Trusted Government

Ensuring citizens' trust by placing transparency and reliability at the center.

01 October 2024

In an increasingly connected world where innovative technologies and solutions are being used more frequently across various contexts, trust in government has become more crucial than ever for good governance, and it will need to be a major focus in the coming years. While many of the new technologies (e.g., AI, data vaults, data platforms that collect and disclose health data, etc.) offer numerous benefits, they also bring new challenges related to job security, data privacy, and cybersecurity. To maintain the trust of citizens, organizations, and businesses, the government must provide a thoughtful and adequate response to these challenges. We refer to this response as Trusted Government.

Geert Criel

Partner, Head of Public Sector | Advisory

KPMG in Belgium

Profile | | Phone

New technologies
Innovation and technology
Data ownership, accessibility, and citizen control
A trusted government
Cybersecurity

New technologies

New technologies are advancing at an increasingly rapid pace, a trend that will certainly continue in the coming years. For instance, generative artificial intelligence has revealed its potential over the past year and can be considered a game changer. However, citizens also expect their government to ensure the responsible application of these new technologies. The government must therefore provide a flexible yet sufficiently comprehensive regulatory framework that balances the encouragement of innovation with the assurance of safe, transparent, and ethically responsible application. The recently approved AI Act by the European Parliament provides an initial framework and guidance for this.

Innovation and technology

Moreover, innovation and technology rely on an unprecedented amount of data that must be stored and secured, considering that significant quantities of data are held by a select number of technology companies. The government must ensure an optimal role within the ecosystem that maintains a balance between stimulating innovation and regulating the technological landscape, with the central goal of safeguarding the privacy of its citizens and the competitive principle that is central to our free-market economy.

Data ownership, accessibility, and citizen control

Data ownership, data access, and giving citizens more control over their own data will be key priorities in the coming years, even though steps have already been taken at various levels. For example, Digital Flanders is committed to the development of a data vault system (Solid), and the federal government, through the Health Data Agency, is committed to making health data widely accessible for secondary use.

A trusted government

A trusted government must create a secure context for data exchange, addressing the risks of cybercrime, while complying with the GDPR and the upcoming NIS2 directive that will be implemented into national law. Security audits will therefore be more essential than ever.

Cybersecurity

Efforts should continue to build the necessary knowledge and competencies within local, regional, and federal government bodies to effectively deploy and utilize cybersecurity tools. A risk-aware mindset and “cybersecurity by design” need to be embedded in public organizations as well.

Factors for achieving readiness

It is essential to continue investing in organizational management, crisis preparedness, and enhancing readiness in the coming period.

There is more need than ever for a forward-looking government that is resilient and anticipates challenges we do not yet know today but will need to be addressed tomorrow. The concept of readiness is crucial in this regard.

Readiness is a mindset that goes beyond preparation and contributes to a more effective approach to future crises. Key to this is scenario thinking, which involves analyzing relevant factors such as economic, political, social, technological, and environmental aspects through a structured framework to take early measures and be better prepared for possible future crises. Readiness also includes installing structural mechanisms within government operations to respond quickly and effectively to a range of crises (whether a new virus, an environmental disaster, or an asylum crisis).

Increasing readiness involves a combination of three factors:

First, it is important to install the right procedures, systems, and organizational elements to be agile in responding to a changing environment. Scenario planning, environmental analyses, and strategic risk assessments are just a few tools to achieve this. Insights and lessons learned should be translated into the operations of government institutions. Moreover, it is important to structurally incorporate lessons learned into the strategic planning cycle and apply them to future operations and projects.
Second, quickly establishing connections with other relevant stakeholders is crucial. A future-oriented government recognizes its own strengths and those of other stakeholders and can leverage and respond to them effectively.
Third, continued investment in organizational management is necessary. There is a need for strong profiles with the right skills, mindset, and reflexes to address future challenges and work together with citizens, organizations, and businesses to develop solutions for the future. Internal control, risk management, business continuity, and crisis management are also essential components to make the government and all its entities more resilient.

The above factors can also be valuable in the context of sustainability challenges. A future-oriented government understands the importance of climate issues and commits to proactively developing nuanced solutions, regulations, and measures within national, regional, and local energy and climate plans. Strategic plans with clear objectives and actions, scenario planning, engaging a broad network of stakeholders, and being prepared for crises are inherent parts of an anticipatory and proactive sustainability policy.

A government committed to climate challenges and transparently reporting on them will set the standard in the coming years. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) can offer an opportunity for governments to report transparently on sustainability and align with the expectations of citizens and businesses. A forward-looking government goes beyond mandatory reporting. It engages in a collective effort to develop a shared problem analysis, vision, and approach to climate challenges and climate transition, and continues to build on both the Green Deal and the Blue Deal, along with other climate programs.

A government that aims to be future-oriented and responsive to various types of future crises must simultaneously focus on different fundamentals related to digital security, organizational management, and crisis preparedness. A focus on sustainability seems more than ever a necessary prerequisite to maintaining public and societal trust during the coming legislative period.

Towards a "Connected, Powered, and Trusted" government

The government of tomorrow: integrated, efficient, and trustworthy

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References

General program management for the Blue Deal

Providing program management and stakeholder management to support the rollout of the Flemish Blue Deal.

Materiality assessment bpost group

Integration of sustainability into bpost group's business strategy through a materiality assessment, including context analysis, stakeholder segmentation, collection and prioritization of material topics, development of a materiality matrix, and communication of results.

ESG charter and roadmap

Support to Federal government agency in the drafting of an ESG charter, with a view to streamlining the sustainability vision and ambition across federal government departments for the period 2025-2030. The charter will be linked to an action plan with short-, medium-, and long-term objectives, and to a strategic communication plan to optimize interdepartmental cooperation and frame shared challenges in a coherent narrative.

Design of new organizational and management structure for the Agency

Supporting the agency in the design of their new organizational and management structure, including analysis of the current structure, elaboration of short-term measures, development of options for the new organizational structure, elaboration of governance principles, and preparation of a transformation roadmap.

Internal Audit framework contract

Audit support and advisory services for the Joint Audit Service of Wallonia and Brussels, as well as for certain public authorities and public administrative units of Wallonia and Brussels.

Control of ESF projects

First-level audit of the annual financial statements of projects co-financed by an European structural fund under the 2014-2020 Operational Program.

Support to procurement department

KPMG Law advises the procurement department of the Hospital Network in Flanders on the application of the Public Procurement Act for all its procurement processes.

Audit of internal operations

Conducting an audit of the internal operations of the housing agency and its role as a guardianship institution.

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Trusted

KPMG Trusted brings together risk and regulatory services that build trust and confidence in the business and the digital transformation journey. It helps ensure that businesses can predictably navigate risk and regulation – and deliver on the promise to keep customer data trusted, safe and secure. Trusted fosters the confidence of your business and your stakeholders for continued organizational resilience.