) Insight – Governance, December 2022. ● An Overview of World Bank Group Digital Governance and GovTech Projects, EFI Notes – Governance, December 2022. ● Interoperability: Towards a Data-Driven Public Sector, EFI Insight – Governance, January 2023. ● CivicTech: Transparency, Engagement, and Collaboration for Better Governance, EFI Insight – Governance, July 2022. ● Tech Savvy: Advancing GovTech Reforms in Public Administration, EFI Insight – Governance, April 2022. ● Service Upgrade: The GovTech Approach to Citizen Centered Services, EFI Insight – Governance, March 2022. ● Institutional and Procurement Practice Note on Cloud Computing, EFI Insight – Governance, March 2023. ● Data Classification Matrix and Cloud Assessment Framework, EFI Insight – Governance, March 2023. ● Mobile Government How-To Note, EFI Insight – Governance, March 2023. ● How-To Note on Green GovTech (forthcoming). 13. As of October 2022, GEMS has been implemented in more than 100 countries. More than 900 project teams and 6,500 government staff and partners have benefited from the digital skills and tools provided. GEMS has been used extensively for remote supervision and enhanced monitoring and evaluation of project implementation, risk and safeguards monitoring, beneficiary engagement, and security assessments in Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and several Pacific island states. EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 20 >>> Table 2: Digital Governance/GovTech Projects, SAR, 2022 2020 2022 Change GovTech Focus Areas DG/GovTech Projects Funding ($ million) Country Pop (m) % UP Tot Grp GTMI Grp GTMI Grp GTMI CGS PSD DCE GTE Completed Active Pipeline Tot Comm Tot DG Disb Afghanistan¯ C 0.442 C 0.354 ¥ ¤ 26 5 - 4 40.099 32.2 23 3 - 1,161 929 502 Bangladesh B 0.715 A 0.845 £ £ 34 7 2 7 169.356 21.5 26 11 - 7,235 5,158 1,868 Bhutan B 0.538 B 0.595 ¥ £ 5 - - 1 0.777 12.1 4 1 - 63 65 17 India A 0.815 A 0.940 ¥ £ 53 9 2 5 1,407.564 5.2 44 10 - 10,970 9,999 1,886 Maldives C 0.319 C 0.406 ¥ £ 5 1 1 1 0.521 1.4 4 1 - 88 75 27 Nepal B 0.508 C 0.439 ¤ ¤ 20 4 3 1 30.035 15.4 15 4 2 1,211 985 636 Pakistan B 0.671 B 0.535 ¥ ¤ 32 11 3 4 231.402 31.7 22 10 1 5,211 3,574 1,399 Sri Lanka B 0.623 B 0.749 ¥ £ 13 2 - 3 21.773 6.4 11 3 2 1,368 1,124 220 Totals 1,901.529 10.6 149 43 5 27,308 21,910 6,555 Source: World Bank data (197 Digital Governance/GovTech investments funded by World Bank since 1995). Note: GovTech Focus Areas present the number of projects supporting the prioritized GovTech pillars, including core government systems (CGS), public service delivery (PSD), digital citizen engagement (DCE), and GovTech enablers (GTE). Total commitments and disbursements are shown together with the total investments on digital government/GovTech solutions. DG = digital governance; GTMI = GovTech Maturity Index; SAR = South Asia; Pop (m) = Population (in millions), 2021 UN database; % UP = Estimated percentage of unregistered population (using separate metric rates for children and adults without IDs based on ID4D-Findex, administrative data, and voter registration and birth registration rates), 2021 ID4D dataset. Fragile and conflict-affected economies are shown with (¯). EQUITABLE GROWTH, FINANCE & INSTITUTIONS NOTES <<< 21