The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the interlinkages between digitalization and development. The pandemic catalysed the deployment of innovative digital solutions and digital cooperation for coping with everyday activities and new socio-economic development opportunities. At the same time, the digital divides that the pandemic exacerbated have widened and threatened development inequalities across countries.

ESCAP secretariat is convening the sixth session of the AP-IS Steering Committee on 29 August 2022.

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. The WG provides a platform for sharing experiences and discussing issues within the SPECA framework. 

ESCAP, in cooperation with ECE efforts and strategy, seeks to: