Digital trust, not just digital tools: Why partnerships matter in building future of governance

We usually refer to digital transformation in terms of technology: faster internet, new apps and artificial intelligence. In the Philippines, which identifies digitalization as a driver of social and economic development, the important question is: do these technologies help instutions work better for the people? 

While technology can strengthen institutions and systems, it can also magnify weaknesses. If an existing manual, slow, complex and confusing process is put online, it only gives you a slow, confusing process online. Therefore, real transformation changes how decisions are made, services are organized and delivered and is responsive to the needs of the people. 

The design and adoption of digital tools are very much key milestones that strengthen institutional capabilities, but they are most effective if people trust its use. Therefore, the digital systems must themselves be trustworthy: inclusive, secure, accessible, and accountable. Poorly governed technologies can increase exclusion and just as easily as good systems can reduce it. 

Therefore, consider connectivity. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and UNDP have worked together to bring free Wi-Fi to underserved communities. The Wi-Fi signal is just the start. What matters is the change enabled because of access to the signal. Students can join a class, health workers can access new information to improve quality of services, local governments can disseminate information that can save lives at a time of disaster and for Indigenous Peoples and geographically isolated communities it provides an opportunity for increased economic and social participation. . 

Contributing to sustaining peace and development, in  the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG-BARMM) and UNDP, are helping local governments, through the use digital tools to plan, deliver services and make decisions based on evidence.  

Trust also continues to increase as people continue to see services being delivered, based on evidence, and in a needs responsive way.  This requires institutions that continually learn and adapt. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning are therefore as important as investments made in  physical infrastructure. Data and digital tools enable governments to identify what works, understand who is being left behind, and adjust policies and services accordingly. In the Philippines data is increasingly considered a development asset.

The country’s digital transformation journey highlights that it takes a collective effort. National government sets the vision and creates the enabling environment and invests resources, local governments deliver  solutions for communities, civil society strengthens participation, universities provide evidence, the private sector brings innovation, and development partners help connect to resources, knowledge, and partners. Most importantly, communities help inform and confirm the solutions address the real needs.

As the Philippines advances toward a more inclusive, resilient, and digitally enabled future, success should not be measured by the number of new applications or processes digitized.  A more compelling measurement would be whether students can access education regardless of they live, youth can access more job opportunities, whether communities are able to respond to disasters earlier and whether citizens can access public services with dignity and confidence. 

Digital transformation is about trust. And trust remains the most important infrastructure any country can build.

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Amanthi Wickramasinghe is a UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in the Philippines.