Sharing data and services among public administrations both within and across borders fosters the free movement of goods, capital, services, and people. CAREC governments will aim to adopt the "government as a platform" approach to deliver innovative public services nationally and regionally in efficient and user-friendly ways, in line with global best practices. This approach allows all economic actors, including administrations, citizens, and businesses, to co-create a wide range of services, while governments transition from their traditional role as a service provider to that of ecosystem moderators.
Online marketplace lending platforms that connect lenders and borrowers are a convenient mechanism to offer credits throughout the region, particularly to SMEs and individuals, at lower interest rates and without the need for collateral. Technology platforms and e-payment solutions can also help product suppliers and distributors gain access to finance across the value chain and gather data about SMEs to enable lending decisions and provide SMEs with access to business management tools. Mobile money solutions have the potential to extend the reach of financial services to the CAREC region's unserved and underserved populations.
The geographical location of CAREC as a hub between Asia and Europe presents an opportunity to use digital solutions to accelerate the development of trade, tourism, transportation, and economic corridors throughout the region. The CAREC Digital Strategy 2030 will promote the growth of e-commerce across the region by harmonizing regulations for the taxation of cross-border e-commerce and improving the exchange of financial information between revenue authorities. Actions will also be undertaken to address the low public trust in online transactions.
A tourism portal will be developed to promote cooperation between all the stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem of the CAREC region, including public administrations, health and education authorities, transportation, travel, tourism, hospitality, finance, insurance, food, and agriculture industries and tourism promotion agencies. The platform can be used for destination awareness-building, marketing and promotion, capacity building and sharing of best practices.
Migration to cities, refugee crises, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all highlighted the increased need for digital technologies to address urban and rural challenges. The CAREC program plans to develop a regional platform based CAREC Smart Cities Program to make cities "smart" by providing inclusive people-centric smart city solutions across the CAREC region. The program would allow city authorities to learn from one another by sharing local and international best practices; assist in the creation of institutional and governance structures to manage complex smart city projects across the region; help in planning infrastructure investments, reinforce the non-digital and digital foundations for the development of smart cities; and create a regional ecosystem that connects urban government, telecommunications and technology providers, academic institutions, and the private sector. Smart cities and smart villages across CAREC will help to develop the organization's key operational clusters by promoting tourism, trade, and economic connectivity.
To transform agriculture into an economic recovery engine for the region, a comprehensive approach for mainstreaming digital technology in agriculture is required, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising concerns about food security, and the need to make the sector more resilient to climate change. Digital solutions and best practices increase the region's global competitiveness and the market reach of agricultural products. The CAREC agriculture ecosystem's key stakeholders should collaborate to digitally transform the sector. CAREC member countries will consider hosting a regional digital platform for food and agriculture. This can link with the International Platform for Digital Food and Agriculture proposed by the FAO.
The increased use of digital platforms can facilitate in skills’ development and aid in the integration of the regional labour market. A ‘CAREC Job Opportunities and Mobility Platform’ will be able to match job vacancies with job seekers across the region, support freer movement of talent across the CAREC region for cross-border recruitment and help reduce brain-drain from the region. The system can offer helpful information and advice to both employers and employees. It would be integrated with social protection services platforms to provide a "one-stop shop" for job opportunities, with a focus on addressing cross-border issues.