New submission to Pacific Islands Forum

Digital Society Foundation lodged this Regional Initiative submission to the Pacific Islands Forum Regional Consultation Program.

Many Pacific communities face a daunting challenge to navigate their way to a sustainable and prosperous future as the world advances rapidly into the digital age of human development.

Our submission deems this the ‘Pacific Digital Adaption Challenge’.

Individual communities and nations cannot tackle this challenge alone. The complexities and inter-dependencies across all facets of our modern, global socio-economic system demand a co-operative approach to harnessing digital technologies and innovation.

This is especially relevant to developing and disadvantaged Pacific communities who operate in significantly different social and economic contexts to other regions.

Mechanisms for stimulating and supporting this co-operative approach are a regional imperative.

The opportunity is to lift social and economic conditions across the region far more rapidly, effectively, inclusively and in balance with our cultural and environmental responsibilities.

This submission describes a number of inter-related mechanisms needed under three broad headings:

• Digital Infrastructure
• Digital Skills
• Digital Systems

Please review the submission paper here for details of the mechanisms proposed: