(AseanAll)  — The First ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting and ASEAN Telecommunications Regulators’ Council (ADGSOM – ATRC) Leaders’ Retreat of 2024 took place on 19-21 March in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The three-day event was chaired by Singapore as ADGSOM Chair for 2024. The meeting discussed the outcomes and follow-up actions from the 4th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) held on 30 January – 2 February in Singapore. Additionally, the 1st Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Anti-Online Scam (WG-AS) was held on the sidelines, to discuss ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) collective measures in tackling online scams in the region.

Taking a multi-faceted approach that considers the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of digitalisation and digital technologies, the meeting recognised the recommendations from the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 Mid-term Review. This includes acknowledging ongoing efforts by ADGSOM in promoting cooperation through various initiatives and projects to address common challenges, such as scams, artificial intelligence, data protection, and bridging the urban-rural digital divide.

With the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 reaching its conclusion in 2025, the development of the next ASEAN Digital Masterplan for 2026-2030 (ADM 2030) becomes crucial to build upon the achievements of the ADM2025 and to drive continuous digital transformation. The meeting shared the ideas of ADM 2030 shall accelerate ongoing digitalisation efforts to meet future demands and embed sustainability in digital transformation. This will be achieved through coordinated policy frameworks, technical collaboration, and capacity enhancement initiatives.