By Aar Jay
BERLIN | ASTANA | 6 September 2024 (IDN) — The Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan has proposed the establishment of a Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development at a high-level conference organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Government of Kazakhstan.
The proposed Centre, welcomed by the Ministers, is expected to strengthen coordination and cooperation among multiple stakeholders in the digital transformation process, as well as share practical digital solutions to advance the region’s sustainable development agenda.
Groundbreaking Astana Declaration
Ministers and heads of digital technology agencies also endorsed the Astana Ministerial Declaration on Digital Inclusion and Transformation in Asia and the Pacific.
The groundbreaking Declaration underscores the critical need to bridge the digital divide, strengthen digital connectivity, address and enhance digital trust, and promote inclusive and sustainable digital economies and societies leaving no one behind.
“The Declaration is an important milestone that reaffirms the necessity of strengthening regional policy-making so that we increase momentum in identifying digital solutions and scaling up to bridge the digital divide,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
While 96 per cent of the population in Asia and the Pacific live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks, it is estimated that only one-third productively use internet services. Up to 40 per cent lack basic digital skills.
Endorsing the Declaration, Governments of Asia and Pacific recognized the pressing need to overcome the major impediments that developing countries face in engaging with and accessing new technologies such as an appropriate enabling environment, sufficient resources, connectivity infrastructure and investments.
They also emphasized the importance of enhancing secure and affordable access and promoting digital literacy and education for all including youth, older persons, women, persons with disabilities, and remote and rural communities.
Kazakhstan showcases achievements in digital government
“We are proud of this unique opportunity to showcase Kazakhstan’s achievements in digital government to the global community. The adoption of this Declaration reflects our shared commitment to creating an inclusive digital future for all,” said Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, who also served as Chair of the conference.
On the sidelines, participants had the opportunity to explore a startup alley organized by Astana Hub, the largest technology park in Central Asia, where Kazakhstan’s top startups and major tech companies were showcased.
Kanysh Tuleushin, the vice minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, outlined Kazakhstan’s five-year AI strategy, focusing on AI infrastructure, human capital development, startup community growth and regulation. “This initiative includes a nationwide campaign to attract talent and foster research,” said Tuleushin.
[Read more here: https://astanatimes.com/2024/09/kazakhstans-rising-tech-stars-present-innovative-solutions-at-unescap-conference/]
The program also included signing memorandums and agreements on launching programming schools, advancing AI methods, developing regional tech hubs and other initiatives.
The conference reviewed the progress of other regional initiatives on digital cooperation, notably the Action Plan for Implementing the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative, 2022-2026.
Furthermore, ESCAP and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the conference to enhance institutional cooperation on regional economic integration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Under the agreement, ESCAP and EDB will carry out joint research and publications, capacity building support to policymakers and analysts in North and Central Asia as well as develop databases and analytical tools for policymakers in Asia-Pacific developing countries.
Digital-growth-climate nexus
The Asia-Pacific Digital Transformation Report 2024, released ahead of the conference, stressed that the climate crisis in the region intersects with digital transformations through a complex mix of challenges and opportunities, creating a series of vicious but also potentially virtuous cycles, says
The report considers how digital transformations will structurally and irreversibly affect the trajectory of climate change. It presents a digital-growth-climate nexus to better understand the diverse and dynamic picture and considers ways in which the region can follow the most positive trajectory to avert a climate catastrophe.
The report showcases good practices and country examples of digital applications in addressing climate change, in terms of mitigation and adaptation. These, it points out, can involve the use of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, digital twins, geospatial technologies and others, which have been employed in infrastructure, government, mobility, industry and trade, digital data centres, disaster risk reduction, agriculture and biodiversity ecosystems. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Photo credit: Astana Hub/Assem Kalymbetova
