Jeon Hae-cheol, Korean Minister of Interior and Safety, urged delegates at the World Government Summit (WGS2022) in Dubai to work more closely together than ever before, as the world recovers from the devastating impacts of the global pandemic COVID-19.
In a keynote session, the Minister noted that the effects of the pandemic, which led to the application of new technologies, mean that there should be a new era of governments that tackles major issues by working more closely together and cementing closer partnerships at the domestic and international levels.
He discussed how the Korean government responded flexibly and quickly to the implications of the pandemic by adopting digital technology and engaging directly with local government and small businesses to reach out to the population, solve supply chain issues and improve the distribution of masks and other personal protective equipment in the fight against COVID-19.
The Korean Minister explained, “Digitisation and nanotechnologies are having are largely influencing the way that the government can operate in the future and be more effective in reaching its audiences, but these are all highly positive and will have a major effect to benefit communities in the future.”
“In Korea, we have also undertaken large scale public engagement exercises to get ideas from the public that are actionable and can be applied in future government policies. We had 12,000 ideas from the public and many of those have been actioned,” he added The Minister concluded, “We are fully committed to a highly open system of Government that involves local government, business and the general public as people lie at the centre of future government challenges, and we want to ensure that no one feels alienated. Open government and decentralised processes will lead to inclusiveness in what we do today and in the future.”
Source: Emirates News Agency