LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya attended UNDP’s New Ways of Governing Conference in Oslo on 28–29 October 2025, contributing to discussions on AI and data governance. Her session drew on LIRNEasia’s research on data-governance policies across Asia and the organisation’s ongoing work on responsible AI. 
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya attended UNDP’s New Ways of Governing Conference in Oslo on 28–29 October 2025, contributing to discussions on AI and data governance. Her session drew on LIRNEasia’s research on data-governance policies across Asia and the organisation’s ongoing work on responsible AI. 
“Untangling Data Governance – Sri Lanka’s Way Forward” was held on 13 November 2024 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event formed part of the Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia (D4D Asia) project, with funding support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada. 
On July 3, 2025, in Colombo, LIRNEasia organized the “Day of Information Disorder” to disseminate research findings from two major studies: a nationally representative survey and an experimental study measuring the effectiveness of misinformation countering measures. The event brought together researchers, journalists, media professionals, tech innovators, and policy experts to address one of today’s most urgent challenges: information disorder. The day began with an introduction by Helani Galpaya, CEO of LIRNEasia, who set the tone by unpacking what information disorder is and why it matters. LIRNEasia researcher Shenali Bamaramannage followed with a thought-provoking presentation titled “Are we idiots?”, sharing key findings from LIRNEasia’s national research on the human factors influencing susceptibility to misinformation in Sri Lanka. 
Nepal’s evolving digital landscape highlights a growing tension between constitutional guarantees of privacy and access to information, and a fragmented, outdated data governance framework. In a recent article published in Republica on March 17, 2026, Avash Mainali, Country Researcher for Nepal for LIRNEasia’s D4D Asia project, argues that while the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Policy, 2082 (2025), marks a positive step, its impact will depend on whether it can move beyond aspirational language to enforceable rights. 
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming labour markets worldwide. In the Global South, however, these changes are unfolding unevenly, shaped by labour markets defined by high levels of informality, uneven social protection, and large skills gaps. Against this backdrop, the 66th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) hosted a panel titled “The Global South at an AI Crossroads: Labour Market Transitions Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America” on Monday, 19 January 2026, at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune. 
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to transform the world of work, its impacts in the Global South present urgent and unique challenges. Unlike advanced economies with formal labour markets and stronger safety nets, many countries in the Global South face high levels of informality, limited social protection, and unequal access to skills and digital infrastructure. These issues were explored at “Securing Labour Justice in the Age of AI: A Global South Policy Dialogue,” a pre-summit event held on 15 January 2026 in New Delhi as part of the lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026. 
On February 26, Factum, with the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), officially launched a policy report titled “Online Safety’s Impact on Human Rights and Digital Governance.”As part of this launch, a panel discussion titled “Case for and Against the Online Safety Act” was organized. Ashwini Natesan (Research Fellow, LIRNEasia) participated as one of the panellists, alongside Prihesh Ratnayake (Research Specialist, Factum) and Benislos Thushan (Attorney-at-law and Development Practitioner). 
LIRNEasia is looking for a talented individual to join the team as a Communications Assistant. The full job description is available below. The deadline for applying is March 25, 2026. 
Pakistan’s Indus AI Week reflects a growing shift in how the country is approaching artificial intelligence, not simply as a technological trend, but as a strategic tool for economic growth, public sector reform, and national competitiveness. In an article published on March 5, 2026, in the ProPakistani news platform, Muhammad Aslam Hayat, Senior Policy Fellow at LIRNEasia, notes that discussions during the event highlighted ambitions to use AI to improve productivity, create new economic opportunities, and enhance government efficiency. However, he argues that effective and trustworthy AI depends not only on algorithms or computing power, but also on strong systems of data governance. 
Efforts to reform Sri Lanka’s electricity industry have been ongoing since the late 1990s, but little progress has been made. In the aftermath of the economic crisis, the removal of distortions affecting the industry and the creation of conditions for economic growth were seen as necessitating significant reform. There is general agreement that reform is necessary, though not on the nature of the reform. 
In an op-ed article published on 20 February 2026 in the Bangkok Post, Jompon Pitaksantayothin, Country Researcher for Thailand for LIRNEasia’s D4D Asia project, discusses the growing tensions within Thailand’s data governance framework following the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). While the PDPA was intended to strengthen privacy protections, its interaction with existing transparency laws has created confusion within government agencies about what information can be disclosed. 
The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence is reshaping debates around copyright, accessibility, and innovation. In a recent article published in The Hindu, Pranesh Prakash, Co-Principal Investigator for LIRNEasia’s D4D Asia Project, discusses how copyright law must adapt to the realities of AI-driven technologies in a way that balances creators’ rights with the public interest. 
This report on data governance in Pakistan is part of the “Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia” (D4DAsia) project, which aims, inter alia, to create and mobilize new knowledge about the tensions, gaps, and evolution of the data governance ecosystem, taking into account both formal and informal policies and practices. This report is also part of a broader comparative effort that includes case studies from India, Indonesia, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. The report provides an overview of Pakistan’s constitutional and governance framework and analyses the laws and policies that structure the collection, processing, storage, and sharing of data. The report also undertakes a detailed examination of key legislative instruments, including the draft Personal Data Protection Bill and the Right of Access to Information Act, assessing both their strengths and shortcomings. It explores institutional capacity constraints, fragmentation across regulatory frameworks, and procedural gaps in policy development that affect coherence and implementation. 
Archives and records management is a critical foundation of any society, but especially in information societies that are emerging now. Unfortunately, this subject tends to be neglected. Sri Lanka’s first National Policy on Archives and Records Management received Cabinet concurrence on 7 April 2025, following a multi-year drafting process led by a committee appointed by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. The committee was chaired by Nigel Nugawela (Archivist) and included several experts, such as LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva. 
In an article published on 26 January 2026 in The News Pakistan, LIRNEasia Senior Policy Fellow Muhammad Aslam Hayat highlights how data has become a powerful instrument of governance in Pakistan, yet the frameworks governing data remain fragmented and heavily skewed in favour of state control rather than citizen rights. He stresses that Pakistan does not need more data; it needs better rules to govern it. 
LIRNEasia is looking for a talented individual to join the team as a Senior Researcher to drive impactful research. The full job description is available below. The deadline for applications is February 20, 2026. 
As societies become increasingly reliant on digital systems, safeguarding information infrastructure is paramount for economic stability, public safety, and national security. LIRNEasia has been closely analysing Sri Lanka’s evolving cybersecurity policy landscape and was recently invited to participate in a closed-door dialogue between diplomats and policymakers to evaluate the country’s cybersecurity policy. This blog post distils the key high-level takeaways from that discussion. It reviews Sri Lanka’s current cybersecurity landscape, highlights relevant international good practices, and proposes four policy considerations for strengthening the country’s cybersecurity framework. 
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) become increasingly embedded in everyday systems, concerns around data protection, privacy, and accountability are gaining urgency. A new 2024 report, ‘Beyond the Hype: Realising Responsible AI through Data Protection in South and Southeast Asia,’ examines how existing data protection laws in the region respond to the risks emerging from AI adoption. 
In an article published on 31 December 2025 in the Daily FT, LIRNEasia Chair Professor Rohan Samarajiva highlights how the Ditwah disaster exposed major vulnerabilities in telecom networks. He emphasizes that numerous telecom sites across the country were affected, leaving many districts without mobile or data services for days, which restricted access and delayed restoration efforts. Professor Samarajiva questions whether post-disaster telecom infrastructure rebuilding should aim for mere resilience or true “building back better.” Resilience, which means restoring networks to pre-disaster conditions, may simply repeat failures. Building back better, he emphasizes, requires treating telecom infrastructure as critical and addressing the root causes of failure.