Regional : Promoting Digitalization for Green and Inclusive Growth in Asia

Industry and trade / Small and medium enterprise development

Information and communication technology / ICT strategy and policy, and capacity development

The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will support knowledge development and provide policy advice on fostering green and inclusive growth via digitalization in developing Asia. This TA focuses on enabling information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate Asia's transition toward green and inclusive growth. The Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD) will carry out the TA in collaboration with global and regional experts for quality research and resources and will disseminate outputs to policy makers and stakeholders.

Developing Asia needs to transit for a green, inclusive, and resilient growth trajectory, as the region needs to keep tackling challenges to reduce poverty and inequality as well as enhance resilience to future shocks caused by climate change and pandemics. There is increasing awareness that ICT infrastructure and digitalization present opportunities to foster the shift towards green and inclusive growth (UNDP, 2020). Digitalization can contribute to green and inclusive growth by enabling more capital input, enhancing efficiency, and fostering innovation, via remote working, energy efficient, and new market and demand from innovative solutions. Digitalization also creates environmental and social benefits via jobs, investor confidence and greater resilience and poverty reduction. However, at present, only a few leading developing Asian economies, such as the India, PRC, Republic of Korea, and Singapore, have made significant progress on digital transformation, most developing Asian economies generally lack conducive policy frameworks to facilitate digitalization and innovation towards green and inclusive growth. Identifying policies to foster advances and adoption of ICT technology and innovation in developing Asia will not only guide ICT-enabled sustainable growth but also sheds light on developing other types of technologies to support low-carbon transition.

Developing Asia will benefit from knowledge and policies that connect innovative digital solutions to green and inclusive growth. This TA aims to generate knowledge on the drivers, impediments, and good practices on utilizing ICT to foster green industries and technologies and contribute to policy capacity on how to support digital ecosystems and accelerate digitalization for green and inclusive growth. The findings of the TA could also serve as basis for pipelines that highlight climate change considerations in various sectors in the context of digitization.

Poverty and inequalities among developing Asia's population reduced

Support for climate and disaster resilience and sustainable environmental sustainability in developing Asia scaled up

DMCs' knowledge and capacity to develop policies that accelerate digital transformation towards green and inclusive growth improved.

Knowledge about opportunities and challenges of green and inclusive growth generated.

Knowledge about smooth digital transformation for sustainable growth promoted.

Knowledge and capacity to form a conducive policy environment for sustainable growth through digitalization strengthened.