Learn how to design user-centric digital government systems
Our curriculum empowers civil servants to innovate by enabling them to design online systems that bring government services closer to citizens and businesses.
Prototype simple to complex systems in real time
During our system design workshops, we work together to create working prototypes that fastrack the implementation of interconnected digital government systems.
No programming skills required
Participants will use our no-code eRegistrations development platform to create their own single windows including forms, business rules, databases and APIs.
The Digital Government Academy is part of the UNCTAD - UNITAR Digital Government Capacity Development programme established to research, promote and build capacity in the field of digital government as a means to implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Our curriculum includes

As you proceed through you will learn about

An online course on Introduction to Digital Government.
A residential course in Geneva or another designated out-of-country location on Designing Digital Services where you will get to design one or more prototype online services based on an existing law and implementing decree from your country.
Online support so you can train further officers within your government department.
The ten principles of administrative simplification.
Designing a service online from scratch.
Creating forms, bots, databases and APIs.
Testing a service.
Transferring and implementing a digital government system.

At the end of the course you will be able to create and operate a digital government system and train your colleagues to add new services.

You will also be able to transfer the prototype service you designed either to a licensed version of our platform, or to an existing system that your government is already using.

You do not need any prior IT knowledge to take part, but experience in a government administration is desired.

We follow the nine guiding principles of digital trade and investment facilitation:
Be universal Trade and investment facilitation can benefit all businesses, not just foreign investors or large exporters. Facilitation for MSMEs is an important way to grow the formal sector, widen the tax base, broaden social security coverage and support vulnerable populations.
Adopt a user-centric approach A government procedure comprises a series of interactions, or steps, between the user and a representative of a government department. For some procedures, several departments might be involved, sometimes more than once. Facilitation begins by understanding the journey from start to finish as the user experiences it.
Adopt a risk-based approach A significant amount of red tape is the result of a tendency to treat all applicants as high risk. Adopting a risk-based approach which recognises that most traders and investors act in good faith would facilitate trade and investment.
Simplify procedures before going digital Administrative procedures often go beyond what is required by law and are further complicated by contradictory guidelines and manuals. Simplification would mean examining whether all steps, data and documents required within a procedure are necessary, identifying overlaps and duplication, reviewing the legal basis for each step and questioning whether the economic cost of complying with each step is justified by the benefit to users and society.
Include all mandatory procedures and institutions Trading a good or establishing a business requires multiple procedures at multiple institutions. Including all required procedures and institutions within a digital solution captures economies of scope and ensures facilitation is genuinely digital.
Connect multiple procedures and institutions Good digital single windows enable users to obtain all mandatory registrations, with one or various administrations, through a single procedure: a single online form, one set of documents uploaded, a single online payment and issuance of digitally-verifiable certificates.
Communicate the facilitation measures Investors and businesses should be informed about the trade and investment facilitation solutions in place and how they can be accessed. Communication might include the savings in time and costs that these measures will provide to users and their benefits to the broader economy.
Measure the impact Data collection and analysis on licenses issued, time taken, user demographics, business types and location improves procedures, policies and communication efforts, and can support economic development.
Carry out peer reviews and regional comparisons Online peer comparisons help countries identify gaps in their trade and investment facilitation and put in place solutions that are appropriate to their needs, objectives and international commitments.

Additional reading How we simplify government procedures