2025 Online Workshop on

Inclusive Digital Governance for the Asia-Pacific

: Bridging the Divide, Shaping the Future

Background

The transformative impact of digital technologies goes far beyond mere technical innovation—it is fundamentally reshaping government operations, the lives of citizens, and the dynamics of international cooperation. The rapid spread of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, fintech, and telemedicine creates new domains that existing governance frameworks struggle to encompass adequately.

In today’s world, where digital transformation is exerting an increasingly profound influence on public policy and society at large, the need to establish principles, norms, and institutional arrangements suited to the digital age is more urgent than ever.

However, in the process of discussing and designing digital governance systems, significant disparities persist in areas such as internet accessibility, digital literacy, and technological capability across individuals, regions, and countries. These inequalities present clear limitations to the realization of truly inclusive digital governance.

This challenge is especially pronounced in the Asia-Pacific region, where countries with world-class digital infrastructure coexist with others that have yet to secure basic connectivity. Urban-rural divides, income-based disparities, and gaps between majority and minority groups reveal a complex landscape of unequal access and digital capacity across the region.

As of 2024, Singapore boasts an internet penetration rate of 95.8%, whereas in Bangladesh, only 44.5% of people have access to the internet. Women are 15% less likely than men to use mobile internet across low- and middle-income countries. This translates to around 265 million fewer women than men. 

These disparities go beyond issues of connectivity—they translate into unequal opportunities for civic participation and access to information, which in turn risk producing distorted models of digital governance that concentrate the benefits of digital transformation in the hands of only a few.

According to UNESCAP, the digital divide has evolved beyond basic access and usage to encompass disparities in capabilities and socioeconomic outcomes. This indicates that millions of people are being excluded from the real opportunities and benefits brought by digital transformation. It also implies that pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities are being reproduced—or even intensified—within the digital domain, highlighting that the digital divide is a structural challenge that cannot be resolved through a single policy intervention.

Therefore, for digital technologies to become a true enabler of inclusive and sustainable development for all, efforts to close the digital divide must be accompanied by the design of governance systems that ensure the participation of diverse stakeholders. This calls for urgent policy and institutional discussions.

This workshop aims to explore the evolving landscape and challenges of governance in the context of expanding digital technologies, to examine strategies for inclusive digital governance in the Asia-Pacific region, and to facilitate the sharing and discussion of policy practices that address the digital divide.

Event Objectives

- To examine the multidimensional nature of the digital divide and its implications for governance in the Asia-Pacific region.

- To deepen understanding of inclusive digital governance frameworks and principles that address inequality in access, participation, and digital literacy.

- To explore real-world challenges and best practices in digital inclusion across sectors and social groups, including rural communities, women, and the elderly.

- To promote dialogue and cooperation among government officials, civil society, and non-state actors for inclusive digital policy development.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

- Gain a deeper understanding of the structural and intersectional dimensions of the digital divide;

- Explore inclusive governance approaches and tools that can be adapted to their own national or local contexts;

- Identify key elements of inclusive digital governance, drawing inspiration from innovative and practical policy examples shared from the region;

- Contribute to the future planning of inclusive digital transformation initiatives through policy recommendations and reflections gathered during the sessions.

Target audience

This training is mainly open to those from the Asia Pacific region – representatives from governments, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector, who are engaged in advancing sustainable development in line with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17(Partnerships for the Goals).

Methodology

The workshop consists of:

- Expert-led lectures

- Community/City/Country-level case study sharing

- Individual assignments

Organizer

UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/Jeju International Training Center

Date & Time

3 July, 14:00 ~ 17:40 (KST) & 4 July, 14:00 ~ 17:40 (KST)

Venue

Online (Zoom)

Registration deadline

Please register by June 27, 2025 (Friday) through the following link,

https://forms.gle/FAq8LdHyxK6evpUu5

Certificate

UNITAR and UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC will issue a certificate of completion to only those who have attended all sessions and submitted an individual assignment. 

Program contents and structure

*The program is subject to change.

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For further inquiries, please contact

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL) 

UNITAR CIFAL Jeju

Program Officer

Tel 82 64 735 6586 / Email jwshin.jitc@gmail.com or jwshin.jitc@cifaljeju.org