United Nations University-EGOV

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The UNU-EGOV advances digital governance globally by combining research with actionable policy advice, capacity development, and international cooperation.

Our work contributes to building inclusive, transparent, and sustainable digital societies, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principles of the Global Digital Compact.

Check the four interconnected research thematic areas that structure our work here ⤵️

https://unu.edu/egov/our-work

📢 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 #𝟮 | 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁: 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

The second Keynote Session of ICEGOV2026 features Zeynep Engin, PhD, a leading voice shaping the emerging field of digital statecraft and founder of several globally recognized initiatives, including Data for Policy CIC and the Data & Policy Journal (Cambridge University Press).

The Keynote will cover how digital systems are reshaping the foundation of public governance – not only as objects of regulation but as active instruments through which states deliver services, allocate resources, and exercise authority.

Engin will introduce digital statecraft as an organizing concept for public governance in the algorithmic age – distinguishing it from digital governance and arguing that the shift from one to the other is not merely terminological but foundational – and will also introduce the 10 Principles of Digital Statescraft, a normative framework for governing well in the algorithmic age.

🔗 Know more: https://www.icegov.org/2026/conference_sessions/keynote-2/

💼 𝗩𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗧 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🔎

Looking for your next opportunity? The global UNU system is recruiting for a range of positions in research, administration, and communications.

Find out more below!

💼 VACANCIES AT UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY: August 2026 🔎

Multiple vacancies in , and are available across the global UNU system. Learn more below!

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Administrative and Finance Officer (NO-B), United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH)
Richmond Hill | 13 August 2026

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Adjunct Professor/Researcher on the Resource Nexus (Roster), United Nations University-FLORES
On-site (Dresden)/Remote | Open deadline

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Administrative Assistant I (FTA GS-3), UNU Centre Administration
Tokyo | 19 August 2026

Administrative Assistant II (FTA GS-3), UNU Centre Administration
Tokyo | 19 August 2026

Japan Outreach Communications Assistant (PSA-2), UNU Office of Communications
Tokyo | 11 August 2026

Intern, Innovation and Education Programme, UN University - Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
Tokyo | 7 September 2026


Senior Researcher – Team Lead (P3), United Nations University Institute in Macau
Macau SAR | 9 August 2026

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Communications Associate (PSA), UNU-WIDER
Maputo | 20 August 2026

Project Coordinator (PSA), UNU-WIDER
Maputo | 20 August 2026

👉 Learn more and apply via https://careers.unu.edu/

🗞️ The latest edition of EGOV Highlights is out, you can read it here: https://go.unu.edu/highlights-august-2026

You can check out our latest news, a recent publication and some ICEGOV 2026 updates.

📚 Happy reading!

🎤 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 #𝟭 | 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲: 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜

The first Keynote session of ICEGOV2026 will be held by Payal Arora, founder of the Inclusive AI Lab and award winner of 2025 Women in AI Benelux on Diversifying AI.

This Keynote will address public discourse around AI and how digital governance is increasingly shaped by fear, polarization, and institutional distrust, questioning the path beyond what Payal calls a “pessimism paralysis”, a form of collective impotence in imagining AI-enabled futures.

Drawing on insights from her award-winning book "From Pessimism to Promise", published by MIT Press, the talk argues for a reimagining of global digital governance that moves beyond containment and compliance-driven frameworks toward more aspirational, applied, and culturally grounded approaches to trust and institutional building.

🔗 https://www.icegov.org/2026/conference_sessions/keynote-lecture-1/

Today was the last day of a delegation of Uzbekistan government members in Portugal for a study visit in Lisbon and a training session at UNU-EGOV, in Guimarães.

This visit was part of the UNU-EGOV's Project "Public Service Delivery in Uzbekistan: Data-Driven Training in Tashkent and Study Visit in Portugal " and allowed the delegation to better understand the digitalisation process in public services in Portugal.

Nu’mon Muxammadiyev, Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was the head of a delegation of seven other members of different branches of the government, who were accompanied by two members of UNDP.

The visit in Lisbon included a whole-day sessions at ARTE - Agência para a Reforma Tecnológica do Estado, IP., a visit to the first Citizen Shop opened in Portugal and a meeting with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Digitalisation, Bernardo Correia.

During the three days of the training session in Guimarães, the delegation was also received in Câmara Municipal de Guimarães by the councilwoman for Education, Isabel Soares Ferreira.

📢 Registrations are now open for the 19th edition of !

If you wish to join the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance - from 28th September to 1st October 2026 - please register here: https://www.icegov.org/2026/registration/

You can also find a list of hotel recommendations on our website, so you can prepare your stay in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in advance.

🤔 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲?

This month, the UNU-EGOV contributed to two international events, the Academic Council on the United Nations System Annual Meeting (ACUNS) and the APEC Tech for Good Workshop, sharing research and expertise on AI governance, emerging technologies, and their implications for sustainable development.

Charmaine Distor, Research Consultant at UNU-EGOV, highlighted the importance of responsible AI adoption in the public sector, human-centred approaches to digital transformation, and the governance frameworks needed to ensure that technological innovation serves the public interest.

Curious to know all the highlights of these events? Click here ⤵️, but there's more to come!

https://unu.edu/egov/news/unu-egov-contributes-international-discussions-ai-governance-and-sustainable-development

👉 ICEGOV 2026: Know our Tracks and Chairs!

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝟲: 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

Track 6 examines new metrics, innovative frameworks, methodologies, and tools designed for gauging, evaluating, and overseeing multiple facets of digital governance and transformational progress.

These facets encompass a broad spectrum, including but not limited to service delivery, the interoperability of legal-organizational semantic technologies, data quality, maturity in digital skills, citizen engagement, infrastructure readiness and resilience, the impact of digital governance on citizens and societies, the adoption of online services, digital inclusivity, the accessibility of government data, the ex*****on of digital governance strategies, and subsequent action plans.

🔗 https://www.icegov.org/2026/track-6/

📍 𝗨𝗡𝗨-𝗘𝗚𝗢𝗩 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗚𝗼𝘃𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀, 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗲

The five-day programme combined expert lectures, workshops and an IDEATHON on Artificial Intelligence, open government, interoperability and responsible digital transformation.

Demetrios Sarantis, Senior Research Analyst at UNU-EGOV, contributed to the programme on 10 July with a lecture titled “Open Data Infrastructures and Interoperability”.

He presented open data infrastructures as a foundation for digital governance, explaining the technical, semantic, organisational and legal dimensions required for data exchange and reuse.

🔗 Know more: https://unu.edu/egov/news/unu-egov-opengov2026-summer-school-samos-greece