Strengthening cooperation on open and electronic governance in Guatemala

Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government of Guatemala (GAE) and the e-Governance Academy (eGA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen technical cooperation and build the capacity of public officials in the area of electronic governance.

Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government is a public entity responsible for promoting transparency and innovation through the implementation of open and electronic government in Guatemala. The cooperation will focus on the development of the country´s e-government strategy and public administration´s capacity building in the field of digital governance.

“Estonia is a benchmark in transparency and in the fight against corruption, which is largely due to digitalisation. We appreciate the support to be able to implement these mechanisms also in Guatemala,” Edie Josué Cux García, Executive Director of the Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government of Guatemala emphasised.

“We are truly honoured to build a stronger cooperation with the government of Guatemala in its efforts to promote transparency and open government. Digitalisation is one of the most effective tools in fighting corruption, as well as training public administration to maximise the benefits of technology and bolster accountability,” Hannes Astok, CEO of e-Governance Academy highlighted.

The signing ceremony was held during Transparency International´s Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius at the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala Carlos Ramiro Martínez, Estonia´s Ambassador to Lithuania Kaimo Kuusk and Guatemala´s Ambassador concurrent to Estonia George de La Roche.

Collaborating with over 280 organizations in 141 countries since its foundation in 2002, the e-Governance Academy is a leading non-profit organization that assists governments worldwide in leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and promote democratic governance. With its extensive global engagement, eGA plays an important role in shaping e-government policies and providing technical solutions to strengthen governance systems.

eGA together with GIZ, FIIAP, Expertise France is jointly implementing the EU-LAC Digital High-level Policy Dialogue, which aims to accelerate the digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean by building a strong, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial engagement on digital issues between the EU and LAC and strengthening the EU’s role as a key partner and player in the digital area.