ICTD InfoBank: A Knowledge Sharing Portal on ICTD for the Asia-Pacific region

In the wake of the global pandemic, the importance of digital skills has never been so evident, nor so urgent. As those lucky enough to enjoy fast connectivity took refuge from the global health emergency by moving to a virtual environment to support economic continuity, education and interpersonal contact, those lacking access to digital networks and skills have been left even further behind.

To support implementation at all levels, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the need to exploit the contribution to be made by a wide range of data including Earth observations and geospatial information. Five years on, there are few examples of countries exploiting non-traditional data sources for the global SDG monitoring framework. Furthermore, where examples do exist, they are making use of only two types of non-traditional data: Earth observations and geospatial information, and citizen-generated data.

This policy paper examines inequalities in the access to and use of ICTs in ESCAP member States of the East and North-East Asian and South-East Asian sub-regions. It uses the classification and regression tree analysis to explore the ICT gaps between population groups and determines the characteristics and circumstances of individuals most likely to be left behind.

By applying the same methodologies and econometric models used for assessing global effects, this study focuses on the impact of broadband, digital transformation and policy and regulatory frameworks on the growth of markets for digital services in the Asia-Pacific region. It also provides evidence of the importance of regulatory and institutional variables in driving digital growth, illustrating that broadband technologies and effective ICT regulation can have positive impacts on the development of national economies and prosperity.

Co-produced by UNICEF and ITU, this report reveals that not only does the lack of connectivity limit children and young people’s ability to connect online, but it prevents them from competing in the modern economy and isolates them from the world. In addition, in the event of school closures, such as those currently experienced by millions due to COVID-19, it causes them to trail behind in education. In other words, the Lack of internet access is costing the next generation their futures.

This report indicates that the digital gender divide is blocking women from becoming equal stakeholders in society, putting entire communities at greater risk during emergencies. It also highlights the importance of advancing gender equality in disaster risk management, and leveraging context-appropriate information and communication technologies (ICTs) which are critical to deliver essential information to the most vulnerable of communities in a timely manner, before, during and after disasters strike.

Financial innovation in the form of new delivery channels, products, and providers has helped push out the frontier of access to finance and thus increase the bankable and banked population. Mobile money and crowdfunding platforms are prime examples for this. The same financial innovation has also blurred the regulatory boundaries of the financial system, with non-banks, including telecom companies and BigTechs such as Alibaba and Tencent, taking to offering financial services and increasingly moving into the financial inter-mediation business.

The report looks at three areas: i) access to data through earth observation technology, street-level imagery, connected devices and volunteered geographical information; (ii) capacity to process and analyze data through cloud computing and big data analytical techniques, such as artificial intelligence; and (iii) capacity to transmit risk and risk management information given the proliferation of internet and mobile access and improvements in broadband and data speeds.

Technological changes observed in recent years, particularly driven by the rapid development of information and communications technologies(ICTs), offer the potential to transform economies and improve the living standards of many people. Furthermore, they have strong potential to disrupt productive sectors and markets, including through technological convergence and recombination. This study explores ways in which digital skills can be developed and harnessed to support sustainable development.

Social media applications have been the subject of much study and analysis, yet the scope and impact remain difficult to understand. As part of a fast growing and quickly changing Internet ecosystem, these applications have been used by billions of people across the globe. With such high use rates, the potential for beneficial impact on economic growth and social development is significant.