*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory December 2024 Report. Bracing Transformations with Second-Wave Democracy As Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) Chairman Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene assumed his second prime ministership on July 5, 2024, he extended an invitation to opposition parties in his acceptance speech to form a “Joint Government” for bold reforms and […]
Digital Rights Under Siege: Navigating Data Scraping and the Battle for Journalistic Freedom
Human rights online encompasses digital freedom that protects individuals’ privacy, expression, and access to information in a connected world. These rights are crucial for ensuring democratic participation and safeguarding personal dignity while exercising fundamental rights. Recently, numerous human rights violations have emerged, from unauthorized data scraping by AI companies to systematic harassment of journalists, threatening […]
Connecting the Unconnected: Bridging the Digital Divide through Grassroot Initiatives in Sri Lanka and Women’s Empowerment in Nepal
The Digital Divide in Asia-Pacific: A Persistent Challenge The Asia-Pacific digital landscape features metropolises like Tokyo and Singapore with world-leading connectivity alongside vast unconnected rural territories, affecting half of the region’s 4.3 billion people. This disparity represents the greatest obstacle to inclusive development across APAC. Sri Lanka exemplifies the rural-urban divide with 80.6% rural population […]
Forging Ahead: Lawrence Wong and the Next Chapter of Singapore’s Digital Future – Amelia Ayang Sabrina & Ngan Pham Thu
*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory December 2024 Report. New Face, Old Regime 2024 has become a historical year for Singapore, as it has had its fourth Prime Minister (PM) since independence in 1965. Lee Hsien Loong, the former PM who had served for 20 years, advised the President to appoint […]
NetMission Academy 2025 Session 7 Summary
On February 20, 2025, the seventh session of NetMission Academy 2025, titled “ICANN Policies,” was held, moderated by Nawal Munir Ahmad and Sameer Gahlot. The session gathered participants from the Asia-Pacific region and provided a comprehensive exploration of ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) structure, functions, and policy-making processes. It featured in-depth presentations […]