The Diia e-government platform continues to develop amid the war, making life easier to “over 19 million Ukrainians” and attracting attention from abroad. The Dia Summit, which was held online on December 19, provided fresh insights.
Diia was launched in 2020 — soon after Volodymyr Zelensky took office as president and formed the “ministry of Digital Transformation” — with the stated goals of “digitizing the state” and “making it transparent” while serving each citizen individually.
Since the beginning of the war, the app has ensured continuous availability of critical government services. It has also been used to support displaced Ukrainians and others impacted by the conflict.
According to announcements made at the Diia summit, Diia now provides “over 19 million Ukrainians” with more than 120 online government services.
President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Diia Summit. Photo credit: presidential administration
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New services are launched regularly — including, this month, a housing certificate exchange service that addresses the needs of those who lost their home as a result of the war, and a service to buy or sell a car through a smartphone, with the related license and other legal documents provided by email or courier.
Under plans, as reported by AIN, next year will see the launch of a variety of other new services, including “e-Entrepreneur“ for registration and tax services, “Diia.Office” for “monitoring the productivity of officials,” and “e-Residency” for foreigners who come to live and work in Ukraine.
Several foreign governments have shown interest in this app, including Estonia, whose mRiik digital identity app, launched in January 2023, took Diia as a source of inspiration.
Meanwhile, USAID — which has been supporting the Diia program from start — announced that Ecuador will, among other USAID partner countries, “explore collaboration with USAID and the Government of Ukraine to transform how citizens engage with government and access critical services through the adoption of e-government tools.”
“Diia has distinguished Ukraine as a world leader in e-government innovation, and, together with USAID, Ukraine is sharing this technology with other countries,” reads a USAID press release.
At the Diia Summit, US ambassador Bridget Brink also announced “an expansion of USAID’s work in Ukraine to strengthen the establishment of digital ecosystems and support economic growth, transparent recovery, and e-services for citizens and businesses that support anti-corruption efforts.”
