By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 14: The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is holding its regional workshop, titled “Enhancing Digital Connectivity For All” in Sarawak for the first time to provide a platform for young leaders from across the region to come together, share strategies and best practices, and collaborate to narrow the digital divide across the region.
The workshop’s opening was officiated here today at the Borneo Cultures Museum by the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur Michael Newbill, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) chief executive officer (CEO) Sudarnoto Osman, and SDEC chairman Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani.
In his speech, Dr Hazland noted that one of the keys to achieving prosperity and elevating Sarawakians’ well-being is to provide them with access to knowledge, information, and economic opportunities, which in this day and age translates to digital connectivity.
“Sarawak, I believe, would be one of the focal points of the region. To YSEALI participants, I wish you a productive workshop ahead. Network with and get to know each other and do conspire amongst yourselves for a collaborative effort that would do good for all of us in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Newbill noted in his speech that, as the past few years have demonstrated, connectivity can be the key to positive outcomes in education, healthcare, small business development, and ensuring access to government services.
“We’ve brought 100 young leaders from across Southeast Asia together to spend a few days discussing and debating how to ensure better connectivity and better outcomes for all.
“Our Embassy is especially proud to host this “YSEALI Digital Connectivity Workshop” here in Sarawak, a pioneer in the digital economy space,” he added.
According to a press release, the workshop, hosted by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with SDEC and the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent GPS), will be held in Kuching from June 14 to 16, and will bring together 100 participants from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region, as well as guest speakers, experts, and stakeholders from the digital industry.
Expert speakers will share their experiences in the connectivity space and guide participants in producing policy papers on enhanced digital connectivity that can be proposed to government agencies, international bodies, or corporate funders.
Amongst others, the workshop aims to foster conversations and collaborations among young leaders from Asean and Timor-Leste to address digital connectivity challenges and find solutions to bridge the digital divide in their communities. — DayakDaily
