Details

Concept

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is a regional economic integration initiative that aims to create a single market and production base among the ten ASEAN member states. At the same time, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is fundamentally transforming the global economy and society through the integration of digital technologies.

The 4IR presents both challenges and opportunities for the ASEAN region. On the one hand, the region's diverse economic structures and varying levels of digital readiness pose significant challenges to the adoption and integration of these new technologies. On the other hand, the 4IR offers immense potential for economic growth, job creation, and enhanced competitiveness, particularly in areas such as e-commerce, digital financial services, and smart manufacturing.

As such, the AEC and the 4IR are closely linked, with the AEC providing a framework for the region to enhance its economic competitiveness and integration, while the 4IR presents new opportunities for the region to accelerate its development and growth. The successful integration of the AEC and the adoption of 4IR technologies will be critical to the region's long-term success and prosperity.

Objectives

This public lecture aims to:

• Assess the current state of digital readiness and innovation capabilities across ASEAN in the context of the 4IR.
• Identify the opportunities and challenges for regional integration and digital transformation within the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
• Examine the policy and regulatory frameworks that enable or inhibit the adoption of 4IR technologies in the ASEAN region.
• Develop recommendations for enhancing regional integration and digital transformation in the context of the AEC and the 4IR.;

Guest Speakers:

This lecture will invite two guest speakers with one from Cambodia and another from the Philippines; they are:

• Joshua Uel J. Abad (Mr.): is the Program Manager for Inclusive Economic Development in KAS Philippines. His career as a development practitioner spans on the fields of Workforce Development, Education, and Economic Regulation.   He started his career with the Asian Institute of Management where he helped develop Economics subjects for various MA and MS programs in the Institute. He was also involved in various research projects on ASEAN Integration, Corporate Entrepreneurship, and Regulations and Governance, among others.   Prior to joining KAS, he co-managed a million-dollar technical assistance program funded by the Australian Government to address the workforce development and educational gaps brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution in various sectors in the Philippines. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and completed 33 Master’s units in Political Economy with specialization in International Relations and Development under a full scholarship at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
• Monita You (Mrs.): is the Deputy-Director of the Department of Economic Integration and ASEAN of the General Department of Policy, Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kingdom of Cambodia. She graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

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