According to Honorable prime minister's vision 2021, the public services of Bangladesh will be transformed digitally as e-government applications which will simplify the service delivery process reducing TCV. The ministries and directorates of Bangladesh have been individually working on digitizing their services but all the initiatives have been separate, individualistic and non-compatible till 2017. In 2017, the government realized the requirement for a holistic and coordinated platform for conducting the digitalization activities through a centralized unit. For this purpose, in 2018 in collaboration of Bangladesh government and a2i programme of ICT Division, a specialized unit named Digital Service Accelerator was developed who focused on providing technical and advisory support to government agencies regarding their service digitization and implementation.
The first milestone for this unit was to conduct digital service government roadmap (two days workshop) for all ministries, divisions and subordinate organizations from January-2018 to October 2018 where every ministries and their subordinate organizations participated in their existing service analysis and future digital service designing and implementation planning process. As the next step of the Digital Service Roadmap, to accelerate the digital service design and implementation process, a unique methodology named Digital Service Design Lab (DSDL) was introduced which is used for the designing and implementation planning processes of the services of different ministries and other agencies of the government of Bangladesh. Through this workshop, the Digital System’s Module & Feature Identification, Through extensive analysis of the existing systems of the organization, the design and implementation of a integrated service delivery platform is finalized. The DSDL of 20 ministries have been conducted and 308 G2C, 208 G2B and 122 G2G services have been designed for digitalization. 07 ministries have completed the procurement phase.

http://dsa.a2i.gov.bd/DSDL/

• Bangladesh

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• Indigenous and nomadic peoples
• People with disabilities
• The unemployed
• The poor
• Migrants
• Refugees and internally displaced people
• Remote and rural communities
• Every ministry, their subordinate directorates and civil servants of Bangladesh government

Currently, the digital transformation, upgrdation and integration of service digitalization is conducted through this project which is a continuous process applicable for every ministry and subordinate organizations. Every ministry and directorates are mandated to digitally transform their manual services to be aligned with the vision 2021. Untill now, 20 ministries have conducted this with the help of Digital Service Accelerator unit of a2i and gradually every ministry will complete this initiative through a cascading effect by 20th June, 2020. So, this initiative is nationally replicable for Bangladesh. Also, this innovative methodology which is popular in Bangladesh is gradually becoming popular beyond borders as well. In Fiji, a modified version of this initiative has already been launched and Phillippines government has expressed their interest through UNDP to implement this innovative methodology for the rapid digital transformation of their Bangsamorro province.

Digital Service Design Lab functions in a sustainable model under which the activities, decisions, situation wise steps, dependency and specific roles of concerned personnel are predefined in a standardized format which eliminates redundancy and increases efficiency. As ministry officials and civil servants are directly involved with this project and participates in the service designing and implementation planning, the ownership and accountability of the ministries of Bangladesh is ensured. With it's innovative features, there is a augmentative demand within the ministry for this methodology. As a part of this methodology, the capacity, efficiency and expertise of the civil servants are enhanced which is both sustainable and expandable for their regular functions.

The common desire and commitment reflected in WSIS Declaration of principles is to ensure the effective participation of governments and all stakeholders is vital in developing the Information Society requiring cooperation and partnerships among all of them involving all relevant stakeholders, including through public/private partnerships, in devising e-strategies for the Information Society and for the exchange of best practices. The goal is to identify mechanisms, at the national, regional and international levels, for the initiation and promotion of partnerships among stakeholders of the Information Society. Relevant international organizations and financial institutions should develop their own strategies for the use of ICTs for sustainable development, including sustainable production and consumption patterns and as an effective instrument to help achieve the goals expressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. Digital Service Design Lab ensures the best use ICT as an essential instrument in the process of digitization of citizen services. The uniqueness of this methodology is that both service recipients and service providers are involved in this process which not only caters to the requirements of both parties but ensures ownership of the concerned ministry as the officials are directly involved in the process. So, this initiative is aligned with action line C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development. Also, Digital Service Design Lab is aligned with C3. Access to information and Knowledge. Through this initiative, digital literacy of both civil servants and citizens is increased and citizens become aware of not only their rights but the knowledge of the efficient usage and utilization of ICT.