Prishtina, 11 May, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was today the main speaker in the panel discussion on “Cybersecurity: Is disinformation the next threat?” at the DISICON Information Integrity conference organized by the National Democratic Institute.
In the introduction to his speech, Prime Minister Kurti said that he was pleased to be able to address you at this DISICON conference on information integrity, stressing that Digitization and advances in information technology are bringing transformative changes to the economy and society.
They, the Prime Minister further said, offer numerous benefits, empowering citizens, businesses and civil society and that the digital transformation of government sectors leads to improved services for citizens and businesses, improved education at all levels and more efficient healthcare.
In front of those present, the prime minister highlighted that by providing better access to information and services, increasing transparency and accountability, digitization contributes to a more inclusive, participatory, empowered and democratic society.
“Given the transformative impact of digitization on various sectors, it remains a high priority for our government. We have drawn up a strategic roadmap for digitization, including the National Development Strategy, the Digital Agenda, the e-Government Strategy and the Administrative Burden Reduction Program, as well as the Digitization pillar of the Education Strategy,” said Prime Minister Kurti.
Through the cooperation between numerous government institutions, he announced that numerous services have been digitized, with over 130 electronic services accessible through e-Kosova. We have initiated a pilot project based on the life events approach, focusing on the re-engineering of services related to the birth of a child. Furthermore, the implementation of electronic identification at the national level is currently underway.
While talking about disinformation, he said that addressing cyber security risks and misinformation requires cooperation between the public and private sectors, academia, the broader cyber security community in our country and international cooperation with friendly nations.
The Prime Minister added that this conference serves as a platform to promote such cooperation and build bridges between interested parties.
After the introductory speech, he held a conversation with Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, at the same time Senior Resident Director of NDI in Kosovo, who also moderated the discussion and answered the questions and interest of the participants.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Thank you very much Nancy for having me here,
Good afternoon to everyone,
Dear Ambassador Soderberg, the Senior Resident Director at the NDI Kosova,
Dear Robert Benjamin, Director for Central and Eastern Europe at the NDI,
And dear Moira Whelan, Program Director for Technology and Democracy at the NDI in U.S.,
Dear representatives of EU Office,
Dear participants,
I am delighted to be able to address to you at this DISICON conference on information integrity, which has been organized by the National Democratic Institute.
The digitalization and advancements in information technology are bringing transformative changes in the economy and society. They offer numerous benefits, empowering citizens, businesses, and civil society. In this highly connected world, instant communication, information sharing, and real-time collaboration have become the norm. The digital transformation of government sectors leads to improved services for citizens and businesses alike, enhanced education at all levels, and more efficient healthcare. Similarly, digitalization of businesses has the potential to increase productivity and efficiency in the economy. Additionally, digitalization and technology fuel innovation, enable new business models, drive competitiveness and economic growth. By providing better access to information and services, enhancing transparency and accountability, digitalization contributes to a more inclusive, participatory, empowered, and democratic society.
Given the transformative impact of digitalization across various sectors, it remains a high priority for our government. We have developed a strategic roadmap for digitalization, encompassing the National Development Strategy, the Digital Agenda, the e-Government Strategy, and Administrative Burden Reduction Program, and the Digitalization pillar of the Education Strategy.
Through collaboration among multiple government institutions, numerous services have been digitalized, with over 130 electronic services accessible through e-Kosova. We have initiated a pilot project based on the life events approach, focusing on re-engineering services related to the birth of a child. Furthermore, the implementation of electronic identification at the national level is currently underway.
In addition to our focus on e-Government, we are also actively working on enablers for digitalization in the economy and strengthening the innovation ecosystem. Notably, we recently inaugurated the broadband Internet connection for the last village in Kosova. Together with the German government, we are investing in the Innovation and Training Park in Prizren. Soon we will be inaugurating the Digital Technology Park in Bernica, which will provide modern infrastructure for the growth and development of the ICT sector. Our progress in digital transformation has been recognized by the World Bank GovTech Maturity Index, with Kosova moving up the index to group B, from group C to group B, signifying focus of our country on digital governance.
While the digital revolution has brought numerous advantages, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities and challenges, including privacy, security, and equitable access. As our government and economy become increasingly dependent on information networks and systems, cybersecurity becomes crucial for the functioning of the state. Cyber attacks today have the potential to cause extensive damage, ranging from website takedowns and disruptions of electronic services to the impact on critical infrastructure and national security. In the recent times we have had couple of DDoS attacks in our government system.
Furthermore, within the realm of cyber threats, disinformation has emerged as a significant cybersecurity risk, capable of causing widespread harm to citizens, organizations, and society.
There is an interesting Italian author, she says that age of information is age of reputation. So by having this abundance oversaturation with information we always end up asking who is saying besides what anyone is saying anything.
Addressing cyber security risks and disinformation necessitates cooperation between the public and private sectors, academia, the wider cyber security community in our country, and international cooperation with friendly nations. This conference I believe serves as a platform to foster such cooperation and build bridges among these stakeholders.
Taking into consideration that the annual state budget of Kosova has been increased in particular for agriculture, defense, healthcare and education, cybersecurity has become even more important for our government vision for months and years to come.
Thank you very much.
Last modified: May 12, 2023