Report of the Side Event of the Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development on ICT for Transformation and Resilience

In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, frontier technologies are transforming not only our daily lives but also the planet`s development tragectory. The revolution is driven by innovations in artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain and other cutting edge technologies. This calls for greater urgency in bridging the staggering digital divide in the Asia Pacific region that is exacerbated when countries at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution quickly leave behind those that are slow at technology uptake. The Sustainable Development Goals mandate that we must do our best to reduce increasing inequalities and ensure that “no one is left behind” in these times of opportunity and challenge.

Earlier this year, the meeting of the Regional Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was organized in Bangkok to explore ways to collaborate and create synergies among UN agencies implementing ICT for development initiatives in Asia and the Pacific. The participating agencies decided to join forces and advocate for the transformative capabilities of ICT at an inter-agency side event and joint exhibition during the Fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) on 30 March 2018. Those collaborative efforts demonstrated how the expertise of respective agencies contribute to the achievement of SDGs through the systematic and strategic use of ICT and digital technologies.

Discover ICT insights and key findings, download the report.