UNESCO and partners to lead workshop on digital transformation in Cambodia

Cambodia has embarked in recent years on an accelerated development trajectory towards societal digital transformation and Industry 4.0. The country boasts one of the world’s fastest digital adoption rates: in 2023 alone, the number of mobile broadband and internet subscribers surpassed Cambodia's population of 16 million, while active social media users comprise 65 per cent of the country’s total population. This digital surge is backed by the Royal Government of Cambodia's strategic initiatives, including the Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework (2021–2035), which aims at fostering a digital economy and society, and the Digital Government Policy (2022–2035), which focuses on digital governance and services.

As Cambodia embraces this digital evolution, however, critical considerations must be addressed. These include the definition of a digitalized society and its purposes, the implication of digitalization vis-a-vis quality education for all, social inclusion and justice, data protection and privacy, and the potential risks for the environment. 

To address these issues and shape a rights-based digital transformation in Cambodia, UNESCO, in collaboration with the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT) and the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP), will jointly lead a national workshop to apply the UNESCO futures literacy and foresight methodology to ideate and envision possible digital futures foregrounding questions of inclusiveness and corresponding ethical standards in Cambodia. 

• To what extent are emerging digital technologies, including AI, changing or poised to change the ‘human thinking, interaction and decision-making’ in Cambodia, considering the country’s own contexts and specificities, and its role as a member of ASEAN? 
• While AI can process data efficiently, it does not fully understand human emotions, spirituality, history, culture, and so forth. What does it mean for the future of Cambodia if AI increasingly makes important decisions? What can AI do well, what can't it do, and how will Cambodian society work with AI?
• What does a digital economy imply for the future of (decent) work? 
• What are the extent and depth of changes which should anticipated in terms of learning and teaching modalities (in the formal, non-formal and informal education settings)? 
• What are the risks of AI being biased against certain groups, especially when it relies on limited data? What could be the long-term effects on human thinking?

By invitation only. Selected participants will come from various domains and functions, and possess wide-ranging disciplinary profiles, among them scholars, researchers, university faculty, intellectuals, decision-makers, CSOs, and students, all from across scientific, ICT, STEM, humanities and social sciences disciplines. 

In the short term: 

• A critical mass of informed actors in Cambodia is trained in utilizing greater foresight in research, policy-making, and public deliberations. 
• Interdisciplinary groups of researchers (communities of practice) are formed to follow-up on common areas of concern on digital transformation, thus fostering synergies between social scientists, scholars in the humanities, and the IT experts. 

In the medium term: 

• An advisory body is put in place in CADT and other national institutions to facilitate public and interdisciplinary deliberations on digital transformation. 
• Universities in Cambodia incorporate and make good use of foresight methodologies in their programmes. 

7 to 8 December 2023, 08.30–16.30 (GMT+7)

Social and Human Sciences (SHS) Unit, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok: shs.bgk(at)unesco.org 

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