Project Description

This project entitled “Digital Transformation: Facilitating the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s Inclusive and Sustainable Digital Economy” is a multi-year work programme of public-private action focused on driving the region’s digital transformation in Southeast Asia. The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Regions, Trade and Geopolitics (CRTG) will implement the project in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and presents an opportunity to work with all 10 ASEAN Member States to strengthen the digital economy at the national and regional levels.

The overall objectives of the project include capacity development of individual ASEAN Member States, surveying the status and current gaps in ASEAN’s e-commerce and digital economy environment, strengthening data-driven policymaking, and facilitation of greater multistakeholder dialogue and collaboration towards advancing ASEAN’s digital trade and broader digital economy. The project is funded by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), established in 1990 by the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to further strengthen ASEAN-ROK relations.

Introduction of Proponents/Implementing Agencies

Organization Overview

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.

WEF activities are shaped by a unique institutional culture founded on the stakeholder theory, which asserts that an organization is accountable to all parts of society. The institution carefully blends and balances the best of many kinds of organizations, from both the public and private sectors, international organizations and academic institutions.