By: Staff Writer
September 26, 2025
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in a new report on digital governance said that countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region should prioritize strong political leadership, develop comprehensive national digital strategies, and create effective coordination mechanisms to align national and sub-national policies.
The report, “Guide for establishing a governance framework for digital government in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,” said: “Since the start of the twenty-first century, the countries of LAC have been working on a series of ambitious digital transformation projects aimed at developing an integrated suite of online government websites to allow people to obtain information, conduct all sorts of administrative procedures and other formalities, and access government services. The objective of this effort is to make public administration more transparent, effective and democratic.
It added that: “More recently, the introduction and refinement of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and blockchains are further redefining skills and economic opportunities.
“These innovations are driving process automation, boosting operational efficiency and facilitating big data analytics. The resulting technological and digital transformations are capable of diminishing the Latin American and Caribbean countries’ legacy of development traps and gaps by opening up a wide range of opportunities, including opportunities for increasing productivity, strengthening connectivity, leveraging human talent and enhancing the well-being of the population.”
The report also said: “While great strides in the development of digital technologies had been made in the years leading up to 2020, it was only then, with the outbreak of the health, economic and social crises triggered by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that it became clear that it was absolutely necessary for governments to swiftly step up their use of these technologies in order to provide online access to public services and government processes and procedures.
“Digital government strategies have thus had to be strengthened and have not only changed the way the government is run but have also been reshaping how it goes about administering, planning, providing information and, most of all, dealing with the public. The findings of the most recent United Nations E-Government Survey (United Nations, 2024) reflect the efforts that governments have been making to secure the public’s active involvementin e-consultations.
“Successfully matching up public policies with the capabilities offered by advanced technologies creates a unique opportunity for governments to foster an inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking form of development.”