Samantha Power announces USD 5 mln. support to help Armenia digitalize government system

USAID Administrator announced 5 mln. USD aid to Armenia for its digital transformation during her speech after the meeting with Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry. 

 

In particular, Power said: 

 

“There is a real vision here in Armenia around digitization, around technology, around cybersecurity, and we see in government leadership a dedication across the board to make that vision a reality. 

I want to thank Amazon Web Services for helping Armenia realize this vision through the formal partnership signed between Amazon Web Services and the Government of Armenia in 2022 to begin modernizing Armenia's government infrastructure through the work already done to better prepare Armenia's existing digital government systems to withstand cyberattacks, natural disasters, and other crises, digitizing essential public services in a safe and protected manner, including, as we heard, by creating an app version of public services accessible via smartphone, which will make it easier and more efficient for Armenians to access those services. 

This platform, I should stress, could help Armenians do things like obtain driver's licenses, procure certifications for businesses, births, deaths, or even to get emergency financial assistance during times of hardship. These efforts are a tangible example of how more transparent, more democratic institutions can meaningfully improve people's lives. Digitizing these essential public services will first require secure and reliable digital systems, systems that can withstand cyberattacks, systems that are governed by clear regulatory frameworks that protect human rights and privacy for citizens.

To help build these secure systems, I am pleased here today to announce $5 million in new funding to support a collaboration with Amazon Web Services and the Government of Armenia to advance digital transformation, infrastructure, and cloud computing. The government of Armenia will harness Amazon Web Service industry expertise to create and reform policies to bring the benefits of innovative new technologies to their citizens, while also, again, protecting privacy and human rights. Amazon Web Services tech expertise will help Armenia develop ways to quickly and efficiently digitize its systems and data. And Amazon Web Services will provide critical training in cloud computing and cybersecurity that can help Armenia build data sovereignty and defend that sovereignty against any who would seek to undermine it – all, again, while protecting the personal, identifiable information of the citizens of Armenia. Amazon Web Service will help lay the foundation for a government that can use technology to more effectively meet the needs of its citizens. 

And the legal and regulatory reforms associated with this initiative could bring more international business to Armenia. This in turn, of course, would create more jobs for Armenian communities and would help families grow their incomes. USAID's funding for this initiative will come from the Enterprises for Development, Growth, and Empowerment Fund, something we call the EDGE Fund, a fund specifically designed to harness the power of the private sector to solve major development challenges. 

 

This collaboration between Amazon Web Service and Armenia is exactly what we had in mind in creating this fund. It's a powerful example of what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors join forces, when we combine our knowledge, expertise, and resources towards a shared goal. In doing here today the right thing in the right place at the right time, we can help Armenia build a forward-leaning, efficient, and enduring democracy that serves the needs of its people”.