TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi attended the 80th Commission Session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand on April 22, 2024. Foreign Minister Retno conveyed the importance of regional digital transformation and innovation to accelerate the achievement of SDGs in the region.

According to the Foreign Minister, Asia Pacific currently leads the world's digital transformation with a 10-year transformation acceleration, driven by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The 80th Commission session of UNESCAP raised the theme "Leveraging Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific" and was attended by countries in the region.

"This positive development should have been our golden ticket towards championing global sustainable development," said the Minister, quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official website. "Southeast Asia's internet economy alone is forecasted to reach US$1 trillion in 2030 by the World Economic Forum," she added.

However, Foreign Minister Retno also conveyed the paradox of this progress. The 2024 UN report estimates the possibility of 32 years of delay in the Asia Pacific Region in achieving the SDGs, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and various geopolitical conflicts. For this reason, Retno Marsudi conveyed the importance of regional digital innovation to overcome this paradox.

In this context, she highlighted Indonesia's efforts as outlined in the Digital Indonesia Vision 2045. Minister Retno presented three roadmaps for strengthening cooperation in digital transformation within the framework of UNESCAP. The first one is the need to develop an integrated digital roadmap that can facilitate the exchange of technology and policies, capture the potential of countries, and harmonize various initiatives in the region today, including in ASEAN and APEC.

"The digital landscape in the Asia Pacific region is currently highly fragmented," she said.

Second, Minister Retno emphasized the need for various inclusive digital innovations, including investing in various fin-tech and start-ups led by women. To achieve inclusivity, she also encouraged the improvement of digital infrastructure and the expansion of access to digital literacy training.

Third, she stressed the need to manage transformative technologies at the regional level. "Emerging technologies such as AI paint a new picture in the relationship between technology and geopolitics," said the Foreign Minister.

On the one hand, transformative technology can be a force for good, but on the other hand, evil intentions can be used that can deepen global rivalries. Governments must ensure that technologies are used to improve people's living standards.

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