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

Singapore, 18
September 2017 – 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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 is part of the Prime
Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and
Information. Information on CSA is available at www.csa.gov.sg.