ASEAN Member States Call for Tighter Cybersecurity Coordination in ASEAN

Minister Yaacob (7^th L), ASEAN Secretary-General H.E Le Luong Minh (8^th L) with Ministers and Senior Officials from ASEAN Member States at the inaugural ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (photo by Ministry of Communications and Information)

ASEAN cybersecurity principals agree on need to strengthen cybersecurity discussions at the inaugural ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity

Ministers and Senior Officials from all 10 ASEAN Member States, and the ASEAN Secretary-General H.E Le Luong Minh, convened today at the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC), as part of the inaugural Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW). Held at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, it was chaired by Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. 

ASEAN Member States called for closer cybersecurity cooperation among ASEAN countries, stronger coordination of regional cybersecurity capacity building initiatives, and strengthening of ASEAN discussions with a specific focus on cybersecurity at the Ministerial and Senior Official levels.  The AMCC builds on the Meeting of the ASEAN Telecommunications and IT Ministers (TELMIN). Taking into account the multi-disciplinary nature of cybersecurity, ASEAN Member States agreed on the need to identify an appropriate ASEAN platform for discussing regional cybersecurity strategy and cooperation. The Conference further proposed that the annual TELMIN, scheduled to take place in November 2016 in Brunei Darussalam, take up the responsibility of considering and recommending an appropriate platform and approach for ASEAN Leaders’ consideration. 

ASEAN Member States recognised the value of gatherings like the Singapore-hosted AMCC which brought together Ministers from the telecommunications and other relevant sectors from across the region.  Furthermore, ASEAN Member States agreed on the value of developing a set of practical cybersecurity norms of behaviour in ASEAN. These norms contribute towards ensuring a secure and resilient cyberspace which is a crucial enabler for ASEAN Member States to harness digital technologies to achieve economic progress and improvement of living standards across the region.  

Speaking at the conclusion of the AMCC, Minister Yaacob said that Singapore would be pleased to host a second edition of the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity during next year’s Singapore International Cyber Week scheduled to be held in September 2017.

On the side-lines of SICW and AMCC, Minister Yaacob also held bilateral meetings with key ASEAN cybersecurity principals, including H.E H. Wiranto, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs, H.E Prajin Jutong, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister for Digital Economy and Society, Malaysia’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) H.E Datuk Seri Madius Tangau and the ASEAN Secretary-General H.E Le Luong Minh. 

"It is crucial for ASEAN Member States to work together to build a secure and resilient cyberspace. This is a crucial enabler for all of us to harness digital technologies to achieve economic progress and improve living standards for everyone in the vast and dynamic ASEAN region. In this regard, both the Singapore International Cyber Week and ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity reflect Singapore’s commitment to work with our ASEAN partners to enhance regional cybersecurity discussions and cooperation."

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim
Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity

Please refer to Annex A for the list of ASEAN Cybersecurity Principals at the AMCC.

About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) provides dedicated and centralised oversight of national cyber security functions, and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s critical services. It also engages with various industries, and stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness as well as to ensure the holistic development of Singapore’s cyber security landscape. The Agency was established under the Prime Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information.