Opening Remarks by Minister S Iswaran at the Asia Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting 2019

A very good afternoon to all of you, and thank you for attending this briefing. Together with the APT Secretary-General, H.E. Areewan Haorangsi, I am pleased to share with you that the Ministers and Heads of Delegations have concluded the Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting 2019 and endorsed the Singapore Statement on “Co-Creating a Connected Digital Future in the Asia- Pacific”.

• Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting

The Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting is one of the most important events in the APT calendar. Held every five years, Singapore is very honoured to host the meeting this year. The meeting is an opportunity to review the telecommunications and ICT developments in the region as well as to develop a high-level visionary statement on how to grow the telecommunications and ICT sector in the region over the next five years. This meeting is timely as the region approaches the cusp of rapid changes, driven largely by technologies and innovation, and with the development of the digital economy.

The Singapore Statement, which the APT Members have developed as a guiding document for the development of telecommunications and ICT for the next few years, has identified five Strategic Goals. They are i) Digital Transformation, ii) Digital Innovation and Creativity, iii) Digital Trust, iv) Digital Community, and v) Digital Capacity Building and Partnerships. And under each of these Strategic Goals, we have further determined the priority areas which we would like to focus on. All these details are in the press release and the Singapore Statement which we have provided to you.

But if I can put it together, essentially, there is clear recognition that digital technologies offer us a significant opportunity. Our focus is on, firstly, how we can harness digital technologies in order to create new opportunities for our businesses and our people. Second is what we need to do in terms of regulatory and physical infrastructure to support the evolution of the sector. Third, we need to look at how we can go about this in an inclusive way. This means ensuring that all segments of our society are able to participate in the opportunities of the Digital Economy. That is where skills training and access to technology and services is critical. Fourthly, in terms of our overall effort, we need to anchor all this with trust. In other words, the inference we go towards, whether it is cybersecurity, personal data protection, in order to ensure that those who are engaged in doing this – enterprises and governments, can do so with confidence.

I am also pleased that the Ministerial Meeting is held to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the APT. In commemoration of this momentous occasion, H.E. President Halimah Yacob graciously hosted a Gala Dinner yesterday evening, which you might be aware of. I think it was an enjoyable and memorable experience for all the delegates.

• Closing

I would like to now open the floor. The APT Secretary-General and I would be happy to take questions and clarifications.

Thank you.