Dy Bosolida, Legal Officer at the Policy and Legal Affairs Department, General Secretariat of the Digital Government Committee (DGC), Cambodia

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

I am a Legal Officer at the Department of Policy and Legal Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Digital Government Committee.

My role involves conducting research on laws, regulations, policies, and institutional arrangements related to technology and digital governance in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the United States and more.

I provide recommendations to senior leadership to support the drafting of domestic laws and regulations tailored to the Cambodian context, and in alignment with the Cambodian Digital Government Policy 2022–2035 and its Policy Action Plan.

Given that my workplace collaborates closely with technical teams developing new digital government products, I also support their efforts by addressing legal aspects.

This includes drafting terms of use, designing administrative workflows, and preparing Sub-Decrees or Prakas in launching those products.

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

The most impactful project I worked on this year was GO.GOV.KH roll out procedure.

GO.GOV.KH is one of the digital government products developed by technical team at the Digital Government Committee and I was assigned to be the project coordinator in pioneering the roll out procedure to other ministries.

At first, this product was only aimed at shortening URLs from public institutions to just “go.gov/…” as a safeguard against phishing links impersonating government agencies.

After a few months of piloting, we found that GO.GOV.KH could also address issues such as fake news and fake documents shared online, including those created by photoshopping institutional stamps and leaders' signatures.

Based on an analysis of needs and use cases, we have gradually revised the features and usage procedures of GO.GOV.KH to align with both legal and administrative contexts.

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

An unexpected learning 2024 has given me is the opportunities to engage with government officials and stakeholders from many countries.

Throughout cooperative projects, events, seminars, and capacity building programs nationally and internationally, I got to talk and exchange stories, perspectives, and expertise in legal and technical aspects with many foreign public officers, innovators, and international partners.

These experiences have enriched and complemented the extensive research I have conducted on various countries and one key takeaway is “no one knows the country better than the local”.

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025? 

In 2025, I'm excited to explore the concept of smart contracts and how much Cambodia is ready to adopt it.

The world is moving toward digital economy where it is important to adopt emerging technologies as such in facilitating daily activities. In the legal sector, smart contract has significant potential as a tool to build public trust, facilitate cross-border trade, and mitigate risks associated with blockchain technology.

I look forward to exploring how these innovations can be effectively integrated into Cambodia's legal and technological landscape.

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5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.

For me, AI presents both positive and negative implications for society.

On the positive side, AI can assist with routine tasks, freeing up time for human creativity and enabling people to focus on more complex tasks that require critical thinking. It also assists innovations through the use of AI in data analysis, identifying objects, and identities.

On the negative side, individuals who lack understanding of this technology or fail to leverage its advantages and would be at risk in being left behind. Data used in training AI can lead to privacy violation, biased result and hallucination and poses a threat to the users.

From a policy perspective, governments should take proactive steps to foster an ecosystem that supports AI research, innovation and literacy. This can be achieved by investing in adopting standards, opening of markets, and integrating AI education into all levels of the educational system.

Legally, AI should be regulated at a certain level base on each country’s strength and weakness while ensuring that the regulation would not hinder innovations.

6. What are your priorities for 2025? 

My main priority for 2025 is to strengthen my ability in analysing technology and digital governance globally.

There are many legal and policy projects related to digital transformation in the government of Cambodia that require people with quick actions to deliver essential ideas and recommendations.

Therefore, I wish to both develop myself academically and professionally as well as taking times to learn and share with other team members to develop more efficient progresses.

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

“Find real problems and start small” is my best advice for public sector innovators.

Innovation should respond to the problem, and it does not have to be a grand project. What we see in daily life such as traffic jam, parking issues, long queue at One-Window Service, …, etc. are real problems citizens have first-hand.

Next is to land at a small scale and expand it once the piloting is successful. Gathering feedback in the progress is also underrated in most public services. It is important to have a closed loop from start to finish and make sure that each project is completed with a result.

Even though the result is not what the innovator expected but at least it is the experiences that can be used for future improvements.

8. Who inspires you today? 

Personally, my most inspiring individuals are my parents. They are quite supportive of me for as long as I can remember.

My mother is as courageous as a heroine who always push me to do things I hesitate to do. My father always goes above and beyond to help me at every problem I run into him. Sharing every of my success with them no matter how big or small would be the most exciting moments.

Professionally, I look up to many individuals in my field, but one notable figure is H.E. Keo Sothie, a law professor I studied with at the American University of Phnom Penh and is also a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

He is the most knowledgeable and humble person I have ever met which always inspire me to be the same. I believe that nothing surpasses a good attitude, and it is the key to growth and success wherever you go.

To read our past coverage of Cambodia's Digital Government Committee (DGC), click here.

This feature was made possible in partnership with Cambodia’s General Secretariat of the Digital Government Committee (DGC).