Chairman’s Statement of the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity, 14 October 2026

1.    The 11^th ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC) was convened on 14 October 2026, in Singapore. The AMCC was chaired by H.E. Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity & Smart Nation Group of the Republic of Singapore. The Main Session of the AMCC was attended by participants from all ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat.

2.    The 11^th AMCC strongly re-affirmed the continued importance of cybersecurity not only as a key national security concern but also as a key enabler for the region to reap the benefits of digitalisation and the digital economy. Participants welcomed the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy (ACCS) 2026–2030, developed under Malaysia’s chairmanship of the ASEAN Network Security Action Council (ANSAC). Participants underscored the timeliness of the new Strategy against a landscape marked by the malicious use of ICTs by threat actors, ransomware and online scams, and vulnerabilities arising from AI, cloud, operational technology and quantum computing. Participants recognised the significance of cybersecurity in enabling the digital economy, and reaffirmed that the Strategy's five dimensions give practical effect to the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2030, and to ASEAN's continued implementation of the ASEAN Norms Implementation Checklist. Participants also recognised the need to further operationalise the ACCS 2026–2030, including through high-level declarations, and recalled the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on Cybersecurity Cooperation adopted at the 32^nd ASEAN Summit in April 2018, which had galvanised concrete outcomes on cybersecurity.

3.    Participants further recognised the importance of Ministerial and Senior Official level regional cybersecurity discussions at the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) and AMCC. Participants highlighted the importance of these discussions in enabling ASEAN to work together as a region to uplift regional and national resilience. Participants also called for the strengthening of such discussions and exchanges, as well as enhanced cross sectoral and cross-pillar coordination with relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies and mechanisms, particularly in addressing transnational organised threat, such as cyber-enabled scams and online scams. Participants underscored that information-sharing activities under the ASEAN Regional CERT framework should be conducted in accordance with the national laws and regulations of Member States, while respecting their sovereignty and decision-making authority over the data and information shared. Participants called for strengthened operational cooperation and timely information sharing among Member States to detect, prevent and disrupt cross-border online scam activities.

4.    Participants built on discussions in past AMCC sessions to exchange perspectives on the evolving global and regional cyber threat landscape, especially in relation to developments in emerging technologies, including frontier AI models. They also underlined the continued challenges posed by the emergence of sophisticated and advanced threats to Critical Information Infrastructure, the proliferation of ransomware, Internet of Things (IoT)-related cybersecurity threats, quantum-related cybersecurity risks including the need to prepare for quantum-safe migration, AI-enabled attacks, as well as cyber-enabled scams. Participants also encouraged strengthened regional cooperation on AI, including promoting AI governance, enhancing the security of AI systems, leveraging AI applications to strengthen cybersecurity, and addressing threats arising from the malicious use of AI.

5.    Recognising the transboundary and inter-related nature of many of these threats, participants underscored the importance of strengthening existing regional cybersecurity cooperation, with due respect for national sovereignty and in accordance with respective national laws and regulations, and coordination of capacity building initiatives to enable ASEAN Member States to address evolving cyber threats and strengthen our regional cybersecurity posture. In this regard, participants welcomed the further operationalisation of the ASEAN Regional CERT and the ASEAN Regional CERT Information Sharing Mechanism (ISM) by the ASEAN Regional CERT Task Force under the coordinatorship of Lao PDR. They called for strengthening timely information exchange on cyber threats and incidents, the continued exchange of best practices and experiences among ASEAN Member States, as well as CERT-related capacity building among Member States to support of the work of national CERTs.

6.    In this regard, participants called for the development and implementation of interoperable technical standards to strengthen regional cybersecurity posture and resilience. They welcomed the sharing of national experiences and good practices in enhancing IoT security for consumer devices, including Singapore’s experience with its Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme. They also noted that such exchanges could contribute to a better understanding of different national approaches and support further discussion on strengthening IoT security in the region.

7.    Participants recognised the work done by the ASEAN Cybersecurity Coordinating Committee (ASEAN Cyber-CC), the ASEAN Network Security Action Council (ANSAC), ASEAN CERT Incident Drill (ACID), the ASEAN Working Group on Anti-Online Scams (WG-AS) as well as ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogues with various Dialogue Partners in coordinating regional cybersecurity programmes and initiatives to better equip Member States in raising our collective regional cybersecurity posture. Participants called on these mechanisms to explore ways to build on each other’s work and enhance coordination and complementarity, including across relevant ASEAN Community Pillars, while respecting their respective mandates and avoiding duplication, and to draw on each other’s work and experience to strengthen ASEAN’s regional cyber resilience and ability to address these threats including through timely information sharing, capacity building training and the adoption of IoT and other cybersecurity standards. Participants further encouraged the exchange of best practices on post-quantum cryptography and AI guidelines to support Member States in preparing for emerging technological risks and promoting the responsible and secure use of AI.

8.     Participants reaffirmed their support and commitment towards advancing regional capacity building initiatives through the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC) in Thailand and the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) in Singapore. ASEAN Member States welcomed a review of the ASCCE programmes to ensure that its courses remain relevant, practical, and adapted to ASEAN’s evolving cybersecurity capacity building needs. Participants recognised the need for partnerships with industry and other non-government stakeholders to strengthen regional cyber capacities in light of emerging cyber and digital threats. Participants also reaffirmed the importance of prioritising ASEAN’s capacity building needs to ensure that capacity building efforts remain relevant, and noted that Singapore was coordinating a list of capacity building needs within ASEAN.

9.    Participants welcomed the commencement of discussions under the permanent UN Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs. Participants reaffirmed their strong support for the UN Global Mechanism as a single-track, inclusive process that enables all States, including small and developing States with limited resources to participate meaningfully in UN cybersecurity discussions. Participants also called for discussions under the Global Mechanism to build on the work of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of ICTs (2021 – 2025) and previous UN consensus reports to advance concrete and practical outcomes towards an open, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful and interoperable cyberspace.

10. During the Special Session with ASEAN Dialogue Partners, participants expressed their appreciation for the continued partnership with Dialogue Partners for meaningful and relevant cybersecurity cooperation aimed at building collective cyber resilience against newer emerging cyber and digital threats. ASEAN Member States and Dialogue Partners agreed to explore further joint initiatives to strengthen the regional and global cybersecurity architecture, coordinating among the various initiatives where possible to avoid duplication and to ensure the optimal use of resources. This may include aligning with global frameworks like the UN Convention against Cybercrime to promote unified standards.

11. Participants resolved to request the ASEAN Secretariat to submit the 11^th AMCC Chairman’s Statement and the outcomes of these discussions to the 49^th ASEAN Summit for notation and to other relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies for further consideration and implementation.