Digital@UNGA Affiliate Event

• Time: 15:00–17:00 EDT

• Venue: UNJSPF, 38th Floor, Conference Room, 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 885 Second Avenue, New York, NY

• Format: Hybrid

• For in-person participation, please register by noon on Friday, 18 September. Online participants are also requested to register by 20 September: Digital@UNGA UPU - RSVP form

Background

Co-organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC), this session will focus on inclusive approaches to digital government service delivery.

Digital government has become central to improving the efficiency, transparency, inclusiveness, quality and cost-effectiveness of public services. According to the forthcoming United Nations E-Government Survey 2026, 98 per cent of UN Member States now provide at least one e-government service online, with many governments adopting “digital-first” or “digital-by-default” approaches.

However, significant digital divides remain. Around 2.2 billion people worldwide are still offline, while many others face barriers related to affordability, connectivity quality, lack of digital skills, access to devices, disability, language or geographic isolation. As essential services increasingly move online, these barriers risk excluding some populations from public services and civic participation.

Recognizing these challenges, governments and stakeholders are increasingly adopting inclusive, multi-channel approaches to service delivery. These combine digital platforms with in-person and community-based channels such as post offices, libraries and service centres. Such approaches expand accessibility, resilience and user choice, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Objective

This session will explore how governments and partners are designing inclusive, accessible and resilient models of digital government service delivery that combine online and digitally enabled in-person channels. Through practical experiences and case studies, the discussion will highlight approaches to reaching underserved populations, including rural and remote communities, older persons, persons with disabilities and marginalized groups.

The session will also examine how blended service delivery models can strengthen accessibility, trust, uptake and resilience while maintaining the benefits of digital transformation.

Moderator
 

• Mr Vincenzo Aquaro, Chief, Digital Government Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

Preliminary speakers
 

• Mr Kevin Hernandez, Digital Inclusion Expert, Universal Postal Union – Multi-channel service delivery and the role of Posts in e-government

• Mr Sameer Chauhan, Director, United Nations International Computing Centre – Building inclusive e-government on digital foundations

• ​Mr Ahmed Said, Advisor to the Minister for Economic and Statistics Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Arab Republic of Egypt – Leveraging Egyptian Post Offices to bring e-government services closer to rural communities and women

• Mr Martin Pizinger, Director, United Nations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic – Providing human “Czech Points” for digital government services throughout the Czech Republic

• ​Ms Claire McGuire, Policy and Advocacy Manager, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) – The role of libraries in expanding access to e-government services for underserved groups

Expected outcomes

​The event aims to facilitate the exchange of practical experiences and lessons on inclusive digital government service delivery and contribute to broader discussions on advancing people-centred, inclusive and accessible digital transformation in the implementation of the Global Digital Compact.

For inquiries

Kevin Hernandez
UPU International Bureau
eservices@upu.int