LIRNEasia is pleased to announce the opening of applications for our online training programme on Data Governance in South and Southeast Asia.

Theme: Influencing data governance policy in South and Southeast Asia

Dates: 10^th and 11^th December 2024. 7.30 – 10.30 hours UTC/GMT time.

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Background

Data governance ecosystems are made up of policies, laws, practices, behaviours and technologies that govern the way data is collected, stored, shared and used. Ideally, a data governance system protects rights, enables innovation, improves transparency, and ultimately brings about democratic, inclusive governance.

There are many inherent tensions in policies related to data, including personal data protection, competition law, open data policies, cybersecurity, and AI and innovation policies. In developed countries, these conflicts may be resolved in the policy making stage. However, the policy making processes in South and South East Asia can be opaque, non-participatory and non- consultative. The policies themselves are not necessarily evidence-based but could instead be driven mostly by power and political agendas. There are fewer opportunities for those outside formal policy-making processes to influence upcoming policy since participatory processes are not common. Even when such processes do exist, those outside formal policy making processes (such as civil society actors and researchers) may lack the resources and capacity required to respond to such calls for formal policy responses. However, time and time again, local, in-situ, multi-stakeholder input into policy making does improve outcomes. In a time when many countries in the region are drafting policies that related directly (e.g. data protection laws) and indirectly (AI laws) to data, the need to keep up this engagement is more important now than ever.  Past experience shows that networked and skilled policy intellectuals can influence policies for the better.

Objective:

The objective of this online training is to provide participants with a good understanding about data governance laws and policies in the South Asia and South East Asia region, to provide basic skills on how policy influence can be achieved, and to develop and nurture a long term network of policy intellectuals in the region.  There is a need to build up a cohort of policy intellectuals working in the area of data governance in South Asia and South East Asia, and enhance their ability to influence data policy in their countries and in the region.  This training is the first step in this process.  LIRNEasia is committed to nurturing this cohort of selected participants in the future, and (subject to funding) creating opportunities for face-to-face interactions and learning.

What you gain if you are selected:

The programme will cover key topics in Data Governance across the following countries: India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan. The training will focus on data policy, best practices, gaps, trade-offs, as well as policy making processes and methods of engaging effectively in influencing policy and communicating research to policy makers.

You will:

• Compare existing data governance laws and policies in the selected countries.
• Gain an understanding of the best practices, gaps, and frictions in current data governance frameworks in the selected countries
• Learn methods to communicate research effectively to policymakers.
• Understand how the process of taking research to policy works in the selected countries

Who you are:

You are an early or mid-career professional with an interest in, or currently working on  digital policy, AI governance, data governance, platform regulation, in South Asia and South East Asia. Your current job can be in academia, civil society, the private sector, government or media.  You can be a student in a Master’s programme or equivalent.  Key is that you should have a personal interest in data governance issues, and interest in influencing policy in your country.

What you commit to:

The training is free of charge, but participants must commit to two half days of online training and participate in post course evaluation processes. The training aims to build a cohort of policy intellectuals working in the area of data governance in South Asia and South East Asia, and as such participants are expected to commit to being part of this network in the future.

Who we are:

The training is organised by LIRNEasia, with support from the International Development Research Center, Canada.

LIRNEasia is a pro-poor, pro-market think tank, whose mission is catalysing policy change through research to improve people’s lives in the emerging Asia Pacific by facilitating their use of hard and soft infrastructures through the use of knowledge, information and technology.

Tentative resource personnel:

We will draw from our staff and network of research and policy fellows for this course.  Current tentative list includes:

Ashwini Natesan (Country researcher, Sri Lanka)

Aslam Hayat (Country researcher, Pakistan)

Ibrahim Kholilul Rohman (Country researcher Indonesia)

Jompon Pitaksantayothin (Country researcher Thailand)

Helani Galpaya (CEO, LIRNEasia)

Oliver Reyes (Country researcher, Philippines)

Pranesh Prakash (Co Principal investigator and country researcher, India)

Rohan Samarajiva (Chair, LIRNEasia)

Semanta Dahal (Country researcher, Nepal)

How to apply:

Interested participants should apply through this link (https://forms.office.com/r/23JpjTRanm) by 16^th October 2024.  We expect to notify selected participants by end October 2024. Participants will be selected on the basis of their past work engaging with digital policy making in their respective countries and on the basis of how this training will support their work, as explained in the application form.