ASEAN Member States Affirm Importance of Closer Coordination of Cybersecurity Efforts in ASEAN

Minister Yaacob (9th L), ASEAN Secretary-General H.E Le Luong Minh (8th L) with Ministers and Senior Officials from ASEAN Member States at the inaugural ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity.

1              Ministers and Senior Officials from all 10 ASEAN Member States, including the ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Le Luong Minh, convened today at the second ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC), as part of the Singapore International Cyber Week 2017. The AMCC, held at the St. Regis Singapore hotel, was chaired by Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

2              The first session, opened only to ASEAN Member States, saw the Conference agree on the importance of enhancing coordination to ensure that ASEAN’s cybersecurity efforts across its various platforms in countering increasingly sophisticated cyber threats are focused, effective; and in synergy with one another.

3              ASEAN Member States also expressed their support for the development of basic, operational and voluntary norms of behaviour to guide the use of ICTs in ASEAN in a responsible manner. These would take reference from the norms set out in the 2015 Report of the United Nations Group of Government Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE). The Conference agreed that such norms will help to enhance trust among ASEAN Member States and build confidence in the use of cyberspace so as to harness its full potential to bring about greater economic prosperity.

4              With the aim of facilitating more comprehensive discussions on cybersecurity, this year’s AMCC included, for the first time, a Special Session which saw the participation of Ministers and Senior Officials from five ASEAN Dialogue Partners – Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Taking into account the increasingly inter-connected global economy and the transboundary nature of cyber threats, the Special Session highlighted the critical importance of international dialogue on cyber, as well as regular and robust inter-regional dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners.

5              Delegates at the Conference also recognised the unique role of the AMCC as a regional platform that brings together Ministers from the cybersecurity, telecommunications and other relevant sectors from across the region and around the world. The Conference agreed to continue deepening discussions at the third edition of the AMCC, which will be held in Singapore next year.

About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Established in 2015, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) seeks to keep Singapore’s cyberspace safe and secure to underpin our Nation Security, power a Digital Economy and protect our Digital Way of Life. It maintains an oversight of national cybersecurity functions and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s Critical Information Infrastructure. CSA also engages with various stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness, build a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem supported by a robust workforce, pursue international partnerships and drive regional cybersecurity capacity building programmes.

CSA is part of the Prime Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information. For more news and information, please visit www.csa.gov.sg.