CO MMISSIO N SESSION Eco no mic a nd Soc i a l Co mmission
f o r A sia a nd t he Pacific
Bangkok, 15 -19 May 2016
Digital Transformation
for Sustainable Development
Jonathan Wong
Adviser on Science, Technology and Innovation
Twitter: @UN_JonathanWong
Digital is disrupting markets
• World’s largest taxi company owns no taxis (Uber)
• Largest accommodation provider owns no real estate (Airbnb)
• World’s most valuable retailer has no inventory (Alibaba)
• Most popular media owner creates no content (Facebook)
• World’s largest movie house owns no cinemas (Netflix)
• Largest software vendors don’t write apps (Apple and Google)
However, innovation policy for the
Sustainable Development Goals must
incorporate social and inclusive innovation
principles.
A social innovation is a novel solution to a
social problem that is more effective,
efficient and sustainable than current
solutions. The value created accrues
primarily to society.
Government of Kazakhstan has adopted the concept of “Green Economy” providing social innovation, economic diversification and environmental sustainability
Inclusive innovation is the means by which
new goods and services are developed for
and/or by those who have been excluded
from the development mainstream and/or
engaging them in the process of
innovation.
Opportunities for EEU Member States to harness
digital technology for sustainable development
• Open innovation to tackle common social
challenges
• Digital trade for shared economic prosperity
Open innovation
describes the process of harnessing
the distributed and collective intelligence of
the “crowd”.
Percentage of online sales of total retail sales: • China 8% • ASEAN 0.2% • E-Commerce accounted for around
2% of total retail sales in Kazakhstan last year, but online retail is predicted to maintain high double-digit growth rates.
Share of total fixed-broadband subscriptions in
the ESCAP region (2014)
Share of total fixed-broadband subscriptions in
the ESCAP region (2014)
UNESCAP Support
UNESCAP can support the EEU through the sharing of best practices of other countries and sub-regional
cooperation mechanisms:
• Sharing regional best practice innovation policies that integrate the economic, social and
environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
• Sharing experiences of other sub-regional innovation work – APEC, ASEAN, SAARC, SPC.
• Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway – a multilateral initiative aiming to increase the availability and
affordability of broadband Internet across Asia and the Pacific, by strengthening the underlying Internet
infrastructure in the region.
• Digital Trade Facilitation - to simplify, standardize and harmonize trade regulations and procedures to
make trade accessible for all. This includes a regional cooperation Treaty to enable cross-border
paperless trade and e-commerce.
And the regional as a whole has much to learn from EEU digital experiences!
Thank You
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @UN_JonathanWong
mailto:[email protected]