An ESCAP study highlighted that 18 ESCAP member States had less than 2 per cent of their populations with fixed-broadband subscriptions in 2016. Recent ITU data for 2017 shows no improvement for these countries. In the case of mobile-broadband subscription, 16 ESCAP member States have ⅓ or less of their respective populations with access to mobile-broadband subscriptions in 2017.
The root causes of the region’s digital divide are multi-dimensional. ESCAP studies have found various constraining factors, including a limited regulatory and policy environment, lack of institutional and individual capacity, digital literacy, inefficient Internet and network management; limited affordability of broadband services; and investment in natural-disaster resilient ICT infrastructure. As society and economy increasingly depend on reliable, affordable and resilient broadband infrastructure to deliver information and services, the lack of broadband access is expected to constrain the member countries’ socioeconomic development and efforts towards the achievement of SDGs.
In response, ESCAP member States launched the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) initiative to enhance the availability, affordability and resilience of regional broadband infrastructure as a foundation to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since its official launching in 2017, wide ranging research and analyses, regional policy dialogues and capacity development were undertaken, which led to the ongoing development and implementation of subregional implementation plans of AP-IS. In this context, ESCAP member countries have decided to endorse the updated AP-IS Master Plan and Regional Cooperation Framework Document for 2019-2022 and continue the implementation of the initiative through the development and implementation of the subregional implementation plans, as mandated in ESCAP resolution 75/7. The focus areas of the subregional implementation plans are closely aligned with the 7 strategic initiatives of the Master Plan 2019-2022, such as cross-border connectivity in Central Asia (strategic initiative 1), Internet traffic management in Southeast Asia (strategic initiative 2), resilient infrastructure in the Pacific (strategic initiative 4) and policy update in Northeast and South Asia (strategic initiative 5).
In this context, the 3rd session of the AP-IS Steering Committee is planned to review the latest research findings, current implementation of the Master Plan 2019-2022 by member countries, ESCAP and partner organizations and discuss emerging trends and technologies which affect the implementation and agree on follow-up actions.
Objectives
The third session of the AP-IS Steering Committee meeting aims to achieve the below objectives
a) Enhance awareness and knowledge of government officials and partners on latest research, emerging trends and technologies, including on Internet traffic management and transport and energy-co-deployment, for evidence-based policy-making at national, subregional and regional levels,
b) Review and discuss the AP-IS business plan which aims to guide the implementation of the AP-IS Master Plan 2019-2022 and Regional Cooperation Framework Document 2019-2022
c) Deepen regional cooperation and policy dialogue in the development and implementation of the AP-IS subregional implementation plans and ongoing project activities,
d) Facilitate information sharing and networking among government officials, academia, private sector and other stakeholders, including through the AP-IS Transmission Map,
e) Expand partnerships among government, academia, private sector and civil society organizations for the development of joint initiatives for AP-IS implementation.
Implementing and Collaborating Entities
The 3rd session of the AP-IS Steering Committee will be held in conjunction with four key side-events, to be led by ESCAP’s Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, in collaboration with ITU and the Internet Society, as detailed below.
- AP-IS Steering Committee, Third Session (26-27 August 2019): Government officials from Ministry of Communications as well as other relevant stakeholders will be invited to attend;
- Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Committee, Sixth Session (28 August 2019): Participants are invited to attend the opening session of the Committee;
- Expert Group Meeting on Internet Traffic Management among the CLMV countries (28 June 2019); a half-day session for Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam;
- WSIS Regional Review (28 August 2019): Participants to attend a half-day session on WSIS regional review, led by ITU;
- Asia-Pacific Regional Community Networks Summit (29 August 2019): Participants to attend full-day event, led by the Internet Society; and
- AP-IS Exhibition on ICT for Sustainable Development throughout the week.
The third session of the AP-IS Steering Committee will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, from 26 to 29 of August 2019.
Additional Documents
- Master Plan for the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway, 2019–2022.pdf
- AP-IS Regional Cooperation Framework Document, 2019-2022.pdf
- Resolution 75-7. Advancing the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway initiative through regional cooperation.pdf
- Results of Interactive Questionnaires.pdf
- Summary Report- WSIS Regional Review.pdf
- Summary Report - Third AP-IS SC_0.pdf
Presentations
- S2.1 AP-IS Implementation Strategic Initiatives 2019-2020, ESCAP.pdf
- S2.2 Broadband connectivity trends Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP.pdf
- S2.3 Digital Development in East Asia & Pacific, World Bank Engagement.pdf
- S2.4 Digital Infrastructure, AIIB.pdf
- Lunch session, 3D Digital Map (AW3D) and MDRU for disaster management, NTT AT.pdf
- Lunch session, Establishing a Resilient ICT Network, CVISNET.pdf
- Lunch session, Locally Accessible Cloud System for Disaster Resilience, LACS, Advanced Telecommunication Research Institute, International.pdf
- S3.1 Presentation NCR, RailTel Corp.pdf
- S3.2 5G+ Strategy of the Republic of Korea, NIA.pdf
- S3.3 Digital Opportunities at the Last Mile, Internet Society.pdf
- S3.3 Pacific Regional IXP, A feasibility study to determine how the Pacific Islands can better connect together, Internet Society.pdf
- S3.4 Affordable Broadband Solution & Standards for Connecting the Unconnected, Global Plan Inc.pdf
- S3.5 Our Digital Inclusion Initiatives in Asia, Telenor Group.pdf
- S3.6 Huawei Redefine Inclusion.pdf
- S3.7 Increasing investment in Internet development in the Asia Pacific, APNIC Foundation.pdf
- S3.8 ISP Investments in Frontier Markets, A ‘forgotten’ piece of the connectivity puzzle, Connectivity Capital.pdf
- S4.1 Introduction to a new operation model of trans-multi-country terrestrial cable, CAICT, China.pdf
- S4.2 Internet Traffic Management in CLMVs, NIA, Republic of Korea.pdf
- S5.1 ITU Broadband Maps.pdf
- S5.2 E-Resiliency @ the EDGE Smart & Off the Grid Technology Enabling Teamwork & Lifesaving, Humanitas Solutions.pdf
- S5.3 APT's activities towards E-resilience v2.pdf
- S5.4 Connecting the unconnected for resilience, SES Networks.pdf
- S5.5 UNODC tackling cybercrime in support of a safe and resilient AP-IS.pdf
- S5.6 e-Resilience in support of Emergency Communication “best-practices”, LIRNEasia_0.pdf
- S5.7 The Disaster Riskscape Across Asia-Pacific, ESCAP.pdf
- S5.8 Airbus Zephyr on Connectivity and Disaster Resilience.pdf
- S5.9 High-resolution global 3D Digital Map(AW3D) for disaster management, NTT AT.pdf
- S6.1 Blockchain for Sustainable Development aligned with AP-IS, IBM Japan.pdf
- S6.2 Gender and ICT, SDD, ESCAP_0.pdf
- S6.3 Overview, Achievements and Current Initiatives Promoting ICT Connectivity (2019-20), Saleem Akhtar Memorial Foundation_0.pdf
- S6.4 Internet Assessment Framework – Internet Universality Indicators.pdf
- S7.1 AP-IS Academia Network, Indian Institute of Management Kashipur.pdf
- S7.2 UNU CS Research and the AP IS agenda, United Nations University.pdf
- S7.3 Thammasat University & the Asia Pacific Internet Superhighway.pdf
- S7.4 Digital Divide, A Case of South Korean Older Adults, University of Greenwich.pdf
- S7.5 1World Connected, Data-driven Research to Bring Billions Online, University of Pennsylvania.pdf
- S7.6 Strengthened connectivity and harmonization of 5G spectrum through implementation of the AP-IS initiative in East and Northeast Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences.pdf
- S7.7 Measuring the Digital Divide in the Asia-Pacific Region, LSE.pdf
- Lunch session, Private sector and digital divide in Asia, KaiOS Technologies.pdf
- ITU S1.1 Village Broadband Internet Project (Net Pracharat) of Thailand, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.pdf
- ITU S1.2 Winner of WSIS Prizes 2019, Government of West Bengal, India_0.pdf
- ITU S1.3 Gender Mainstreaming and ICTs, International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists.pdf
- ITU S1.4 Building Inclusive Information & Knowledge Societies, Evercomm, Singapore.pdf
- ITU S1.5 Regional Review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Implementation in Asia Pacific, ITU.pdf
- ITU S2.1 Increasing investment in Internet development in the Asia Pacific, APNIC Foundation_0.pdf
- ITU S2.2 Private sector and digital divide in Asia, KaiOS Technologies_0.pdf
- ITU S2.3 Making ICTwork for Accelerating Rural Economy, Igniting Opportunities Through Youth and ICT, BIID, Bangladesh.pdf
- ITU S2.4 Older persons and ICTs, SDD, ESCAP.pdf
- ITU S2.5 Digital transformation to achieve SDGs, ITU.pdf
- ITU S2.6 Insights from Children's Digital Citizenship, UNESCO.pdf