Establishment of the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development

E/RES/2026/19View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Economic and Social Council, under agenda item 15 Regional cooperation, published in 2026.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Asia and the Pacific Digital Technology Subsidiary Bodies Sustainable Development

What’s in this document?

1 operative paragraph

Endorses Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific resolution 82/4, annexed to the present resolution, and the statute of the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development, contained in the annex to resolution 82/4, as the basis for the operations of the Centre, and requests the Executive Secretary of the Commission to take all measures necessary to operationalize the Centre.

Resolution 82/4

Establishment of the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

Recalling its resolutions 79/10 of 19 May 2023 and 80/1 of 26 April 2024, in which it noted with appreciation the initiative of the Government of Kazakhstan on establishing a digital solutions centre for sustainable development to provide practical digital solutions in Central Asia and beyond,

Reaffirming the Astana Ministerial Declaration on Digital Inclusion and Transformation in Asia and the Pacific,¹ in which members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific welcomed further consideration of the proposal of the Government of Kazakhstan for the establishment of a digital solutions centre for sustainable development, under the auspices of the Commission as part of its conference structure,

¹ESCAP/MCDIT/5/Add.1.

Recalling its resolution 81/4 of 25 April 2025, in which it noted the process initiated for the further consideration of the proposal of the Government of Kazakhstan for the establishment of an Asia-Pacific digital solutions centre for sustainable development, in Kazakhstan, as a regional institution of the Commission,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Our Common Agenda”,² in particular, the emphasis placed on improving digital cooperation and closing the digital divide,

²A/75/982.

Bearing in mind the recommendation adopted by the Committee on Information and Communications Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation at its fourth session, held in Bangkok and online from 30 August to 1 September 2022, in which the Committee noted with appreciation the initiative of the Government of Kazakhstan establishing the digital solutions centre for sustainable development to provide practical digital solutions in Central Asia and beyond,

Bearing in mind also that the thematic working group on innovation and technology for sustainable development of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia, at its fourth session, held in Tashkent and online on 19 October 2023, noted with appreciation the initiative of the Government of Kazakhstan to establish a digital solutions centre for sustainable development,

Taking note of the conclusions and recommendations arising from the 2023 Economic Forum of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia, held in Baku on 21 and 22 November 2023, in which the initiative of the Government of Kazakhstan to set up a digital solutions centre for sustainable development for the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia and beyond was noted,

Bearing in mind the report on the eighth session of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Steering Committee, which was held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, on 25 and 26 September 2024 in conjunction with the regional review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society,

Expressing appreciation to the Government of Kazakhstan for its generous offer to host the centre and to bear its institutional, programmatic and operational costs, including its pledge to contribute initial resources of 15 million United States dollars in five years,

Recognizing that the work of the centre would be organized in response to the increasing need to consider the emergence and rapid development of digital technologies,

Recognizing also the relevant work of the United Nations entities in developing digital safeguards, and taking note of the Universal Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards Framework developed by the United Nations Development Programme,

Recognizing further the need to avoid any possible duplication of work between the centre and the regional institutions of the Commission and the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries and other concerned international organizations, as appropriate,

Recognizing the need for close cooperation to complement the work of the existing regional institutions of the Commission and the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries regarding work related to the least developed countries,

Noting the initiative of the Government of Tajikistan on the establishment of a regional artificial intelligence centre in Dushanbe, which would be able to contribute, among other things, to accelerating the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Central Asia,

Taking note of the sincere efforts carried out by the Government of Kazakhstan to lay the foundations for the operation of the digital solutions centre for sustainable development,

Taking note also of the conclusions of the ad hoc working group that was constituted to review, in a transparent manner, the outcome of the independent feasibility study and to recommend a road map for strengthening the sharing of practical digital solutions in the Asia-Pacific region,

Decides to establish the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development as a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific that will contribute to the Commission’s programme of work in the area of information and communications technology without duplicating or overlapping with the work of existing regional institutions of the Commission and the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries;

Adopts the statute of the Centre, the text of which is annexed to the present resolution, as the basis for its operations;

Decides that the cost of institutional, programmatic and operational activities of the Centre, as well as costs that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution, shall be met through voluntary contributions from the Government of Kazakhstan, members and associate members, the private sector and innovative financing mechanisms, as appropriate, without recourse to United Nations assessed contributions, noting that the financial resources of the Centre are to be administered in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Encourages the United Nations and other international organizations and agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations in relevant fields, as appropriate, to provide support to the Centre and cooperate in achieving its objectives and implementing its programme of work;

Requests the Executive Secretary:

To take all measures necessary to operationalize the Centre and to ensure the conclusion of a headquarters agreement between the host country and the United Nations;

To report to the Committee on Information and Communications Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Commission on the progress made in the establishment of the Governing Council and the Centre and, once the Governing Council is in operation, to report thereafter to the Commission on an annual basis on the progress made by the Centre;

To report on the progress made in implementing the present resolution to the Commission at its eighty-fourth session;

Decides to assess the performance of the Centre, on the basis of the findings of an independent comprehensive review funded by initial voluntary contributions, at its eighty-seventh session, and to determine whether to proceed with the continuation of the operation of the Centre as a regional institution of the Commission thereafter.

Annex to resolution 82/4

Statute of the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development

Establishment

The Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific that is located in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The membership of the Centre is identical to the membership of the Commission.

Objective

The objective of the Centre is to facilitate the sharing of digital solutions among countries in Asia and the Pacific, upon request from a receiving member or associate member, including through multi-stakeholder cooperation, as appropriate, for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Functions

The Centre shall, subject to United Nations rules and regulations and the availability of voluntary and in-kind resources, perform the following functions:

Act as an international platform to facilitate the sharing of digital solutions in Asia and the Pacific and foster a community of engineers, legal experts, policymakers and other multi-stakeholders, as appropriate, whose advice and technical assistance would be available to the receiving members or associate members, including, inter alia, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, and would be provided to them on a voluntary basis and on mutually agreed terms;

Identify, in consultation with the receiving member or associate member, digital solutions that make it possible to achieve significant progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals;

Facilitate access to such digital technologies, upon request, especially for least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, by:

Supporting the sharing of safe and secure digital solutions, including open-source software, with the receiving member or associate member having permission to adapt, revise, update, extend and repurpose such solutions, as per their needs and priorities, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;

Developing a set of safeguards for the adoption of such technologies in the receiving member or associate member, in line with relevant United Nations standards;

iii

Ensuring that all digital solutions offered through the Centre are free of initial cost borne by the receiving member or associate member and can be extended and repurposed at their own expense, in accordance with relevant legal frameworks, and that such solutions shall be provided on an “as-is” basis without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement, and that the United Nations bears no liability whatsoever.

The digital solutions at the core of the Centre’s mandate should encompass the full spectrum of digital technologies necessary to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Centre shall:

Carry out an evidence-based assessment of digital technology needs for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in line with the development priorities of the receiving member or associate member, upon request, as mutually agreed. Such assessments will be based on rigorous consultations with national, regional and international stakeholders, including the private sector, academia and civil society, and should facilitate the identification of appropriate technological solutions in alignment with the priorities of the receiving member or associate member;

Facilitate communication between the receiving and contributing members or associate members and assist in developing viable projects for the adoption of technology agreed between them, if requested;

Conduct knowledge-sharing and capacity-building activities to facilitate the adoption of digital technologies, if requested;

Carry out skills upgrading, training and retraining programmes in areas related to the deployment, adoption and maintenance of digital technologies for sustainable development that have been deployed with the assistance of the Centre.

The activities of the Centre shall adhere to relevant policy decisions adopted by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission.

Governing Council

The Centre shall have a Governing Council. The membership of the Governing Council shall consist of a representative designated by the Government of Kazakhstan and eight representatives nominated by other members and associate members of the Commission. The representatives of members and associate members shall be elected by the Commission for a period of three years and be eligible for re-election. The Executive Secretary of the Commission or his or her representative shall attend the sessions of the Governing Council.

The Director of the Centre shall serve as Secretary of the Governing Council.

Representatives of the following may be invited by the Executive Secretary to attend the sessions of the Governing Council: (a) States that are not members of the Governing Council; (b) United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and related organizations; and (c) such other organizations as the Governing Council may deem appropriate, as well as experts in fields of interest to the Governing Council.

The Governing Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure and meet at least once a year. The regular sessions of the Governing Council shall be convened by the Executive Secretary of the Commission. Special sessions may be held upon the proposal of the Executive Secretary or at the request of a majority of Governing Council members.

For the sessions of the Governing Council, the presence of a majority of its members shall constitute a quorum.

Each member of the Governing Council shall have one vote. Decisions and recommendations of the Governing Council shall be made by consensus or, when that is not possible, by a majority of the members present and voting. The Governing Council shall, at each regular session, elect a Chair and a Vice Chair, who shall hold office until the following regular session. The Chair or, in his or her absence, the Vice-Chair shall preside over the sessions of the Governing Council. If the Chair is unable to serve for the full term for which he or she has been elected, the Vice-Chair shall act as Chair for the remainder of that term.

The Governing Council shall review the administrative and financial status of the Centre and the implementation of its programme of work. The Executive Secretary of the Commission shall transmit the annual report of the Governing Council to the Commission at its annual sessions.

The Governing Council shall review and endorse annual and long-term workplans consistent with the programme of work.

Director and staff

The Centre shall have a Director and staff, who shall perform their duties as staff members of the Commission and be appointed under the appropriate United Nations regulations, rules and administrative instructions.

The Governing Council will be invited to nominate candidates for the position of Director when a vacancy is announced and to provide advice, as appropriate. Other members and associate members of the Commission may also nominate candidates for the post.

The Director shall report to the Executive Secretary of the Commission.

Members and associate members are encouraged to contribute, including through the secondment of experts and personnel, in accordance with the relevant United Nations regulations, rules and administrative instructions.

Resources

The Government of Kazakhstan shall bear the costs of the establishment, as well as institutional, programmatic and operational activities, of the Centre, and the operation of the Centre shall not involve any additional regular budget resources of the Commission. All members and associate members may make voluntary contributions for the operation of the Centre. The United Nations shall administer a joint contribution trust fund in which those contributions shall be deposited and utilized solely for the activities of the Centre.

The financial resources of the Centre shall be administered in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations. The Commission shall keep separate accounts for the Centre.

The Centre will endeavour to mobilize sufficient resources to support its activities.

The United Nations shall maintain separate trust funds for voluntary contributions for technical cooperation projects or other extraordinary voluntary contributions for activities of the Centre.

Amendments

Amendments to the present statute shall be adopted by means of a resolution of the Commission.

Matters not covered by the present statute

In the event of any procedural matter arising that is not covered by the present statute or the rules of procedure adopted by the Governing Council under paragraph 11 of the present statute, the pertinent part of the rules of procedure of the Commission shall apply.

Entry into force

The present statute shall enter into force on the date of its adoption by the Commission.

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