Covid-19, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Innovations, Legislation, Technology

The objective of the digital declaration is to highlight strategic areas that are vulnerable to crises but can be reinforced by digitization, spokespeople for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The declaration emphasizes crucial areas where digital cooperation is particularly important, such as secure internet access, protecting human rights in cyberspace, citizen-oriented e-governance and digital solutions in the health and education sectors, as well as improving people's digital skills.

Representatives of more than 60 countries on Wednesday attended a global video conference jointly organised by the foreign ministries of Estonia and Singapore, focusing on digitization in response to COVID-19.

The conference included a presentation of a global digital declaration, which aims at supporting global digitization to cope with crises more efficiently and prevent an increase of digital divides. The declaration is open to more participants.

"I am glad that representatives of so many countries attended the conference. We must work together to overcome the crisis in all regions of the world and make sure that citizen-oriented and secure digital services are equally available everywhere. Both Estonia and Singapore can share their good experiences with creating secure services and building a successful digital state,” Reinsalu said.

Estonia will next organize a global business conference with the United Arab Emirates on stopping the global spread of the coronavirus by digital means.

In addition to the Estonian foreign minister, the conference also included statements from the Foreign Minister of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Amina J. Mohammed, Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Doreen Bogdan-Martin and Director General of Smart Africa Lacina Kone.

The conference is moderated by the co-founder of Estonia's e-Governance Academy Linnar Viik and national statements can be watched live on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.