JAKARTA, 20 February 2024 – Digital transformation stands as a pivotal driver for ASEAN’s social and economic development. The 2nd Online Forum of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Research and Development Platform for Poverty Action highlighted the importance of harnessing cross-sectoral cooperation in realising digitalisation’s potential in poverty alleviation efforts, particularly in rural areas.
Deputy Secretary-General of ASCC Ekkaphab Phanthavong opened the forum, which was titled “Making Digital Transformation Work for Poverty Alleviation in ASEAN: Opportunities, Risks, and Strategies”. In his remarks, he emphasised the need for innovation and technological solutions to poverty alleviation in continuing ASEAN’s work in leaving no one behind. He further reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to enhance rural connectivity to ensure that digitalisation positively impacts ASEAN.
The forum featured four speakers who shared their insights on the connections between digitalisation, poverty alleviation, and rural development in ASEAN. Jocelle E. Batapa-Sigue, the Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development, Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Republic of the Philippines, highlighted the pivotal role of rural development in preventing the digital gap from widening in ASEAN. She also highlighted the risks associated with cybersecurity and the upskilling needed for the workforce.
Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Research Fellow at the Centre of Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Singapore, emphasised digitalisation’s role in enhancing resilience and stability in the food and agricultural sector to benefit farmers’ well-being in rural communities. He suggested directing innovation towards empowering grassroots digitalisation initiatives.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ramez Abubakr Badeeb, Assistant Professor of Business Economics at Nottingham University Business School Malaysia, echoed the importance of financial inclusion in poverty alleviation efforts amidst rapid digitalisation. Communities in rural areas are likely to be excluded from the digitalisation of the financial ecosystem, thus he stressed that while ASEAN’s efforts had aptly captured this problem, he recommended closer alignment between ASEAN’s initiatives and those at the national and global levels.
Dr. Ardimas Andi Purwita, Senior Manager at eFishery Indonesia, shared eFishery’s success in leveraging digitalisation for poverty alleviation among fish farmers in rural areas. He urged ASEAN to embrace similar success stories across the region to enhance its support towards the private sector, especially in its capacity to provide digital technologies to rural communities.
Dr. Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad from The Habibie Center concluded the forum by reinforcing the interconnectedness of digitalisation, poverty alleviation, and rural development in ASEAN.
The forum is part of the ASCC Research and Development Platform Programme of the ASEAN Secretariat on Poverty Action, supported by the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund (ACCF) and the advisory team from The Habibie Center.
