RPS — LIRNEasia


In an insightful 50-minute discussion, Principal Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya sat down with LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva to share his insights on the key priorities and challenges in shaping the nation’s digital transformation. From bridging the country’s digital skills gap and fostering a thriving innovation ecosystem to implementing effective policy reforms, the conversation explores the steps needed to propel Sri Lanka into a competitive position on the global digital stage. Both experts bring a wealth of experience in technology, telecom, and policy, offering a thought-provoking dialogue on what it takes to drive meaningful change.
As of 2025 DAY 33, the satellite tracking website “Orbiting Now” lists 11,559 active satellites in various Earth orbits, each with missions including communications, Earth observation, technology development, navigation, space science, etc. These satellites provide us with an unprecedented view of Earth, enabling real-time monitoring and granular data collection. From tracking deforestation in the Amazon to monitoring agriculture yields across different continents, these ‘eyes in the sky’ generate a massive volume of data that gives valuable information about our planet’s health and human activities that have changed the natural earth’s surface. However, this sheer volume and complexity of such data lead us to an exciting question: How can we harness artificial intelligence (AI) to make sense of this vast array of satellite imagery? Let’s explore this intersection of satellite imagery and AI, by understanding the unique characteristics of satellite data, the challenges in processing it, and the potential solutions with deep learning.
We are pleased to announce that the selection round of the Cycle 1 of FutureWORKS Asia has officially concluded. After a thorough review process, we have selected five grantees who proposed innovative and impactful projects that address critical challenges and opportunities in the future of work to make it more inclusive and sustainable in the Global South. These projects will not only contribute to shaping policies and practices in their respective contexts but also serve as the foundation for building an Asian network focused on this vital area of research. Here are the selected projects and their organizations for this first round of funding: Opportunity and Resilience in the Philippine Platform Labor Economy: Policy Imperatives for Skills Development and Social Protection Amid Climate and Technological Change by De La Salle University – Social Development Research Center (Philippines) Digital Disruption and Climate Stress: Assessing Impacts on Nursing Work and Charting a Resilient, Equitable, and Gender-Responsive Work Landscape by Women in Global Health – Philippines (WGH-Ph) The Care Economy Roadmap for Sri Lanka – Charting the Way Forward by Centre for Poverty Analysis (Sri Lanka) Gender Implications of Future of Work in South Asia: Insights from the Garment Manufacturing in Bangladesh and India by […]
  The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2024 took place in Colombo in December 2024, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward inclusive and collaborative Internet governance. Hosted by the Lanka School of Internet Governance (LKSIG), this two-day event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, academics, and the technical community to discuss critical aspects of Internet policy, accessibility, and governance. A key session during the forum focused on bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion for marginalized communities, particularly persons with disabilities (PWDs). Moderated by Prof. Anuradha Jayakody, Head of the Department of Computer Systems Engineering, the session provided a platform for thought leaders to share insights and strategies for equitable digital participation.

2025 – Wishing a year of impact!

Posted on January 1, 2025  /  0 Comments

In 2024, we proudly celebrated 20 years of impactful work— advancing research, catalyzing policy change, and improving lives across Asia and the Pacific through innovative solutions and technology. Our journey continues as we embrace new challenges and opportunities to create even greater impact. Wishing you all the best for 2025!
What is meant by data governance?  What laws/policies are countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia bringing in to protect data privacy? How are different countries in the region tackling possible conflicts between the needs for data privacy and the right to information? These were some of the concepts discussed at the online training on ‘Influencing Data Governance Policy in South and South East Asia,’ organized recently by LIRNEasia. The training which was organized under the ‘Harnessing Data for Development in South and Southeast Asia’ https://lirneasia.
LIRNEasia hosted a forum on December 7, 2024, titled “Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka” at the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel, Colombo. The event brought together AI experts, data scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore practical ways to leverage data and artificial intelligence for informed decision-making and meaningful societal and organizational impact. The session featured several examples of successful and unsuccessful data projects from around the world, offering insights into practical challenges, best practices for initiating data projects, and the importance of addressing ethical concerns and trade-offs in data and AI initiatives. Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, Chair of LIRNEasia, opened the session by highlighting the organization’s ongoing work with AI and machine learning to address societal and policy issues.
LIRNEasia is excited to introduce the newly formed project Advisory Board for FutureWORKS Asia. As LIRNEasia continues to lay the groundwork to build and nurture an Asian research network that addresses the key policy challenges of inclusive and sustainable work outcomes for the region, esteemed colleagues, Payal Arora,  Julie Yujie Chen,  Amar Gokale, and Anja Kovacs join us as our inaugural Advisory Board. Through their combined expertise and experiences,  they will help LIRNEasia to shape the FutureWORKS Asia research network by providing strategic input and advice on research priorities and projects, ensuring that the research remains relevant, inclusive, and insightful. FutureWORKS Asia ,  LIRNEasia, focuses on pivotal issues such as digital technological advancements (especially AI), climate change and its transitions, demographic shifts, and the impacts of globalization. These megatrends are significantly altering job markets, disrupting traditional employment models, and amplifying inequalities.
Election misinformation poses a credible threat to Sri Lanka’s democracy. While it is expected that any electorate hardly operates with perfect information, our research finds that the presence of an election misinformation industry in Sri Lanka producing and disseminating viral false assertions has the potential to distort constituents’ information diets and sway their electoral choices. That many citizens are ill-equipped to manage the oftentimes cognitively burdensome task of determining the veracity of political information in an information-heavy environment exacerbates this issue. This, in turn, may jeopardize social cohesion and undermine what is otherwise, generally, a robust electoral process. In 2023, LIRNEasia led an IDRC-funded project to 1) understand election influence operations and measures to counter disinformation globally, especially pertaining to Asia; 2) map actors who are involved in election related counter-disinformation actions in five countries in South and Southeast Asia, and 3) document their past and upcoming activities related to countering disinformation around elections.
A powerful weapon in a time of global democratic backsliding, election misinformation may undermine democracy via a range of mechanisms. Election misinformation may influence an electorate to cast their ballots for candidates they otherwise might not have on the basis of incorrect information about a country’s economy, the candidates, or some other phenomenon. Other false narratives may cast doubt on the credibility of the electoral process, potentially reducing future voter participation and confidence in democracy and its leaders as a whole – both among those who buy into election misinformation as well as those who are cognizant of the prevalence of the phenomenon and its hold over certain voters. Additionally, that election misinformation often leverages existing social cleavages (across party lines, race, religion etc.) makes consensus-building and compromise that are at the heart of democratic governance, that much harder.
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to enhance public services and drive innovation within Sri Lanka’s public sector. At the AI Asia Summit 2024 in Colombo, Merl Chandana, Research Manager and head of the Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) team at LIRNEasia, shared insights on how the government can harness AI effectively and responsibly. Speaking on a panel titled “AI for National Economic Growth and Innovation: enhancing services and driving efficiency,” Merl outlined key considerations for adopting AI in ways that truly benefit citizens. Practical steps for AI adoption in public services Merl emphasized that while AI offers vast possibilities, public sector adoption must be both strategic and phased. After highlighting a few ongoing AI pilot initiatives in Sri Lanka’s public sector, he noted that these projects often begin with a strong data foundation and empowered decision-makers with deep expertise in their fields.
In the world of technology, programming errors—whether stemming from minor oversights or fundamental misunderstandings—can have catastrophic consequences. From the tragic failure of spacecraft missions to the collapse of critical infrastructures, history is filled with examples where a simple bug or miscalculation triggered massive disasters. These incidents not only demonstrate the fallibility of even the most advanced systems but also serve as stark reminders of the importance of precision in software development. For taxpayers, these failures often have an additional sting: they represent not just wasted opportunities, but the loss of significant public funds. In this article, we’ll examine four infamous cases where programming errors caused monumental failures and uncover the crucial lessons they offer for developers, engineers, and, ultimately, taxpayers who foot the bill.
This article was carried in the Daily Mirror on 17 October 2024 on International Eradication of Poverty Day Poverty in Sri Lanka has increased significantly with the onset of COVID-19 and the macroeconomic crisis. LIRNEasia’s national survey in 2023 highlighted that 4 million people fell into poverty between 2019 and 2023, causing 7 million individuals — or 31% of the population — to live in poverty at the time. Recent floods in the country have (re)exposed the vulnerabilities of various populations to adverse weather conditions. Robust, effective, and adaptive social protection systems are critical for shielding citizens from crises. Despite of, or perhaps, due to, the crises, Sri Lanka has made notable progress in enhancing social protection in recent years.
This report is one of the final outputs of an IDRC-funded project to 1) understand election influence operations and measures to counter disinformation globally, especially pertaining to Asia; 2) map actors who are involved in election-related counter-disinformation actions in five countries in South and Southeast Asia, and 3) document their past and upcoming activities related to countering disinformation around elections. This research report was intended to lay the groundwork for a network of actors systematically working towards countering disinformation related to elections in Vietnam and document the impact of their actions. A set of recommendations were also introduced to mitigate impacts of election disinformation on the upcoming 2026 election in Vietnam.
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: 10th and 11th December 2024. 7.30 – 10.30 hours UTC/GMT time.
The 19th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-24), a leading global forum for telecommunication and ICT statistics, took place from September 23 to 24, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland. This year’s edition was held back-to-back with the 15th Meeting of the Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) and the 12th Meeting of the Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH), which took place from September 25 to 26, 2024, also in Geneva.  LIRNEasia CEO, Helani Galpaya, spoke at the High-Level Panel titled “Data for Universal and Meaningful Connectivity” at the WTIS 2024. Her interventions presented LIRNEasia’s big data analytics and nationally representative household survey work, which contributed to improving policies and practices around social safety nets in Sri Lanka. She also discussed findings from the work on mapping public-private data-sharing partnerships, highlighting key elements such as trust, capacity, funding, technical architecture, and policies that enable data sharing across sectors.