Chairing the event, Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal, Founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia stressed that ASEAN's community building goals are closely linked with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 (ADM 2025).
He said this forum serves as a platform for stakeholders to showcase the bloc's commitment and actions toward a new global consensus on multilateral solutions to current and future challenges.
Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung described digital transformation and green transition as the most critical factors in the coming decade. He called for new digital institutions, new digital infrastructure and a new digital workforce.
Vietnam has many initiatives aimed at providing basic digital skills to its people, such as digital villages, community-based digital groups and open online courses, he said, affirming readiness to share experience with and learn from ASEAN counterparts regarding these initiatives.
The minister made it clear that the future is a digital ASEAN, and there is still a long road ahead.
Discussions focused on potential governance models and initiatives that allow member countries to overcome economic instability and complexity in strategic geography toward sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the post-pandemic era. This included seeking a harmonious balance between the urgent needs for rapid socioeconomic development and the requirements for environmental sustainability and strategic autonomy, taking into account the importance of data-driven decision-making, public-private partnerships, and innovative solutions in renewable energy, circular economy, and sustainable supply chains.
