MINSK, 22 April (BelTA) – Digital signatures are already used by many in Belarus, BelTA learned from First Deputy Director of the National Center for Electronic Services Sergei Rudnev.
The official said: “Over 900,000 digital signatures have been issued in Belarus so far. Today you can use a digital signature to get various digital services and digital administrative procedures via the universal digital services portal. But it is not everything you can do. Digital signatures are also used in taxation, customs, and essentially in many other spheres of life. In other words, digital signatures are already used by many and one can say that it is a genuine tool our society is gradually getting used to.”
The official believes that thanks to the issuance of ID cards, which will carry a digital signature, the entire population of Belarus will start using it in various spheres. “First of all, it will allow every one of us not to waste their time on personal visits to various government bodies. It is a tool the private sector can use as well. A number of processes that require your personal presence now – a visit to the bank, an insurance organization – can also be switched to fully online forms,” he noted.
Sergei Rudnev stressed that the issuance of digital signatures is not limited to a specific region. “Foreign citizens can get Belarusian digital signatures. There is only one condition: initially they will have to personally visit a registration center in order to get a digital signature. After that the validity period of the digital signature can be extended online. This is why the use of this signature in any country across the globe is not limited by anything,” the official added. “Problems with recognizing digital signatures of other countries are generally resolved. There is the trusted third party technology. It comes with two conditions. The technological one requires interaction between trusted third parties of various participating states and the legal one requires an agreement on recognizing such interaction as legally binding.”
Interaction with Russia and Kazakhstan has been tested so far as far as the recognition of Belarusian digital signatures is concerned. “We've also accomplished a pilot project with Azerbaijan. This is why the geography of communications regarding the application and recognition of digital signatures of various countries is gradually expanding. We are open to a dialogue. Among other things this forum is designed to once again underline that we are open in this regard and seek partners,” he concluded.
The first international forum #GBC (government, business, citizens) will take place in Minsk on 28-29 April. Its main goal is to present accomplishments and projects in the area of digital government, search for new ways of digitization and interaction between the state and the private sector and citizens by means of information and communication technologies.
#GBC is supposed to become a platform for discussing the state, development, and prospects of Belarus' digital future, transition of interaction at all levels to the digital dimension. How a higher level of interaction between the state and the society can be achieved on the basis of the modern level of development of information technologies and by utilizing the existing capabilities of the state digital services infrastructure as much as possible? How higher effectiveness of state administration can be achieved thanks to high technologies? How interaction of citizens, the private sector, and the state can be made as transparent, fast, and convenient as possible? Participants of the forum are expected to think about these questions and give answers.
The main tasks of the forum include a presentation of accomplishments in the area of digital government, a demonstration of products of IT companies, communications and telecommunications companies, the involvement of interested countries in transboundary interaction in the course of exchanging legal documents, the development of partnership and interagency interaction, the improvement of the IT knowledge of the society.
The forum will be subdivided into four blocks. They will focus on matters concerning the construction of digital government, introduction of biometric documents, the Smart City concept, and digital government services for the private sector and citizens.
Representatives of government agencies and organizations, IT companies, banks, international organizations, and educational institutions are expected to participate in the forum. The forum will include online and offline components. Registration on the website gbcforum.by is mandatory for watching the broadcasts.
The forum's organizers are the National Traffic Exchange Center and the National Center for Electronic Services. The event will proceed with support of the Operations and Analysis Center under the President of Belarus.
