The accessibility of municipal services, communication and cooperation, and the importance of developing the public’s digital literacy—including as a matter of security—were among the key topics at the Municipal Forum “Municipalities: Builders of a Digital Society,” held in Riga. The event was attended by experts from 27 Latvian municipalities, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, and representatives from several companies involved in various digitalization processes on a daily basis.
“Accessibility of local government services, communication, and cooperation—these are three essential elements that ensure effective and inclusive governance that serves residents and businesses. Every resident and business owner in Latvia, regardless of where they live, must have the opportunity to receive high-quality services—whether they are provided digitally or in person. Not every service is exclusively digital, and not every resident has access to digital technologies. That is why it is important that we not only continue to promote digital solutions but also do not forget the people who need support in using these solutions. This balance between the digital and the human—between technology and humanity—is the key to our success. It is important to continue the work we have started in the field of municipal digitalization. Municipalities are closest to residents; they identify needs more quickly and can respond more swiftly. “That is why it is particularly important to find more effective and faster solutions in the field of digital services,” said Ilze Dambīte-Damberga, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, at the opening of the forum.
One of the organizers of the 11th Local Government Forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society,” Edžus Žeiris, Director of SIA “ZZ Dats,” is convinced that the IT sector is one of the key drivers that will boost the country’s gross domestic product in the coming years; development in the IT field is a way for a small nation’s society to grow and compete in the global market. He also highly praised the capabilities of artificial intelligence, which in the future will partially address various labor shortages in Latvia as our society ages. A great deal has been done in Latvia to implement various solutions, and according to Edžus Žeira, it is important to make the most of all of this. Both he and other forum participants discussed the public’s digital skills and, unfortunately, in some cases—especially among the older generation—a reluctance, as well as an inability, to keep pace with developments in the digital world. However, local governments are continuously implementing new IT solutions that significantly streamline their work and also provide residents with increasing opportunities to handle various matters remotely. For example, the number of residents willing to receive their property tax notices electronically is growing every year, but the way local government representatives communicate with them is also important until they agree to have them sent electronically via email rather than in printed form by mail, confirmed Baiba Pļaviņa, Deputy Executive Director of the Tukums City Council for Administrative and Capital Company Affairs. Customer service centers also play a crucial role in local governments, where municipal employees often provide guidance on how to use various digital tools, said the Tukums City Council representative.
Digital skills are increasingly necessary in society, not only to pay bills but also to enroll children in preschool, access various other services, and so on. Lifelong learning is indispensable today, and it is essential to learn at any age—for example, to master artificial intelligence tools, emphasized Edžus Žeiris: “If employees in institutions and companies become smarter and more skilled, we will most likely be able to achieve more, and opportunities for higher pay will also arise.”
The forum discussion focused on both how to improve citizens’ skills and how to strike a balance between the digitization of services and their accessibility to all segments of society, citizens’ digital skills in general, and the challenges of integrating those who lack sufficient digital skills.
However, nowadays we must also take into account that digital skills are often used for fraudulent purposes, as programmer and technology enthusiast Elviss Strazdiņš reminded the forum,which is precisely why it is important to be more knowledgeable about internet safety and to carefully check the URL of any links sent online to avoid falling victim to scammers. The examples he demonstrated to forum participants, including a cloned voice created with the help of artificial intelligence, caused more than a few surprises and a commitment to be even more cautious in the online environment going forward.
Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society
The topics raised at this year’s forum were key factors in ensuring effective and inclusive services for both residents and businesses. Discussions addressed issues on how to improve service accessibility, and local governments shared their experiences with the implementation of digital services.
All organizers and partners of the forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society” are united by a desire for better cooperation, communication, and citizens’ digital literacy, as well as service accessibility in the future.
The 11th anniversary forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society” was opened by Ilze Dambīte-Damberga, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development; Gints Kaminskis, Chairman of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments; Edžus Žeiris, Director of SIA “ZZ Dats,” and Ilze Kukute, Head of the State and Local Government Client Service Department at Swedbank AS.
Local governments shared their experiences, and representatives from VAS Latvijas Pasts, ZZ Dats, Swedbank AS, SIA Mobilly, as well as the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development and several Latvian local governments discussed current topics.
The partners of the forum “Municipality – Builder of the Digital Society” are SIA “ZZ Dats,” Swedbank AS, Latvijas Pasts AS, and SIA Mobilly; the information partner is the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments.
