Member Countries of the Inter-American Network on Digital Government Promote Cross-Border Digital Services and Agree to Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation

Press Release

Member Countries of the Inter-American Network on Digital Government Promote Cross-Border Digital Services and Agree to Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation

October 30, 2025 The highest digital government authorities of the Americas concluded this week the 19th Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Digital Government Network (GEALC Network), reaching agreements to advance cross-border digital public services, strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity and data governance, and promote a green and inclusive digital transformation.
At the meeting held in Antigua Guatemala, the public launch of the "Regional Digital Citizen" initiative also took place. This is a cross-border digital identification system that will allow citizens of countries in the region to access digital services in another country using their own national identity.

This initiative-led by the OAS, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and Co-Develop-is an example of multilateral coordination and the construction of regional digital public infrastructure. It is being implemented with the participation of 12 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.

Key commitments adopted in the <_br3d_22_22_> > Antigua Declaration: include:

• Gender-sensitive cybersecurity: The countries agreed to strengthen collaboration mechanisms among the CSIRTs of the Americas, recognizing the role of CSIRT Americas of the OAS Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) and the IDB in providing technical support for these actions, and to promote greater participation of women in cybersecurity teams and decision-making.
• Green digital transformation: Countries reaffirmed their commitment to renewable energy, sustainable cooling, and responsible e-waste management, integrating environmental sustainability into the design and implementation of digital services.
• Data governance and artificial intelligence: Countries welcomed and promoted Inter-American reference frameworks for data governance and artificial intelligence and reaffirmed their support for open data and anti-corruption initiatives.
The OAS Secretary for Strengthening Democracy, Sebastián Kraljevich, stated: "The results of this meeting are a concrete step toward effective digital integration in our region. In particular, the implementation of a digital identity broker for Latin America and the Caribbean shows that strengthening democracy also means improving people's daily lives. For all these reasons, we congratulate the work of the Network."

Since 2003, the Inter-American Digital Government Network (GEALC Network) has brought together digital government authorities from OAS member states as a horizontal cooperation mechanism to share best practices, build capacities, and accelerate digital public policies. The Network is an initiative of the countries of the Americas, supported by the OAS and the IDB, and promotes the development and implementation of best practices in electronic government across the region.

Among Red GEALC's key areas of work are digital signature and authentication, open data and open government, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and AI, equity and inclusion, and green digital transformation.

The OAS, through the Department for Effective Public Management (DEPM), serves as the Technical Secretariat of Red GEALC, while the IDB acts as a driving partner and sits on its Executive Committee, including projects under the Regional Public Goods Initiative.

More information about the Network is available here: >here:

Next Steps

The outcomes of this meeting are intended to inform the process of the 10th Summit of the Americas (December 4-5, 2025, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic). Additionally, the Network approved the 2025 Plan Implementation Report and the 2026 Work Plan.

For more information: Geoconda Pila ([email protected])

Reference: E-066/25