Helani Galpaya Archives — LIRNEasia


During the annual conference of the ICRIER Prosus Centre for Internet and Digital Economy (IPCIDE), which held in New Delhi on February 16, LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya stressed on the need to address both demand and supply sides of internet use, advocating for education reform and digital literacy initiatives to bridge access gaps.  Helani Galpaya is a member of the Advisory Board of IPCIDE. The focus of the event was the launch of the “State of India’s Digital Economy (SIDE) 2024” report, a comprehensive analysis of India’s digital transformation journey. Co-founded by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Prosus, a global consumer internet group, IPCIDE aims to shape policy by providing empirical evidence to guide India’s digital evolution.  The 2024 report highlights that India’s digital economy is only second to that of the USA when viewed as a whole, but it falls behind when digital dividends are considered on a per capita basis.
On the occasion of the International Day for Democracy, the International Observatory on Information and Democracy (OID) announced the appointment of 19 influential leaders in policy, research, and academia to its Steering Committee. Among the appointees is Helani Galpaya, Chief Executive Officer of LIRNEasia, who will bring her expertise to shape the global discourse on information and democracy. The steering committee consists of thought leaders from diverse geographies and disciplines, encompassing fields as wide-ranging as political science, ethics, journalism, engineering, anthropology, economics and data science. The group will oversee the process of completing an authoritative report evaluating and synthesising scientific contributions related to the challenges faced in the information ecosystem. According to the Forum on Information Democracy, ‘the Observatory’s work on information and democracy is equivalent to the IPCC for climate change, and just as urgent – as underscored by the generous commitment from this globally eminent group of thought leaders.
In an era marked by the rapid growth of the digital economy, the issue of taxation on technology multinationals has taken centre stage. However, many countries in the Global South find themselves unequipped to harness tax revenue from these digital giants. Several policy options are available to countries. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN) have proposed treaty-based solutions, but questions have emerged about the revenue potential of these multilateral proposals, the feasibility of their timely implementation, as well as whose interests they serve. Meanwhile, several countries — including some in the Global South — have implemented their own domestic solutions.
LIRNEasia and ICRIER will present the findings of a nationally representative survey with a 7,000+ sample across India. We explore the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 by analyzing access to education, healthcare and work, with a focus on digital technologies.
The theme of this year's SIF was "Mobilising for Digital Resilience – a free, open, and secure internet in the shifting landscapes of the pandemic". The opening panel set the stage for discussing issues that fit under this topic, and will be followed by 2 days of further panels that explore each issue further.
Presentation by Helani Galpaya at Ceylon Chamber of Commerce event on "Use of Digital Platforms for SMBs". November 2020.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya participated in a panel discussion organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on "Use of Digital Platforms for SMBs". 
Image showing Helani Galpaya among other panelists at the "Asian Liveable Cities" Forum in San Fransisco CEO Helani Galpaya was invited to speak at the "Asian Liveable Cities Forum: Digital Solutions for Livable Cities" conference held in San Francisco, 12-14 November 2019
Helani Galpaya 24 Sep 2019 | CEPA Open Forum | Colombo, Sri Lanka

LIRNEasia at RightsCon 2019

Posted on June 10, 2019  /  0 Comments

LIRNEasia research presented at RightsCon 2019 in Tunis
An opinion piece written by LIRNEasia's CEO Helani Galpaya, published in the Economy Watch section of the Pakistan Observer on Sunday, 02 December 2018.
Presented by Helani Galpaya and Tharaka Amarasinghe on 7 November 2018 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The AfterAccess surveys have shown that 26% of Cambodia Internet users aged 15-65 have experienced online harassment. The findings were released with the launch of the AfterAccess Asia report in Phnom Penh on 7th November 2018.
CEO Helani Galpaya gave one of the keynote addresses at the International Conference on ICT for Rural Development held in Bali, Indonesia.
Helani Galpaya, 17 October 2018, International Conference on ICTs and Rural Development, Bali, Indonesia
Nepal performs better on Internet connectivity and mobile phone use than its wealthier neighbors in Asia, our AfterAccess surveys showed. Seventy-two percent of the Nepali population aged 15-65 owned a mobile phone, and 60% of these were Internet-enabled (feature or smartphone). In addition, 46% of Nepali’s are aware of the Internet – the highest reported number out of the Asian countries included in the report: India, Pakistan, Myanmar Bangladesh and Cambodia.