ADGMIN, ADGSOM To Discuss Asean ICT Development Agenda

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) – Preparations for the 1st ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN1) and ASEAN Digital Senior Officials Meeting (ADGSOM) to be hosted by Malaysia next month are in full swing now. The closed-door sessions, to discuss policies pertaining to the ASEAN-level digital and information and communications technology (ICT) sector, will take place virtually. ADGMIN1, which will convene on Jan 21 and 22, is the annual meeting by ASEAN ministers in charge of information technology and telecommunications to discuss current issues and trends as well as the direction for the agenda for ASEAN ICT development. While Malaysia is set to make history as the first ASEAN member state to host both the meetings after they were renamed ADGMIN and ADGSOM in 2019, this is also the first time the meetings will be held virtually in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) International Division Undersecretary Mano Verabathran said the ministry has mobilised the workforce of various agencies to ensure the success of ADGMIN which will be attended by 10 ASEAN ministers in charge of telecommunications and ICT. “Among those involved are (staff) from various divisions and agencies under KKMM such as the Information Department, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), RTM and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. “They are all part of the committee (that has been set up) to assist in attending to the needs of the meetings. In fact, this time around the cost of convening the meetings is lower as they are taking place virtually,” he told Bernama. The meetings will also see the participation of 10 senior officials of ASEAN member states at the level of secretary-general responsible for ICT and telecommunications, as well as eight representatives of ASEAN’s dialogue partners – the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, India and the European Union – and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). VIRTUAL MEETINGS Commenting on Malaysia’s preparations, Mano said the ADGMIN and ADGSOM secretariat is committed to ensuring that the venues for the meetings meet the criteria determined by the standard operating procedures set to check the transmission of COVID-19. “The meetings will take place virtually. It is not a big problem as the time difference between Malaysia and other nations in the Southeast Asian region is only one hour. “As for the dialogue partners, Malaysia will try to arrange suitable timings for the meetings with their consent,” he said. Explaining how the idea of establishing the ADGMIN and ADGSOM platforms came about, Mano said the two meetings were originally known as the ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (ASEAN TELMIN) and ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Senior Officials Meeting (ASEAN TELSOM) respectively. He said the idea of establishing ASEAN TELMIN and ASEAN TELSOM came about during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, from May 24-26, 2000. “As a result of the discussions, the first ASEAN TELSOM was held in October 2000 in Brunei in preparation for the inaugural ASEAN TELMIN on July 13 and 14, 2001, in Kuala Lumpur,” said Mano. He said both platforms were absorbed under the ASEAN institutional framework and were assisted fully by the ASEAN Secretariat. At ASEAN TELMIN in 2019 in Vientiane, Laos, the ministers agreed to rename TELMIN as ADGMIN and the senior officers meeting as ADGSOM, he added. The change in name was to reflect the role of ICT as an enabler of the digital transformation of other sectors as well as to propel the region towards a digitally-enabled economy and community. ADGSOM will take place on Jan 19 and 20 and will be chaired by KKMM Secretary-General Mohammad Mentek. FOCUS ON ENHANCING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Meanwhile, having recognised that building trust in electronic transactions is crucial in encouraging people to adapt to digital transformation, ADGMIN, to be chaired by Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, will also rope in the participation of ASEAN’s dialogue partners at both ministerial and senior official levels, as well as ITU Mano also said that following the ADGMIN and ADGSOM meetings, both the platforms will be placed under the ASEAN Economic Community institutional framework by the ASEAN Secretariat based in Jakarta, Indonesia. This, he explained, will enable the ASEAN Secretariat to monitor the progress of the implementation of programmes and projects under ADGMIN and ADGSOM. “Apart from that, international indicators will also be used to monitor and gauge the development of the digital and ICT sectors in ASEAN member states. “Among the indicators to be used are the ITU’s ICT Indicator, the World Economic Forum’s Global Innovation Index and the United Nations’ Online Services Index,” he said. As for the outcome of ADGMIN, Mano said KKMM will coordinate all action to be taken with the relevant ministries and agencies responsible for the matters discussed at the meeting as ASEAN member states have different legislation and administrative procedures. “For example, for initiatives related to e-government, KKMM will coordinate with the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). As for matters related to smart cities, we will coordinate with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government,” he said. Mano said coordination among ASEAN member states in the ICT and digital field is crucial to promoting ASEAN as an attractive market to foreign investors, with the availability of potential economies of scale. He said according to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the ASEAN digital economy (a collective term for all online economic transactions) is expected to expand 6.4 times from US$31 billion in 2015 to US$197 billion in 2025. In fact, the ASEAN Internet economy – encompassing e-commerce, online travel, online media and ride-hailing services – which achieved a gross merchandise value or GDV of US$72 billion in 2018, is expected to be worth US$240 billion by 2025. Translated by Rema Nambiar -- BERNAMA