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Nominees 2020 – GOVERNMENT & CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

Digital solutions can be a great driver for the UN SDGs.  Each year, the WSA national Experts in over 180 countries scout the local start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystem to select a maximum of 8 best practice examples for the 8 WSA categories.

 

The focus lies on digital finesse with content that solves local problems, enhances knowledge, and drives the UN SDGs.

 

This unique and diverse selection process provides a brilliant diameter of how digital innovation can be used for social impact, development and narrowing the global divides – and showcases global trends and focus points.

 

Digital innovation is a great driver of sustainable governance.

 

The WSA Government & Citizen engagement category, awarding solutions for a sustainable governance through well functioning institutions, focusing on citizen engagement and the  construction of sustainable societies, received 44 nominations in 2020.

 

In that respect, the WSA 2020 Government & Citizen engagement nominations show a clear trend towards the will of easing the communication between citizens and public institutions. The commitment to transparency in the leading institutions is driving force in more than third of the nominations around the world, reshaping how governments interact with their citizens.

 

15 governments (34%) have been nominated in the Government & Citizen Engagement category for their outstanding work on reliability and legitimacy with recent innovation on improving governmental agility and answering citizen needs. Among them, some examples:

 

 

Of the nominations in the Government & Citizen Engagement category, 30% of the solutions are provided by Start-ups and 11% by social enterprises, a clear trend towards the private participation in govermental solutions.

 

 

In a society driven by information and communication technologies, transparent institutions and access to accurate data is essential. More than half of the nominations from the Arab and Middle East region share the same dedication. Whether they showcase national data, fight against cyber crimes or increase governments efficiency, these nominations are great tools for government transparency.

 

 

43% of the 2020 Government & Citizen engagement nominations are based on mobile applications, a step towards a direct interaction with citizens and to take into account feedback of citizens faster and more efficient.

 

 

 

 

 

Transparency in the data gathering process and in received data leads governments to remodel city management. A wide range of ministries and administrations utilize citizen participation to structure public institutions:

 

 

These portals are notable ways of communication and interaction between formal institutions and citizens, reintroducing and redefining the bond between citizens and public institutions.

 

 

 

 

2020 Government & Citizen engagement platforms, in an accessible, outspoken and straightforward way, democratize information and data in the financial, legal and business fields. These platforms do not only convert the messages from institutions as forthright information, they involve each user to participate and work on developing and promoting sustainable standards for communities.

 

 

 

Reshaping the meaning of neighborhood and community, many platforms offer solutions to daily problems and take into account all communities, including marginalized groups. More than 50% of citizen platforms nominated this year are non-profit initiatives, like Hoplr in Belgium or neiborhu in Spain.

 

 

 

  • Elderly and people in need of care
    1. Chile has developed a platform where the elderly can request help for any type of services from washing a car to daily care.
    2. Estonia gathers volunteers willing to help in times of the global pandemic.
    3. Austria has initiated a call system to prevent loneliness.

 

  • Disability care

 

Australia brings help to the care of disabled persons through the app sameview.

 

 

  • Youth empowerment

 

Unemployment in Serbia is a big issue. In that regard, the Serbian government has developed the campaign "My First Salary" to help young people.

 

 

 

 

  • Cultivate political participation

 

Political detachment is a growing issue all around the world. Ugloo in Mongolia is fighting the increasing electoral disengagement with a digital innovation.

 

 

 

  • Brisking the rural areas

 

Israel has launched a platform to transcribe what rural areas of developing countries really need.

 

Tobongista, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but focused in the whole African continent, seeks answers to needs governments and institutions haven't solved.

 

 

Individuals and the private sector are contributing more actively to the citizen engagement field, and there is a commitment to closing the minorities inclusion gap from the governments, NGOs, Start-ups and SMEs in order to build sustainable cities and communities.