Despite the great progress in deepening regional connectivity through information and communication technologies, Asia and the Pacific is still the most digitally divided region in the world, with less than eight per cent of the population connected to affordable and reliable high-speed Internet. As a result, millions of people are shut out from transformative digital opportunities in education, health and financial services. Women and girls, in particular, have lower levels of access to broadband Internet and other knowledge-enhancing technologies. The Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (APIS) initiative aims to increase the availability and affordability of broadband Internet for all people across Asia and the Pacific. The ESCAP Youtube channel can be viewed here.
An Asia-Pacific intergovernmental platform recognized by ESCAP member States as one of the useful regional platforms for the promotion of digital cooperation (ESCAP Resolution 78/1, May 2022). APIS platform objectives are to bridge the digital divide and accelerate digital transformation by promoting digital connectivity, digital technology and applications, and the use and management of digital data. APIS Action plan consists of three pillars with scoped 25 actions. Three APIS Working Groups are focused on Connectivity for All, Digital Technologies and Applications and Digital Data. This APIS action plan 2022-2026 is supporting multi-stakeholder events at a high level, like Ministerial Conferences (ref Seoul, 10 November 2022), ESCAP Committee for ICT, Science Technology and Innovation (2020, 2022), United Nations Special Programme for Central Asia (2020-2023) and its Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development.
The APIS technical cooperation projects created online connectivity tools, an e-resilience monitoring dashboard, focused on rural-urban connectivity, clean air for sustainable ASEAN and digital payment projects. ESCAP website publishes analytical reports and working paper series on Asia and the Pacific digital transformation. Please refer to the brochure on APIS here
The cost of transit between networks in Oceania, coupled with the high cost of international bandwidth, are likely to be driving factors behind the rise in Internet Exchanges Points (IXPs) in the region, according to Narelle Clark, CEO of the Internet Association of Australia (IAA).
The fourth session of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) Steering Committee and WSIS Regional Review is scheduled to be held on 11 August 2020 (virtual online meeting).
The establishment of IXPs can have positive impacts on affordability, latency and traffic capacity. Yet, in the Pacific, few countries have established IXPs. Papua New Guinea recently established an IXP in 2017 with assistance from Internet Society, APNIC and other partners which at the time was estimated to result in a 10% decrease of prices of Internet services. Fiji also established a national IXP in 2017 and reported that latency between local operators has improved significantly from 60ms to 2ms after its deployment.[2] The majority of other Pacific island countries do not have IXPs.
The Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development (WG on ITSD) is a subsidiary body under the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), comprising senior policymakers, researchers, decision-makers, and implementers from the SPECA countries responsible for developing guidance and finding practical solutions to problems identified by the countries.
