Asia Pacific Regulatory Roundtable
Digital Transformation for Digital Economies @COVID-19 South-Asia
Thursday 30 July, 14:00-16:30 Bangkok / 07:00-09:30 CET
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
Dr Sharma, Chairman of TRAI,
Mr Julian Gorman, head of Asia Pacific for GSMA,
Distinguished colleagues,
Thank you for joining us today for this regional regulatory roundtable on digital transformation for digital economies in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
I think we could not have chosen a timelier topic for the south Asia region, which is struggling to cope with the enormous challenges of this unprecedented health emergency, while at the same time experiencing rapid digitization of local economies.
Before I begin, let me take a moment to thank our partners and co-organizers, the TRAI of India, and the GSMA.
Both are long-standing and active partners in ITU's work.
I would like to particularly extend my thanks to the government of India for hosting a our new ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre, to be opened next year, as well as ITU's flagship technical standardization conference, WTSA 2021.
A personal thank you also goes to Dr Sharma for his tireless efforts in support of ITU's work, through your contributions to our Global Symposium for Regulators, and the TRAI's regular hosting of important meetings and workshops.
I must also take a moment to recognize the very positive collaboration we enjoy with the GSMA, which is an energetic partner in so many of our activities, from its role as chair of Equals steering com, leader of the EQUALS Access Coalition, to joint work on our new Child Online Protection guidelines, to collaboration, alongside WEF and the World Bank, on an Action Plan for the COVID environment aimed at helping regulators and operators take measures to keep networks robust and resilient in the face of unprecedented demand.
Julian, we thank you and your team for your enthusiastic engagement, and your tireless support.
I am also very grateful for the involvement of UNESCAP in this event, as part of the UNESCAP Framework on Socio-Economic Response on how digital solutions can help enhanced preparedness to protect at-risk communities and strengthen their resilience to future crises.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Over the past six months, we have seen how vitally important digital technologies have been in helping governments, individuals and businesses to cope with social distancing,
to ensure business continuity,
to disseminate important health information,
and to support track-and-trace systems aimed at controlling new outbreaks.
What long-term impact will the current pandemic have on the countries of the Asia-Pacific region?
Asian countries were among the first, and in some cases, hardest, hit when the virus first emerged. But Asia also boasts some of the world's outstanding success stories in terms of the rapidity and effectiveness of COVID response.
We still don't know how this story is going to play out. But we do know that economies around the world will struggle with the immense impact of this pandemic.
Economic forecasts for the region are sober, with analysts predicting zero or negative growth for the remainder of the year.
But let us always remember that this is a highly dynamic region, and future prospects look brighter.
The IMF and the Asian Development Bank both project growth to return to robust levels next year in many regional economies.[1]
As one commentator from Forbes magazine put it, “Asia has been here before".
The 1997 Asian financial crisis seemed insurmountable at the time, yet hindsight shows that even the worst-affected Asian economies returned to stability and solid economic growth within a few years.
The digital sector will certainly play a strong role Asia-Pacific's recovery.
Analysts predict that the region's strong commitment to ICT infrastructure and a growing ICT sector could prove decisive, with the shift of economic activity to the cloud and the need for mobile track-and-trace and other tech solutions benefiting a great many Asian countries which already have a very strong presence in the digital economy.
A rise in demand for digital applications, combined with enabling government policies designed to support the tech sector, could spur digital innovation and boost digital entrepreneurs, further improving regional growth and development prospects.
That's all very positive news.
However, those of us joining today's discussions all know that this is a region of strong contrasts.
Not every country in the region is positioned to take advantage of a surge in demand for technology. Many are still struggling to connect their own populations, in the face of enormous economic, geographic and demographic challenges.
Today our web dialogue is all about helping regulators, policymakers and industry better understand the digital transformation sweeping across the region, and to develop and implement a policy environment that enables their economies and societies to prosper in a world that is increasingly digital and data-driven.
Our impressive line-up of eminent panellists will speak to their own experiences with the digital strategies and innovative solutions adopted in response to the many challenges that have emerged from the crisis.
Many of them, as well as many of you joining this debate, were active contributors to ITU's REG4COVID platform, which was set up in record time at the beginning of the pandemic to serve as a repository of effective actions and best practices for regulators and industry for keeping networks available and resilient at a time of unprecedented demand.
Many also contributed to the Action Plan ITU developed in partnership with the World Bank, the GSMA and WEF, as well as to the Broadband Commission's Agenda for Acton for COVID, which addresses not just immediate actions, but longer-term policy guidelines for 'building back better with broadband'.
It is our hope that by sharing our successes, and also our disappointments, we can learn from one another, collaborate more closely, and recognize new opportunities. (SMILE)
As they say, it is a great pity to waste a crisis, and while we continue to fight the virus, we need also to look to a COVID-free future and to make our plans for 'building back better' by leveraging the enormous power of ICTs.
Distinguished colleagues,
A global pandemic demands a global response. The stakes have never been higher.
Building, reinforcing and scaling digital cooperation will strengthen our collective response to COVID-19, and lay the groundwork for a better and faster recovery, built on an ICT-enabled world.
I look forward very much to a lively discussion.
Thank you.
