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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

Supported by

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Assessing Internet Development in Cambodia

The Preliminary Findings and Recommendations

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Saturday 23 Sept 2023

Youth Internet Governance Forum (YIGF)

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Background

• Initiative of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia (MPTC) and the UNESCO Phnom Penh Office, as a part of cooperation to support Cambodia in its transition towards a digital and knowledge society in achieving Cambodia-localized SDG2030 (CSDGs) and the development of digital economy and society.
• In June 2021, IPDC at its 65th Meeting approved to support the assessment on Internet Development in Cambodia.
• Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT) is carried out the assessment in partnership with the UNESCO Phnom Penh Office, and with the support of MPTC. .

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

Where are we now?

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

Validation

(MAB Input/Comment and Validation of Findings and Recommendations)

Report Publication

Mulistakeholder Adivsory Board (MAB)

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

5 Experts from the Government:

Ministry of Post and Telecommunications

Ministry of Information

National Institute of Statistic

1 Expert from Internet Technical and Professional Community:

Cambodia Journalist Alliance Association

3 Experts from Private Sector:

Young Entrepreneur Association of Cambodia

Association of Telecommunication Operator

5 Experts from IOs and Civil Society:

UNESCO OHCHR UNICEF

Open Development Cambodia (ODC)

Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

3 Experts from the Academia:

Institute of Digital Research and Innovation (IDRI)

Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC)

Asian Vision Institute (AV()

2 Experts from the Internet Users:

Gender and Development for Cambodia

Youth Resources Development Program

Assessing Internet Development in Cambodia:

22 RIGHTS INDICATOR

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

17 OPENESS INDICATOR

34 ACCESSIBILITY TO ALL INDICATOR

21 CONTEXTUAL INDICATOR

10 MULTISTAKEHOLDER INDICATOR

26 CROSS-CUTTING INDICATOR

109 Core Indicator

22 �RIGHTS INDICATOR

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

• There is no express legal regulation in Cambodia that defines an online/offline equivalence of basic and human rights.
• Defamation and Insult categorized into a type of cybercrimes as well once it is committed via computer network. It is one of the most concerning issue on the Internet, while it is claimed that RGC uses the defamation and insult provision of the Cambodian Criminal Code 2009 as a tool to crack down on the exercise of free.
• Legal gaps for intermediary liability and content.
• Personal Data Protection law and Cybercrime law is being drafted by RGC. Computer related offenses were introduced for the time being in the Criminal Code 2009 in Articles 317-320 and 427-432, the crimes of “Infringement on the secrecy of correspondence and telecommunication” and “Offenses in the information technology sector”
• Legal framework for the lawful interception of data defined in Telecom Law, but claimed by HR Special rapporteur as vague. New NIG Sub-degree remain contentious between RGC and CSO, and the implementation has been postpone without specific date.

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

17 OPENESS INDICATOR

• Internet governance and e-Governing framework is not sufficient to promote the Internet as Open, Public and Universal Resource.

Law on e-Commerce and Law on Consumer Protection adopted

Law on Cybersecurity, Personal Data Protection is drafting

Fragmented regulatory framework to promote Innovation on the Internet

• Independent Regulator to promote competition in the market, however consumer interest required more efforts. Spectrum Management is still in development, despite WTO commitment
• Absent of specific open data policy or regulation, except, the right to access to open data stated in the 2005 Archive Law.
• Cambodia was ranked fairly low in the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022 with a score of 0.5056 (rank 127 of 193)

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

34

ACCESSIBILITY �TO ALL INDICATOR

• Universal Service Obligation Fund Regulation and Implementation
• Despite significant improvement, the connectivity network is not sufficient to enable inclusive access and use of the Internet to all.

Subscription: Mobile Broadband at 95 and Fixed Broadband 2 per 100 Percentage of Individuals using the Internet: 32.9%

Household with Internet at 45,4%, and 57.5% in rural had no access

• Affordable but Quality of Services is in Question.
• Limited access for people with disability and digital divide
• Majority of Population use Khmer Language; however, local content remain limited.
• Users capabilities and competence remain low; however, government strongly committed to tackle these issues.

Basic Digital Literacy: 30% of Total Population

Digital Skill and STEM: Limited in Curricular in all level of education

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

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MULTISTAKEHOLDER INDICATOR

• MPTC is primarily responsible for Internet and telecommunications policymaking. Several ICT-related policies and regulation has been seeking inputs from varied stakeholders; however, the concept of multi-stakeholder-based Internet governance has not been fully expressed and received by the government.
• The government has involved many interest groups in the development of many national policies; however, it is not sufficient nor extensive.
• Absent of form of Annual Internet Governance Forum in Cambodia.
• Due to Cambodia's lack of a public participation law, public participation on important digital policy problems may be restricted. Additionally, in order to facilitate fruitful engagement with the interest groups, policy-making bodies should openly share information in a timely manner.

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

26 �CROSS-CUTTING �INDICATOR

• There are significant gaps in addressing challenges emerging from cross-cutting issues such as gender, marginalization, children, which also affect the Internet ecosystem.
• no Digitalization and Gender policy, and the policy documents of MOWA is still broad and limited to the reference to education and women with specific focus on digital literacy (STEM) or women and e-commerce. A central policy for gender mainstreaming in digitalization is needed, and MOWA has been initiating the process to draft one, but the process is rather slow.
• Little is known about digitalization and children, especially in regard to cyberspace security. All the children who were attending school during COVID-19 experienced online learning (otherwise dropped or suspended school) and many challenges were reported, though risks and crimes that attacked children was not well known or investigated

Key Recommendations for Stakeholders

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

Government:

Internet Technical Community:

Private Sector:

Civil Society:

Academia:

Internet Users:

Thank you

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មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនវានុវត្តន៍ឌីជីថល

Digital Innovation Center

Thank You

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Supported by

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Contact:

Chanty Pisal, Project Coordinator Phan Daro� pisal.chanty@cadt.edu.kh daro.phan@cadt.edu.kh