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First GovTech Day at the World Economic Forum 2026

02/ 02/ 2026
  During the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ukraine House hosted the first-ever GovTech Day – a high-level international event that brought digital governance to the centre of the global agenda. The event brought together senior officials and ministers of digital transformation from Singapore, Estonia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as executives and leading experts from global technology companies, including Microsoft, IBM, and Capgemini. Innovators and representatives of international organisations also joined the discussion. In his speech, Mykhailo Fedorov, former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation (2019 – January 2026), presented the Ukrainian model of the “agent state”. It is built on artificial intelligence, focused on citizen needs, and implemented through Diia. International assessments and comparative indices confirm the practical implementation of this vision. Ukraine has also entered the top five of the Online Services Index (OSI) – up from 102nd position in 2018. Additionally, Ukraine ranked first in the E-Participation Index, jumping up 56 positions since 2022. During the panel discussion on public-private partnerships in GovTech, Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation, emphasised: “Ukraine is showing the world that a digital state is the state of the future, capable of remaining strong even during wartime. This is not just a place in the rankings – it is international recognition that Ukraine is already creating digital solutions today that meet the highest global standards and become a benchmark for other countries. In particular, with the support of Switzerland within EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation, an environment is being formed in Ukraine where international digitalisation standards with the participation of the private sector are transformed into practical solutions – from public services to innovative platforms”. This evaluation of the Ukrainian digital transformation experience is shared by international partners. Jacques Gerber, Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for Ukraine, underlined: “Ukraine today is a space of practical digital transformation of public services. For partners, including Switzerland, the Ukrainian experience opens valuable lessons for the future of public administration in Europe and beyond. Ukraine is not only strengthening its own digital resilience – it is helping to shape the idea of what a modern digital state can be in the 21st century”. Furthermore, the following topics were discussed during GovTech Day in Davos: Rethinking public accountability: states must manage autonomous AI systems, not just supervise human decision-makers.  The role of international institutions: fragmented national digital initiatives must be turned into common standards, compatible systems, and scalable models.  The evolution of public-private partnerships in GovTech: the transition from procurement to long-term strategic partnerships where business is a co-creator of government solutions.  Ukraine as a global GovTech benchmark: the Ukrainian experience was presented as an example of rapid implementation of digital solutions and building digital public infrastructure in crisis conditions. Investment in GovTech and measuring social value: a global report by Deloitte and GGTC Kyiv on investment trends was presented. GovTech Day is a high-level public event taking place during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026 at the Ukraine House Davos. The event was organised by the Global Government Technology Centre (GGTC) in Kyiv in partnership with the Global Government Technology Centre in Berlin (GGTC Berlin) within EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation with the support of the Government of Switzerland, and with the support of Visa.

During the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ukraine House hosted the first-ever GovTech Day – a high-level international event that brought digital governance to the centre of the global agenda.

The event brought together senior officials and ministers of digital transformation from Singapore, Estonia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as executives and leading experts from global technology companies, including Microsoft, IBM, and Capgemini. Innovators and representatives of international organisations also joined the discussion.

In his speech, Mykhailo Fedorov, former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation (2019 – January 2026), presented the Ukrainian model of the “agent state”. It is built on artificial intelligence, focused on citizen needs, and implemented through Diia.

International assessments and comparative indices confirm the practical implementation of this vision. Ukraine has also entered the top five of the Online Services Index (OSI) – up from 102nd position in 2018. Additionally, Ukraine ranked first in the E-Participation Index, jumping up 56 positions since 2022.

During the panel discussion on public-private partnerships in GovTech, Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation, emphasised:

“Ukraine is showing the world that a digital state is the state of the future, capable of remaining strong even during wartime. This is not just a place in the rankings – it is international recognition that Ukraine is already creating digital solutions today that meet the highest global standards and become a benchmark for other countries. In particular, with the support of Switzerland within EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation, an environment is being formed in Ukraine where international digitalisation standards with the participation of the private sector are transformed into practical solutions – from public services to innovative platforms”.

This evaluation of the Ukrainian digital transformation experience is shared by international partners. Jacques Gerber, Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for Ukraine, underlined:

“Ukraine today is a space of practical digital transformation of public services. For partners, including Switzerland, the Ukrainian experience opens valuable lessons for the future of public administration in Europe and beyond. Ukraine is not only strengthening its own digital resilience – it is helping to shape the idea of what a modern digital state can be in the 21st century”.

Furthermore, the following topics were discussed during GovTech Day in Davos:

  • Rethinking public accountability: states must manage autonomous AI systems, not just supervise human decision-makers. 
  • The role of international institutions: fragmented national digital initiatives must be turned into common standards, compatible systems, and scalable models. 
  • The evolution of public-private partnerships in GovTech: the transition from procurement to long-term strategic partnerships where business is a co-creator of government solutions. 
  • Ukraine as a global GovTech benchmark: the Ukrainian experience was presented as an example of rapid implementation of digital solutions and building digital public infrastructure in crisis conditions.

Investment in GovTech and measuring social value: a global report by Deloitte and GGTC Kyiv on investment trends was presented.

GovTech Day is a high-level public event taking place during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026 at the Ukraine House Davos. The event was organised by the Global Government Technology Centre (GGTC) in Kyiv in partnership with the Global Government Technology Centre in Berlin (GGTC Berlin) within EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation with the support of the Government of Switzerland, and with the support of Visa.

This material is provided by a member company or partner organization of the European Business Association as part of an informational collaboration. The Association is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. The views, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this material are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the European Business Association.

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