新战略开启美国国际发展数字化新时代

Author: Yuejun Han

The US Agency for International Development has released a digital strategy, hoping to use aid funds and cooperation with technology companies to support recipient countries in building digital ecosystems and promote digitalization in the field of international development.

Currently, 4 billion people in developing countries still do not have access to the Internet, and more than 90% of them are from the least developed countries. There are still serious gender inequalities in technology use. The number of female mobile phone users is 14% less than that of men, and the number of female Internet users is 43% less than that of men. This gap is still widening. The United States Agency for Development (USAID) believes that the appropriate use of technology can promote sustainable development. USAID hopes to use aid funds and cooperation with technology companies to support recipient countries in building digital ecosystems that serve everyone, help poor and marginalized people obtain external support, reduce market access costs, and expand communication with the outside world, thereby ensuring Digital technologies benefit and protect everyone

(USAID/Photo)

"Digital Strategy" promotes digital technology to support international development

In 2020, the "USAID Digital Strategy (2020-2024)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Digital Strategy") became USAID's guiding document to promote digitalization in the field of international development. The "Digital Strategy" compiled by USAID in collaboration with multiple departments seeks to support development assistance projects and the "self-development" of recipient countries through digital technology.
The goal of the Digital Strategy is to achieve and sustain an open, secure and inclusive digital ecosystem that supports broad, measurable development and humanitarian assistance outcomes and promotes the self-development of emerging market countries. To this end, USAID will responsibly use digital technologies in projects to improve development and humanitarian assistance outcomes and make digital ecosystems more open, inclusive, and secure at the country level.
The "Digital Strategy" will be implemented and promoted in four aspects:

Introduce the ecosystem model in the development field: conduct a country assessment of the digital ecology in the recipient country to determine the existing digital system, policy and legal environment-related institutions, the application status of digital technology, network security, emerging technologies, etc.; establish a digital ecosystem Fund (DEF) to support relevant institutions and countries in improving the digital ecosystem; USAID departments and fields develop digital action plans or visions; and conduct relevant research and training.
Help partners seize opportunities and address risks: reduce gender inequalities and gaps in the use of digital technologies; improve cybersecurity; and improve data governance, advance the digital economy, and protect privacy through policy influence in recipient countries and USAID programs.
Digital management transformation: Consciously follow the internationally recognized "Digital Development Principles", pay attention to network security and data protection in project procurement, and adopt electronic payment.
Focus on tomorrow: In order to better face and integrate into the digital future, USAID has established a digital development consultant to provide guidance for USAID’s offices in recipient countries in the design and application of digital technologies; organize digital ecosystem assessments; and at the same time, extensively enhance the digital capabilities of employees within USAID. Technical application skills.

USAID has developed a series of tools to guide the application of digital technologies in all aspects of the project cycle, developed a digital learning plan, provided training for employees, and compiled a monitoring and evaluation plan to test the actual effectiveness and impact of the Digital Strategy. The Technical Division of USAID's Directorate of Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) is responsible for coordinating with relevant internal departments to ensure the implementation of the Digital Strategy.

Initial progress has been made in the implementation of the "Digital Strategy"

The "Digital Strategy" has been piloted in some countries and plans to be extended to all project countries by 2024. Two years into the pilot, Colombia, Kenya, Nepal and Serbia have completed digital ecosystem assessments to identify challenges and responses to the use of digital technologies in their national development areas. USAID is conducting this assessment in offices in other recipient countries.
The USAID Digital Ecosystem Fund (DEF) has supported 15 activities in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe, including supporting digital application training for women, people with disabilities, and adolescents; using digital health service platforms to improve community health services and hospital services quality; provide technical support and capacity building; assist in formulating relevant strategies; build a stakeholder dialogue mechanism, etc. USAID also dispatches digital development consultants to its headquarters and 19 offices in recipient countries to coordinate the implementation of the Digital Strategy, develop technical tools and guides, and conduct digital ecosystem assessments. Some digital development consultants also negotiate with the telecommunications sector to expand the coverage of relevant networks and applications.
The implementation of the "Digital Strategy" in various departments of USAID has also made positive progress. In 2020, the USAID Global Health Bureau formulated the "Digital Health Action Vision" to support the capacity building and national digital health strategies of recipient countries, help recipient countries build digital health systems and standards, and call on the international community to cooperate in sharing knowledge in this field. experiences and lessons. In 2021, the USAID Food Security and Response Bureau released the "Digital Strategic Action Plan", proposing the application direction of digital technology in agriculture, forestry and other fields and the protection of vulnerable groups, and emphasizing support for the digitalization of agricultural development strategies in recipient countries and regions , such as the digital platform that supports the development of Africa’s Comprehensive Agricultural Development Plan (CAADP).
The United States is the world's largest provider of official development assistance. U.S. foreign aid supports the development of recipient countries through digital development, helps fill the digital divide and provides new development opportunities for developing countries. If we can pay attention to avoid the negative impact of digital on marginalized groups in the process of carrying out technical cooperation and developing the digital economy, and reduce the inequality and digital security issues that may be brought about by digital development, it will make a great contribution to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. Make a positive contribution.

References

https://www.chinanews.com.cn/m/gj/2021/09-24/9572589.shtml

https://digitalprinciples.org/principles/

https://www.usaid.gov/

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