2024 International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV)

Nowadays, the conference is maintained and coordinated by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), headquartered in the city of Guimarães, Portugal. A policy-oriented think tank dedicated to Digital Governance and part of the larger United Nations University, the Operating Unit has cemented its role as an international reference of excellence within the UN system and its Member States. It brings together multidisciplinary and multicultural teams around complex problems and emerging challenges, focusing on sustainable development, social inclusion, and active citizenship.

Our goals: a global, multi-stakeholder conference

Over the past 16 years, ICEGOV has become a significant and structured source of rich research, policy insight, and networking, reaching global audiences of more than 6700 participants from at least 96 countries. A truly global conference, ICEGOV brings to each host country a state-of-the-art programme and exhibits a strong UN character by heavily contributing towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which includes a sustained approach to gender balance and equal opportunities for people from developing countries through the UNU-EGOV Scholarships Programme.

The conference promotes knowledge sharing through the presentation and publication of academic papers, keynote lectures, plenaries, workshops, networking events, and other sessions. It is a platform where people from all spheres of the community work together towards advancing public policy and development, and strengthen international cooperation. Additionally, ICEGOV links the worlds of research and policy by promoting the interaction and cooperation between universities, research centres, governments, industry, international organisations, and the United Nations system.

2024 ICEGOV

In our interconnected world driven by data, algorithms, and automation, the 2024 ICEGOV focuses on discussing “Trust and Ethical Digital Governance for the World We Want.” This theme highlights the pressing need to re-examine the roles of citizens, industry, academia, and governments in developing trust and advancing ethical practices in digital governance. Our current time, in particular due to the recent surge in AI offerings, is marked by fear, distrust, misinformation, and power imbalances, urging us to confront these challenges within digital governance. Creating a more equitable and just world requires re-evaluating existing power dynamics contributing to societal divisions and exclusion. Integrating ethical principles into the design and understanding of technological advancements is crucial to ensure digital governance serves the public good while building trust among citizens and institutions.

Submission Tracks

→ Track 1: Trust and Ethical Digital Governance for the World We Want
→ Track 2: Privacy, security, and ethics in Surveillance Society
→ Track 3: Digital innovations and technology for climate emergency and responses, post-crisis actions
→ Track 4: Digital transformation and innovation in the Public Sector
→ Track 5: Migration and Cross-border Digital Governance
→ Track 6: New perspectives of digital governance measurement, assessment, and monitoring
→ Track 7: Future-ready Digital Workforce and Infrastructure Development
→ Track 8: Smart sustainable Cities and Communities for People
→ Track 9: Social media and digital platforms
→ Track 10: Public and Private Sector Governing Digital Economies
→ Track 11: Focus on the Global South Digital Transformation
→ Track 12: Early Research Track