The GEALC Network Ministerial Meetings are a a high-level political event that brings together the national authorities responsible for digital government in countries in the Americas. It is the regional setting to establish joint actions between countries in the network, promote horizontal cooperation and discuss directions and trends in digital government. Along these lines, the space is made available for ministers and experts in digital government to share their experiences and knowledge in the field, in addition to having distinguished speakers and guests from other continents. The objective is to raise awareness, strengthen collaboration ties and jointly raise the challenges and issues that arise when developing public policies for state modernization.

The ministerial meetings are held once every two years, while general meetings of the GEALC Network are held every year at the level of national directors of digital government. The meeting that will take place in Brasilia on November 26 and 27, 2024. This 8th Ministerial Meeting on Digital Government of the Americas is hosted by the Ministry of Management and Innovation on Public Services, and takes place in parallel with the 18th Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Network on Digital Government (GEALC Network).

As usual, the excelGOB awards for excellence in digital government will also be voted on this occasion, for which applications can still be submitted, with the closing date for submission of applications being August 15.

Current challenges such as data governance and artificial intelligence, or cross-border digital services, are taking a prominent place in this regional ministerial meeting.

With the prospect of a new Summit of the Americas, to be held in the Dominican Republic in 2025, this GEALC Network ministerial meeting will be the opportunity to prepare inputs on our subject for the discussions that will be held by the Heads of State and government. In this way, progress will be made in the implementation of the commitments of the Regional Program for Digital Transformation approved at the ninth Summit of the Americas (Los Angeles, 2022). At the same time, this ministerial exchange will be in line with the digital transformation commitments of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), an entity for which the GEALC Network is part of its Regional Public Policy Dialogues scheme.

A week before our Ministerial Meeting, the G20 Summit will take place in the same city under the topic “Building a fair world and a sustainable planet.”

The importance of the presence of ministers of digital government from the region to strengthen the dialogue and exchanges that the GEALC Network has been carrying out in these 20 years of existence is evident in the context of current challenges and the series of events that are connected to its realization.

For more information visit www.redgealc.org