在小岛屿数字国家建立数字基础2.0（英）2026

Building DigitalFoundations in FROM DIGITAL PRESENCE TO Acknowledgments This strategic issue brief,Building Digital Foundations in Small Island Digital States 2.0, was developedby the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Centre for Technology, Innovationand Sustainable Development, Singapore. This effort is supported by the Government of Singapore’s The brief was authored by Jayant Narayan with support from Laura Hildebrandt and Abdullah This brief benefited immensely from the strategic guidance, technical expertise, and peer reviewprovided by colleagues across UNDP and our partner organizations. We are particularly gratefulto: Bevan Agard, Sajib Azad, Bruno Lencastre, Navya Alam, Barbora Bromova, Megan Roberts,BenjaminBertelsen,Naveen Varshan Ilavarasan,Raja Chandrasekharan,Enrique Crespo, We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable perspectives shared by representatives fromSmall Island Developing States, whose real-world experiences and insights ground this brief in The team also thanks Renata Figueiredo for the design and layout, and Liwen Ng and AndreaPetkovic for support with outreach and communications. Cover photos:UNDP Pacific, Ministry of Digital Transformation Republic ofTrinidad and Tobago, and Samory Araú jo/PNUD-AccLab Cabo Verde UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty,inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in Learn more at undp.org or follow the conversation at @UNDP. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarilyrepresent those of the United Nations, including UNDP or the UN Member States. Contents Acknowledgments Executive Summary 1. Introduction and Context 2. The Implementation Paradox 2.1 Availability and Access Do Not Equal Adoption2.2 Institutional and Market Dynamics 3. Pillar 1: Data Governance and Interoperability 3.1 National Data Standards and Data Sharing3.2 Data Protection and Trust 4. Pillar 2: Digital Inclusion and Human Capacity 4.1 Inclusion Beyond Coverage204.2 The Non-Digital Barriers to Digital Life204.3 Building Capacity and Closing the Talent Gap21 5. Pillar 3: Cyber Resilience as a Public Good 5.1 Citizen-Facing Trust and Safety5.2 Critical Public Services and Continuity5.3 Cyber Capacity and Regional Collaboration 6. Cross-Cutting Enablers 6.1 Open-Source and Standards-Based Approaches in Practice6.2 Modular Procurement Approaches6.3 Delivery Capability and Operating Models 7. The Roadmap: From Digital Presence to Digital Utility33 7.1 Strengthening Foundations357.2 Integrating Systems367.3 Expanding Utility and Regional Value367.4 Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Priorities Across All Tiers377.5 Artificial Intelligence and Digital Foundations387.6 Priority Use Cases Mapped to the Roadmap39 8. Priority Areas for Development Partner Support 8.1 From Projects to Public Capability8.2 Areas Requiring Greater and More Sustained Investment8.3 Effective interventions and sequencing support 9. Conclusion: Building Responsible Digital Foundations Endnotes Annex [A]: The Universal Digital Public Infrastructure(DPI) Safeguards Framework49 Annex [B]: Glossary of Terms Executive Summary Digital progress in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has advanced materially over thepast decade, with wider connectivity, a growing number of digital strategies, and increasingexperimentation in public services, digital payments, and identity-linked service delivery. Thisprogress is marked by SIDS transforming into Small Island Digital States. The next phase of Drawing on UNDP’s earlier SIDS digital work, a desk synthesis of21 Digital Readiness Assessments(DRAs), stakeholder consultations, and selected evidence, including existing programmes in SIDS,this strategic brief highlights that the main constraints to robust digital scaling are increasinglyinstitutional as much as technical. Fragmented data ecosystems, weak coordination, capacity gaps,low trust, and barriers to uptake outside the technology stack continue to slow implementation. The brief outlines three mutually reinforcing pillars, supported by cross-cutting enablers: ●Data governance and interoperability ●Digital inclusion and human capacity ●Cyber resilience as a public good ●Cross-cutting enablers, including modular procurement, open-source and standards-based Anaccompanying implementation-oriented roadmap is provided to help sequencepolicy,investment,and partnership choices across different starting points and levels of Key messages: ●SIDS are already demonstrating practical leadership across modernization, service integration,regional cooperation, open-source experimentation, and citizen-facing delivery models.Examples from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Timor-Leste, the Dominican Republic, the ●Non-technicalbarriers to building robust digital foundations include rigid,misalignedprocurement processes that lag the rapidly changing d