ASEAN countries express support for developing cyber security norms

Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-18 19:32:51|Editor: liuxin
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SINGAPORE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states on Monday expressed their support for the development of basic, operational and voluntary norms of behavior to guide the use of ICTs in the bloc in a responsible manner.

They made the remarks at the second ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC), which is part of the Singapore International Cyber Week 2017 (SICW).

According to a press release from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the norms will 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 AMCC 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.

The AMCC was chaired by Singapore's Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security Yaacob Ibrahim.

He said at the opening ceremony that the norms would support the work of international organizations such as the United Nations, and more importantly, amplify ASEAN's voice on international cyber discussions.

"With an agreement on cyber norms among nations, cyber security cooperation can be better achieved," the minister said.

The AMCC came into two close-door sessions successively after the opening ceremony. According to the press release, the first session, opened only to ASEAN member states, saw the Conference agree on the importance of enhancing coordination to ensure that ASEAN's cyber security efforts across its various platforms in countering increasingly sophisticated cyber threats are focused, effective, and in synergy with one another.

The first session was followed by a special session, which, for the first time, existed in this year's AMCC and saw the participation of ministers and senior officials from five ASEAN dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. It is aimed at facilitating more comprehensive discussions on cyber security.

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, said the press release.

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