Today, governments are in the limelight. 2020 marks a fundamental shift in many aspects, and it has become increasingly clear that governments have a leading role to play in the success of societies. Now there is momentum to discuss how governments should reform their machineries to better respond to the challenges of the 21st century.

In this webinar, think tank Demos Helsinki brings together high-level government officials and decision-makers to share their learnings and to discuss a pivotal question: In the light of the COVID-19 crisis, what should governments do differently and how?

The Finnish government has in many regards been at the forefront of ambitious governance reforms. With an impressive track record on reforming its government machinery, the country will serve as a case to take us along on a  journey of a 21st century government transformation.

We will first enjoy three brief case presentations from the Finnish context:

• Permanent Under Secretary Päivi Nerg from the Ministry of Finance will present Finland’s new strategy for public governance of the 2020’s, which seeks to redefine the principles and guidelines of governance reform in Finland for the coming decade.
• Counsellor Sirpa Kekkonen from The Prime Minister’s Office will describe how Finland is rethinking its governance approaches to enable a humble and continuously learning approach to policy-making.
• Auditor General Tytti Yli-Viikari from the National Audit Office, will present how the institution seeks to rethink its role as an enabler and supporter of systemic change in government.

The event continues with a panel-discussion on learnings from other contexts. Our confirmed panelists include:

• Mr. Taimar Peterkop, Secretary of State in the Government of Estonia
• Dr. Andrea M. Schneider, Head of Directorate for Policy Planning and Innovation at the German Chancellery

The event is open for everyone who wishes to learn and engage in a constructive dialogue on how governments can learn from each other.