Gayani Hurulle (Senior Research Manager, LIRNEasia) was invited to conduct a session on the current state and challenges associated with cross-border data sharing at a regional capacity-building workshop on ‘Cross-Border Data Sharing for Digital Public Service Innovation’. This workshop, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea, was held on 18 December 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The workshop, whose participants included representatives of governments in Southeast and Central Asia, the private sector, and international experts, aimed to advance dialogue on secure, efficient, and mutually beneficial cross-border data sharing to strengthen digital public services in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop highlighted ongoing efforts under ESCAP’s Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (APIS) initiative, including the pilot project ‘Advancing the Cross-Border Data Sharing Platform in Pilot Countries with a Focus on Digital Public Service’, implemented in collaboration with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Gayani’s presentation focused on the need to balance operational considerations that encourage greater cross-border data sharing, including cost and efficiency factors, with concerns related to sovereignty, privacy, cybersecurity, and competition, which often underpin arguments for restricting data flows. 
Gayani Hurulle (Senior Research Manager, LIRNEasia) was invited to conduct a session on the current state and challenges associated with cross-border data sharing at a regional capacity-building workshop on ‘Cross-Border Data Sharing for Digital Public Service Innovation’. This workshop, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea, was held on 18 December 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The workshop, whose participants included representatives of governments in Southeast and Central Asia, the private sector, and international experts, aimed to advance dialogue on secure, efficient, and mutually beneficial cross-border data sharing to strengthen digital public services in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop highlighted ongoing efforts under ESCAP’s Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (APIS) initiative, including the pilot project ‘Advancing the Cross-Border Data Sharing Platform in Pilot Countries with a Focus on Digital Public Service’, implemented in collaboration with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Gayani’s presentation focused on the need to balance operational considerations that encourage greater cross-border data sharing, including cost and efficiency factors, with concerns related to sovereignty, privacy, cybersecurity, and competition, which often underpin arguments for restricting data flows. 
The Forum on Data Governance in the Philippines was held on Friday, September 12, 2025, at Serenade II, Westin Manila. The event highlighted how data can drive development and serve as an effective policy-making instrument for advancing democratic and inclusive governance in the Philippines. The forum was organized by LIRNEasia in collaboration with Disini Law (Philippines) and Digital Freedom Network (Philippines), with funding support from the International Development Research Centre (a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada). It brought together experts from government agencies, academia, and the private sector to share perspectives and experiences on data policymaking and governance frameworks. Discussions centered on two recent publications under the Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia initiative: the Philippines Country Report and the Regional Synthesis Report.