UKRAINE: Digitalisation of Public Services: Experience of Ukraine

The aim of the public service for the provision of administrative services is to ensure convenient, fast and high-quality solutions to issues necessary for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights and freedoms. In times of crisis and military risk, when physical access to administrative services is limited, digitalisation is one of the few ways to ensure such access and one of the key factors in supporting the economy and the stability of public administration.

A key element of the digitalisation of public services is the establishment and integration of state electronic registers that contain primary data, interact with each other through APIs, and ensure the reliability, relevance and completeness of information. Convenient mobile access for citizens to most popular state registers is provided through the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services (the Diia Portal). The Portal is owned by the state represented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and is technically operated by the state enterprise «Diia».

As part of the audit, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine examined the current state of digitalisation of public services, identified its strengths and weaknesses, and provided recommendations to improve service quality.

Overall, the development of digital public services in Ukraine shows a positive trend. According to the Online Services Index, part of the international E-Government Development Index that assesses 193 countries and is developed by the United Nations, Ukraine ranks 5th in terms of the development of digital public services.

According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the number of users of the Diia Portal exceeds 20 million and continues to grow.

The security of state information resources and personal data on the Diia Portal against unauthorized access is confirmed by the relevant certificates. The economic and anti-corruption effects resulting from the introduction of digital services also demonstrate a growing trend.

Cumulative Economic and Anti-Corruption Effects ofIntroducing Digital Services

HOWEVER, THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITALIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES IS COMPLICATED BY SEVERAL FACTORS:  

The legal and organizational framework for the digitalization of public services requires further improvement. Currently, there is no single strategic document guiding the digital transformation of public service delivery. Instead, two strategies are in place, both of which are include digitalization components but are outdated and not aligned with each other.

The websites of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine contain two registers of administrative services with identical names but different content. This misleads users when searching for available services and for up-to-date and reliable information about them.

Financial Support. Budget funding for administration, maintenance, modernization and development of the Diia Portal is only partially met. At the same time, thanks to the receipt of international technical assistance, most planned performance indicators have been achieved.

The quality indicators of public services are not formalized. The absence of a properly approved methodology and relevant performance indicators for assessing service quality and user satisfaction makes it impossible to reliably evaluate the effectiveness of the provided services and their alignment with citizens’ needs.

RECOMMENDATIONS PROVIDED BY THE ACCOUNTING CHAMBER OF UKRAINE

The Accounting Chamber of Ukraine issued seven recommendations to the auditees aimed at improving the digitalisation of public service delivery and strengthening public trust in digital government systems. These recommendations have been taken into account and are currently being implemented.

This information is based on the compliance audit report “Development and Digitalization of Administrative Services,” approved by the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine in December 2024.

https://rp.gov.ua/upload-files/Activity/Collegium/2024/57-1_2024/Zvit_57-1_2024.pdf