Tallinn Digital Summit 2023: Refreshing the Agenda of Democracy and Technology

Tallinn Digital Summit, hosted by Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas, brings together global leaders to one of the world’s digitally advanced societies. The event takes place on September 5th with the goal to tackle challenges and embrace opportunities for a connected digital future.

The 2023 edition of the summit aims to refresh the agenda for democracy and technology, focusing on governance and open societies. It emphasizes the importance of swift and resilient governance, embracing technological advancements while upholding democratic values, and promoting transparency and accountability in the digital era. The summit will showcase global initiatives for value-driven partnerships and open-source digital projects.

„This year’s summit is all about refreshing the agenda of technology and democracy. The world is confronted with the sobering realization that technology is not a panacea for the challenges of open societies. At the Tallinn Digital Summit, we will bring different decision makers together to look at how democracies can keep up with the pace of emerging technologies, and benefit from the opportunities that these technologies introduce,“ Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, said.

„In the context of Ukraine’s steadfast fight against Russian aggression, we will explore how democratic digital societies can overcome extreme circumstances while still providing digital services to its citizens, keeping the state running and achieving even higher levels of digital excellence that we all can learn from,“ she added.

The event is held at the Tallinn Creative Hub, and is set to ignite transformative discussions. Thematic conversation rooms will feature renowned speakers sharing keynote speeches, driving forward the dialogue on democracy and technology. Governments and partners will seize the global platform to launch innovative solutions. Networking opportunities and physical meetings will facilitate collaborations, while real-time engagement on LinkedIn and Twitter will amplify participation.

The first Tallinn Digital Summit was held in September 2017 among the Heads of State and Government of the European Union member states as part of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU. It succeeded in establishing a much-needed highest political level debate on the digital future of governments and society within the EU. The upcoming summit is the sixth annual event, demonstrating its long-standing tradition and continued success. Additionally, the summit features EXPO — a B2B/B2G/G2B networking platform that offers hybrid networking possibilities. The aim of the Tallinn Digital Summit EXPO is to create meaningful connections and pave the way for innovative collaborations.

Under the overarching theme of strengthening democracy, this year’s edition of the Tallinn Digital Summit will also be followed back-to-back by the 8th Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit which Estonia is hosting on 6-7 September 2023.