Digital Public Services for Enhanced Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
On the margins of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Digital Inclusion and Transformation, the ESCAP secretariat calls on member States and partners to join this high-level policy and experience exchange between the Asia-Pacific region and North and Central Asia (NCA). The discussion’s inputs are summarized in the draft ESCAP research study, built on the results of the first sub-regional workshop on innovation and technology for sustainable development for NCA and SPECA countries, which was held in Bishkek from June 26 to 28, 2024 (can be accessed here).
This side event aims to share best practices and knowledge on the digital transformation of SME-oriented digital public services in ESCAP countries, showcase successful projects across different sectors, their economic and social outcomes, and highlight the importance of public-private partnerships in the digital development of SMEs. The panel speakers will be answering the following questions:
- What are the good practices and common challenges of developing digital public services for small and medium-sized enterprises?
- How can governments help SMEs to overcome the challenges of digital transformation?
- How do policies shape the digital future of the SMEs in the Asia and the Pacific region?
- How can regional cooperation platforms enable further cooperation between the region’s countries?
- What did we learn from our experiences of implementation of the Asia and the Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative and its Action Plan 2022-2026?
Panel Speakers: High-level speakers from the Asia and the Pacific region, namely: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, APIS Bureau Members from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea, IsDB, and the global and regional SME networks (North and Central Asia, South Asia and ASEAN).
Expected Audience: Policymakers from ESCAP member countries and wider audience.
Organizers*: IDD,ESCAP, MDDIAI Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation
Language: The event will be delivered with simultaneous interpretations in English and Russian languages.
Registration: On-site registration of participants is extended until 20 August 2024 to issue the entrance pass (badge).
Here is the Zoom link for online participants: Zoom link
Contact persons:
- ESCAP: Ms. Aida Karazhanova, [email protected]
- MDDIAI: Ms. Ayazhan Mukanova, [email protected]
*This side event is supported by the ESCAP project on “Strengthening policies and regulatory frameworks of digital public services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in support of the Asia Pacific Information Superhighway (APIS)” (sponsored by the Russian Federation and ESCAP, see project brief here) and is following the decisions of the fifth session of the SPECA Working Group on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development (WG on ITSD, delivered by ESCAP and ECE, accessed here).