Green and digital technology will play a key role in driving sustainable development in Southeast Asia, especially for the much-needed green transformation, said analysts and officials at the 2023 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leadership and Partnership Forum held in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Friday.
Although ASEAN's current energy demand is only about 5 percent globally, it is steadily rising because of urbanization and industrialization, as the energy sector contributes three-fourths to global carbon emissions. The ASEAN Green Deal, proposed by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen while chairing the ASEAN Summit 2022, aims at a green future, sustainability, effective use of resources and economic competitiveness.
The green deal is "meaningful" because it is a policy framework available to all ASEAN members, particularly Myanmar, where development needs are again calling for attention, said Albert Oung, executive council member and Green Economy chairperson of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's Sustainable Business Network.
Innovative technological breakthroughs can help revitalize ASEAN's economy following the pandemic, Oung said.
In Indonesia, digital transformation, along with financial assistance to improve information and communication technology infrastructure, has helped boost the creative industry, said Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno.
The creative industry not only contributes to regional GDP but also creates jobs, he said in a special address, adding that education reforms have helped nurture creative talent.
Ravindra Ngo, founder and CEO of the think tank The Asian Network in Singapore, said that stakeholders, including government, business and civil society, must collaborate to promote sustainable policies and practices to mitigate environmental risks and improve access for all.
"The three Ps — people, planet and profit — are not enough. We need to add purpose — the purpose to make and contribute to a better world," Ngo said.
ASEAN also needs to use technologies and innovations, such as developing a climate-smart agriculture that will help to make the shift toward agricultural and food systems that are "more resilient, sustainable and productive", he said.
In another panel discussion, Oung said, "At least within ASEAN, we can do a lot of things together" on renewable energy.
"Sustainability is actually equal to profitability. Sustainability comes with responsibilities," said Oung, also the founding chairman of the Hong Kong Myanmar Chamber of Commerce.
Rebuilding Myanmar as a great green nation with innovative technologies can help the agricultural sector to relieve the poverty of farmers, he said.
"With the help and protection of ASEAN, Myanmar will be able to gradually sort out its own problems by rebuilding its past glory as a great prosperous nation in the 1950s."
Chhem Siriwat, adviser to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, said that digital transformation "is not just about technology, but about change. It's about a change in mindset, which will eventually lead to a change in behavior".
He said the three main pillars of digital transformation are culture, workforce and technology, and described his experience in helping to craft a national digital technology transformation road map for Cambodia.
"We came up with three suggestions, the first being to appoint transformational leaders. To be a transformational leader, you have to be innovative, risk-taking."
It is also important to invest in human resources and digital infrastructure, he said.
