President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the relevant ministers discussed the digitization of the economy, as well as the strategy for the development of culture and sports for the coming years.
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov informed the Head of State of the goals that his department intends to achieve. In particular, the plans are to transfer 100% of public services online, and work is also underway to develop e-democracy. About 95% of Ukrainians should have access to high-speed Internet, and the share of the IT industry in the economy should be at least 10% of GDP. In addition, government critical information infrastructure must be provided with cyber security.
According to Mykhailo Fedorov, about 500,000 Ukrainians have already taken digital education courses. 2.5 million people have high-speed Internet access. This year, about 6,500 social facilities, including hospitals and schools, will be provided with high-quality Internet. High-speed internet will also be provided along major highways.
"One of our priority tasks - and we have repeatedly talked about it - is to provide all Ukrainians with access to high-speed Internet. We will also promote digital literacy of the population regardless of age and type of activity. In addition, the digitization of public services will help reduce corruption, as the computer does not take bribes," the Minister of Digital Transformation noted.
The President noted that people's trust in the "Diia" public services portal has increased significantly after it was used to pay financial assistance to people during quarantine activities.
"Our goal is for Ukraine to enter the top 20 digital countries in the world. To do this, we must provide every Ukrainian with high-speed Internet in any part of our country. Our citizens and businesses are very receptive to digitization and open to innovation, and our IT professionals are valued around the world. So we have everything we need to become the world's largest hub for high-tech production and startups," the President said.
Regarding the development of culture, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that it should become the basis for uniting Ukrainian society as a community of free, responsible, creative and happy people.
"And for this we need to strengthen our national identity, involve citizens in cultural processes - artistic events and actions, as well as help form a creative class, creative industries," the President emphasized.
For his part, Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko said that a number of cultural projects are planned. With the help of the state, the ecosystem of Ukrainian film production is being formed, thanks to which the number of films shot in our country is growing. Library support also continues.
Projects such as “Travel around Ukraine” and the identification of tourism "magnets" to be restored in each region will increase people's interest, enhance tourism and help promote Ukraine's cultural heritage.
During the discussion of issues in the field of youth and sports, the President stressed the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle and accessibility of sports for the education of athletic and patriotic citizens.
Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Gutzait noted that to achieve this goal, measures are being taken to create an accessible sports infrastructure, from sports grounds for citizens to large sports complexes, where future champions can train.