A new study conducted by the ITU Regional Office for the CIS Region titled
"Digital Government Maturity and Regional Cooperation Opportunities" showed that all countries in the region have significant potential for digital government development. Success depends not only on domestic reforms and investments but also on the ability to build sustainable regional partnerships while addressing common technological and institutional barriers.
The study is part of the
Regional Project "Collaboration on Digital Government for Central Asia and the Caucasus," implemented by ITU with technical and financial support from NITEC (Kazakhstan) and the Eurasian Development Bank. Natalya Mochu, ITU Regional Director for the CIS Region, presented the results of the study on 21 May at the GSMA M360Eurasia Conference (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) at the session dedicated to digital transformation of public administration.
The study highlights a noticeable gap in digital government maturity levels among beneficiary countries. Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan show the highest levels of development, Armenia is in the transition from a fragmented digitization to a manageable digital public infrastructure, while Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are only beginning their journey. Key common challenges include inadequate cybersecurity, fragmentation of data and information systems, and the need to improve digital literacy among civil servants and the general population. Accessibility of digital services for people with disabilities requires serious improvements almost everywhere.
Based on the analysis, the study proposes specific directions for regional cooperation:
- a common platform for sharing best practices and expertise,
- joint projects in cybersecurity and cloud technologies,
- harmonisation of approaches and standards,
- large-scale educational programmes for capacity building.
Such a cooperative approach allows countries with less developed digital environments to accelerate transformation by drawing on the experience of leaders.
The ITU regional project builds on the global
GovStack initiative, which ITU has been implementing jointly with partners since 2020. This approach helps countries build cost-effective and efficient digital public services that are easy to scale. It is based on interoperable, reusable "building blocks" for digitising any service.
To assess the maturity of digital government infrastructure, the study uses an approach from the
GovStack Public Administration Ecosystem Reference Architecture – a model of digital public administration based on an analogy with building construction. First, a foundation must be built (an appropriate legislative framework), then walls and pillars – the technology stack, i.e., the very building blocks and technical solutions – and only after that comes the roof, which symbolises the finished digital services for citizens and businesses.
"Conducting the study is an important step towards a deeper understanding of the digital ecosystem in the CIS Region. We are grateful to all countries that took part in this work for their openness and willingness to share experiences. The analytical report not only captures the current level of digital government maturity and the results achieved – it helps us understand the real needs of states, identify common technological barriers, and set priorities for experience exchange and the transfer of international expertise. I am confident that the study will serve as a practical compass for building sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation, helping each country accelerate digital transformation and build an effective and inclusive model of digital government, drawing on proven solutions and best practices from partners in the region," noted Natalia Mochu.
For more information about the ITU Regional Project "Collaboration on Digital Government for Central Asia and the Caucasus," please visit
the project website.