Digital Government podcast

Estonia’s e-Residency program turns ten years old, and we join in the celebrations with a deep dive into what’s been, so far, a very exciting path. As one of the international golden children of Estonia’s digital and global economic policy, the e-Residency program has changed, evolved, and grown. In the digital space, ten years are no short time.From government start-up, to world-known solution for digital entrepreneurs and location-independent workers. To explore the program’s journey, we sat down with Katrin Vaga, Head of Global Communication for e-Residency. Speaking milestones, tangible benefits of the initiative, and navigating as much global trends and cultural shifts. 

As the fifth Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School currently taking place in Tallinn, attendees reflect on a year of diplomacy in cybersecurity. Some of them, too, having gone from participants to speakers. The program, organised annually, is designed to bridge theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in cyber diplomacy, and for Claudio Peguero and Alban Andreu, the Summer School has turned out to be a point of growth and community-building.Claudio Peguero is Ambassador and Advisor on Cyber Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic. Alban Andreu, instead, Policy Officer in the Strategic Affairs and Cybersecurity Department of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.In this podcast episode, the two alumni-turned-speakers share their experience during and after the coursework, and how the previous year’s learnings played a role in their diplomatic work. Yet a testament to the Summer School’s role in shaping effective and adaptive cyber diplomacy leaders. 

Can a group of Caribbean islands become the Estonia of the region, looked up to on digital transformation and service delivery? E. Jay Saunders thinks so – for both citizens and businesses. He is the former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Investment, and Trade of the Turks and Caicos Islands. And at the 10th e-Governance Conference, by all rights took part in a panel on enlightened digital leadership.In this episode, Saunders takes us through what digitalisation means for small countries in the area. Between breaking down barriers to better access digital markets, and providing citizens with a 24/7 experience of government that has nothing to envy from what they see in countries – on paper and volume of state revenue – with larger availability of resources and capital.

"2024 is the biggest election year in human history. Half of the world’s population – some 3.7 billion people – have the opportunity to vote this year across 72 countries.” So notes Merle Maigre, Head of Cybersecurity at e-Governance Academy, on host duties for this podcast episode on securing elections.“Voting is at the very heart of democracy, making it vital that we safeguard the integrity of elections.” October, being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, provides the perfect backdrop to discuss these issues. Maigre is joined in the conversation by Priit Vinkel, Senior Expert at e-Governance Academy and former head of the State Electoral Office, and Tonu Tammer, former head of Estonia's CERT and Associated Expert of e-Governance Academy.Elections are no longer solely about paper ballots and polling stations with sliding curtains. So what to look out for, in order to safeguard them in the digital era?