The covid-19 pandemic has changed day-to-day life fundamentally and permanently.

As society begins to emerge from the crisis, our world is moving to a new normal. The need for social distancing will remain and the massively accelerated digital transformation that has taken place will be assimilated and operationalized, particularly in health and education, but also through all parts of government and the private sector. Online exchanges and experiences will be blended with fewer physical touchpoints than before; and as the public and private sector moves into recovery and renewal, government priorities and ambitions that have already been refocused will continue to be so.

This very rapid change, combined with other major global sustainability challenges, will drive opportunities for public services to free themselves of traditional functions. And it will release governments’ potential to think and do things differently, and not just provide their citizens with more of the same. Now is the time for nation states to take more coherent measures, show leadership, and set out a clear digital strategy for this new decade, showing how new technologies and data are vital for governments and their citizens in today’s increasingly complex society.