Digital ecosystem is a buzzword today in the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). A digital ecosystem can be defined as a complex distributed network or interconnected socio-technological system’ with adaptive properties of self-organization and scalability. In this sense, a digital ecosystem much like natural ecosystems is characterized by competition and collaboration among its many diverse components. It is the interactions and linkages between these seemingly individual or autonomous entities that make an ecosystem functional. Inclusive ecosystems are critical for digital innovation and as such, there have been increasing calls to create an inclusive digital ecosystem and eliminate the digital divide.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of 10 states of South-East Asia, has recognised that creating an inclusive digital ecosystem will play a pivotal role in elevating the regional economic integration. The ASEAN Digital Master Plan (ADPM) 2025 states enabling digital inclusion as one of its priority areas. From 30 January to 2 February 2024, the 4th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) took place in Singapore.
The theme of the 4th ADGMIN was “Building an Inclusive and Trusted Digital Ecosystem”. This theme was in line with advancing ASEAN’s vision of building a digital community and economic bloc empowered by secure and transformative digital services, technologies and ecosystem. ADGMIN 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 policymakers and the private sector.
An important outcome of the meeting was the adoption of the Singapore Declaration on Building an Inclusive and Trusted Digital Ecosystem. The Declaration recognised the importance of trust as a key pillar of growth of ASEAN’s digital economies and digitally enabled societies, and the importance of digital inclusivity to bridge the digital divide, empower communities, and equip people with the essential skills for the digital economy.
As part of the Declaration, ASEAN Member States agreed to strengthen trust in digital ecosystems by fostering data-driven innovation and encouraging the responsible use and transmission of data in ASEAN through the adoption of regional guidelines, common principles, and frameworks. The Declaration also called for intensifying cooperation among ASEAN Member States on the governance of emerging technologies such as generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), including through the establishment of an ASEAN Working Group on AI Governance to provide guidance on implementing AI governance frameworks.
The Declaration also called for building a secure, diverse and resilient submarine cable network for regional and global connectivity, in coordination with relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies, through recognition and strengthening of best practices and information sharing frameworks, to facilitate the expeditious deployment, repair, maintenance, removal, and protection of submarine cables, between ASEAN Member States.
The Declaration stressed the need for cooperation to prevent and combat online scams through collaboration on measures to tackle scams on digital and telecommunication channels, sharing of information about policies and best practices, and supporting enforcement action to build confidence and trust in network and information security infrastructures, through the establishment of the ASEAN Working Group on Anti-Online Scams (WG-AS). It also called for developing a high quality, open, safe, flexible, inter-operable digital public infrastructure and e-government services to connect people and businesses in ASEAN, and to develop a digital ecosystem, undergirded by robust efforts to enhance cybersecurity.
Finally, the Declaration called for strengthening cooperation between the ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners, international organisations and other relevant stakeholders through technical assistance, knowledge sharing and capacity building, to bridge the digital divide, enhance digital literacy, develop a digital skill workforce in the digital age accelerate digital transformation, enhance connectivity, and strengthen resiliency of digital infrastructure, for a common ASEAN vision and identity.
