Bekaiym Egemkulova, APFSD Youth Forum 2026 Scholar
Growing up in the Kyrgyz Republic, I observed how weak infrastructure limits opportunities for many communities. In a landlocked and mountainous country, the gap between national development policies and everyday realities in rural areas often remains large. These gaps affect access to services, economic participation, and basic rights, particularly for marginalised groups.
Addressing these barriers requires rethinking how development systems are designed. This perspective shaped my academic and professional path. I moved from studying economic theory to working in technology as a Data Science and DevOps fellow. My aim has been to contribute to digital systems that reflect inclusion from the start.
As Central Asia undergoes rapid digital transformation, technical design decisions will influence whose voices, languages, and needs are represented. These ideas shaped my participation in the APFSD Youth Forum 2026. I also joined the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in Bangkok, where I served as the sub-regional facilitator for Central Asia.
The Intersection of Infrastructure Design and Gender Equality
At the United Nations Conference Centre, my contribution focused on Sustainable Development Goal 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. Infrastructure policies are often framed as gender neutral. Yet research shows that design choices frequently overlook the realities of women’s lives.
Across Central Asia, women perform nearly four times more unpaid care work than men. Transport systems are often designed around a single daily commute between home and work. In practice, many women make multiple shorter trips related to caregiving responsibilities. When infrastructure planning ignores these patterns, women face greater time burdens and reduced access to formal employment. Safety also reflects historical design biases. Studies show that vehicle safety systems developed primarily around male body data increase the risk of injury for women in traffic accidents. These examples illustrate how infrastructure design affects gender equality in tangible ways.
Digital Transformation and the Risks of Algorithmic Bias
The digital transformation of economies raises similar concerns. During the Forum, I highlighted the growing “AI data gap” affecting Central Asia. Languages from the region account for less than 0.1 percent of datasets used to train many global artificial intelligence models. When languages and cultural contexts remain absent from training data, digital systems struggle to serve those populations accurately. This issue extends to financial and human resource (HR) technologies as well. Some algorithmic credit or HR hiring models penalise applicants whose work histories include career interruptions related to caregiving. Without careful oversight, automated systems risk reinforcing existing inequalities.
Participating in the APFSD reinforced an important lesson – effective policy requires both technical knowledge and an understanding of social realities. During the Forum, I had the opportunity to brief the President of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), His Excellency Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa of Nepal. As representatives of two landlocked and mountainous countries, we discussed the importance of including youth perspectives in development planning. Young professionals across the region are ready to contribute not only as beneficiaries of development programs but also as policy participants and technical specialists. Our Regional Youth Call to Action from the APFSD Youth Forum 2026 reflects this perspective. The document recommends gender impact assessments for infrastructure projects, stronger investment in digital inclusion, and national Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies that protect linguistic diversity. It also calls for youth advisory councils within technical ministries to support more inclusive policy development.
Architecting Equity into Future Systems
Conversations in Bangkok highlighted the need for greater representation of women and young professionals in technical fields. Engineers, data scientists, financial experts, and public administrators all play a role in shaping development outcomes. When diverse perspectives participate in these sectors, public systems reflect a wider range of social realities. As preparations continue toward the 2027 SDG Summit, the challenge for governments and institutions in Asia and the Pacific is clear – infrastructure and digital technologies must support inclusive development across diverse societies. Building systems with equity in mind from the start will help ensure that the benefits of technological progress reach all communities.
