About the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory (APPO) DPI Research Group
The Asia Pacific Policy Observatory (APPO) is a policy research and advocacy working group under NetMission, bringing together young people across the Asia-Pacific region to collaboratively explore emerging digital governance issues through research, dialogue, and community engagement.
For 2026, APPO’s research focus is Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Through the APPO DPI Research Group, youth researchers from across Asia-Pacific countries will examine the governance values and considerations embedded in DPI-related policies and initiatives at both national and regional levels, with particular attention to governance gaps, potential harms, and opportunities to strengthen oversight, accountability, transparency, and public participation.
This project serves two complementary purposes: strengthening youth capacity to conduct policy research and engage in evidence-based advocacy, while collectively producing original research on DPI governance from a youth perspective. Findings from the project will be shared publicly through interim publications, community engagement activities, and a final research report scheduled for release in November 2026.
To learn more about APPO’s previous research and publications, please visit the APPO project page: https://netmission.asia/asia-pacific-policy-observatory/
WHY THIS YOUTH-LED RESEARCH MATTERS
DPI is rapidly reshaping how people access services and participate in everyday life. As these systems become more widespread, critical questions emerge:
- Who gets to shape how DPI is governed?
- Are accountability and public participation built into these systems?
- Who benefits and who may be excluded or harmed?
- Can countries build systems that work together across the region?
Across APAC, countries are developing DPI in very different ways, influenced by their own social, political, economic, and infrastructure realities. As a result, conversations around inclusion, governance, and safeguards cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
The APPO DPI Research Group was created to help explore these questions through a youth-led and community-informed perspective. Bringing together young researchers from across the region. Beyond producing research, the initiative also aims to strengthen youth participation in digital policy discussions and support long-term engagement in governance and advocacy across the Asia-Pacific region.
Research Focus Areas
> Governance, accountability, and regional coordination:
How do countries decide how DPI is built? What mechanisms exist for public input, oversight, and accountability? Who has power, and how is that power checked? And critically, are countries building systems that can work together across borders, or are they creating isolated national silos?
> Values and priorities in governance:
Are considerations like privacy, security, inclusion, or efficiency part of how DPI is governed? If so, how are these priorities weighed against each other? Do public accountability mechanisms reflect these values, or are they absent from governance processes?
> Harms and gap:
Where are the failures? Who’s excluded, surveilled, or harmed? What problems aren’t being addressed?
HOW WE SHARE OUR RESEARCH
Opportunities to Engage
Throughout the project, research findings will be shared through publications, presentations, and engagement opportunities across the Internet governance ecosystem. Participants may have opportunities to contribute to or present research findings through:
| Interim Articles and Research Publications | Throughout the year, the project will publish interim articles highlighting emerging observations, country-level developments, and cross-cutting themes identified through the research process. |
| Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) | Research findings may be presented through workshops, sessions, lightning talks, or other engagement opportunities at APrIGF, allowing participants to contribute youth perspectives to regional Internet governance discussions. |
| Youth Internet Governance Forum (yIGF) | Findings will be featured during the 2026 Youth Internet Governance Forum, creating opportunities for young researchers to engage with youth stakeholders and facilitate discussions on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) governance. |
| Internet Governance Forum (IGF) | Where appropriate, research outputs and recommendations may be submitted or presented through global IGF processes, allowing participants to contribute APAC youth perspectives to international policy discussions. |
| Community Outreach and Engagement | The project will work with organizations, youth networks, and Internet governance communities across the region to disseminate findings, gather feedback, and encourage broader participation in DPI governance discussions. |
| Final Research Report | The project will conclude with the publication of a final research report in November 2026, consolidating findings, comparative analyses, and policy recommendations developed throughout the research process. |
WHO IS INVOLVED?
The APPO DPI Research Group is a youth-led initiative under NetMission, bringing together young people from across the Asia-Pacific region to contribute to a collaborative research process on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). The project begins by crowdsourcing country-level information and perspectives through questionnaires and community contributions from youth across APAC. Contributors help identify emerging observations, trends, and governance considerations within their local contexts, while also providing sources and supporting materials to strengthen the evidence base.
Building on these contributions, the group of active Youth Researchers works collaboratively to analyze the collected information, identify regional patterns and comparative insights, and develop research outputs. Throughout the process, participants contribute in different ways, ranging from sharing country-level knowledge and resources to supporting analysis. This collaborative approach allows the project to draw on diverse experiences and perspectives from across the region while ensuring that the research is grounded in local contexts and supported by evidence.
SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE
HOW ORGANIZATIONS CAN SUPPORT
We would welcome the support of organizations and networks in helping extend the reach of this initiative. Ways to support this initiative include sharing our updates and research outputs within your networks, connecting us with relevant organizations, communities, experts, and endorsing this initiative in your own communications.
Supporting organizations will be acknowledged across our research outputs and related materials.
CONTACT & STAY CONNECTED
We welcome engagement from organizations, experts, and individuals working on DPI, digital rights, and digital governance across the Asia-Pacific region.
If you would like to learn more about the research, stay updated on our progress, or explore ways to support or share our work, you are welcome to reach out to us directly. You can contact us at: [email protected]
We would be happy to continue the conversation over email or arrange a short call if helpful! 🤗