Israel and the UK signed a digital cooperation deal which aims to boost economic growth and provide better digital services to citizens.
The agreement was signed by the Director General of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office Harel Locker and the UK Government Chief Technology Officer Liam Maxwell as the British Prime Minister David Cameron was visiting Israel last week.
In a statement issued by the Israeli government it noted that Israel and the U.K. will "work together to make sure that each country has the capability and ability to develop digital public services," the Memorandum of Understanding also noted that they will also develop other ways of collaborating internationally.
The ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) will see the countries share information and experiences around open markets, open standards and open source. They will also collaborate to ensure each country has the capability and ability to develop digital public services. In an announcement issued by the UK Government’s Cabinet Office, Minister Francis Maude pointed to Israel’s reputation at the forefront of innovation in the digital realm as a key factor in its move to align itself with the country.
In the framework of the pact, Israel will join the D8 (Digital- 8) group of advanced digital countries currently being established at the initiative of the British government, which constitutes a platform for the exchange of knowledge and for cooperation in digital programs. South Korea, New Zealand, Estonia and Singapore are among the members of the group.
The UK is considered one of the world's leading nations in providing digital government services to citizens. Under the new deal, Israel and the UK will share knowledge on security of public information systems and initiate joint pilot project in this realm. The countries will also work on enhancing the digital capabilities of citizens and mechanisms to allow more people to benefit from digital services.
