SINGAPORE, 2 FEBRUARY 2024– The 4th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) and Related Meetings with Dialogue Partners, ITU and APT took place on 30 January – 2 February in Singapore.
The four-day event, chaired by Singapore as ADGMIN Chair for 2024, was attended by ASEAN Deputy Secretary General for Economic Community, Satvinder Singh. The 4th ADGMIN theme “Building an Inclusive and Trusted Digital Ecosystem” was considered timely in advancing ASEAN’s vision in building a digital community and economic bloc empowered by secure and transformative digital services, technologies and ecosystem, as highlighted in the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 (ADM2025).
The meeting recognised that the digital divide remains a formidable challenge to elevate the region’s economic integration. It further acknowledged that building an inclusive digital ecosystem is a whole-community movement that would require multiple stakeholder’s collaboration including policy makers and the private sector.
The meeting approved the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADGSOM) – ASEAN Telecommunications Regulators’ Council (ATRC) Key Deliverables for 2023, ADGSOM-ATRC Work Plan and Budget for 2024, the Annual Priority for the 2024 Work Cycle, and noted or endorsed the projects or activities with dialogue partners namely China, Japan, ROK, India, U.S., ITU and APT for the 2024 Work Cycle. On 2 February, the ADGMIN and China welcomed the ASEAN-China Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Communications, Digital and Technology for 2024-2029.
The launch of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) in 2023 marked a significant milestone to leapfrog its digital transformation and address the issue on digital inclusivity and trust, positioning ASEAN as a pioneering region that forges a legally binding agreement to foster a unified digital economy.
According to estimates by the Boston Consulting Group, ASEAN DEFA is projected to elevate ASEAN’s digital economy from USD 1 trillion to a formidable USD 2 trillion by 2030. With the ADM2025 reaching its halfway mark, the meeting welcomed recommendations of the ADM2025 mid-term review study, which assessed and offered insights for the subsequent stages of the Masterplan’s execution. The mid-term review study also will serve as a baseline for formulating the next ASEAN Digital Masterplan for 2026-2030.
