STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE THEMATIC DEBATE ON CLUSTER FIVE: OTHER DISARMAMENT MEASURES AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, FIRST COMMITTEE, 29 OCTOBER 2019

Thank you very much, Mr Chairman.

1          I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At the outset, we wish to thank Ambassador Guilherme Patriota as well as Ambassador Jürg Lauber for their presentations, and for their good work in the GGE and OEWG. Our statement will focus on cybersecurity, on which we wish to make three points.

2          First, ASEAN’s vision is for a peaceful, secure, and resilient cyberspace, which serves as an enabler of economic progress, enhanced regional connectivity and the betterment of living standards for all.  Digital transformation will have tremendous benefits and opportunities for our region. At the same time, we are cognisant that pervasive, ever-evolving, and transboundary cyber threats have the potential to undermine international peace and security. To this end, ASEAN believes that cybersecurity requires coordinated expertise from multiple stakeholders from across different domains, to effectively mitigate threats, build trust, and realise the benefits of technology.

3          Second, ASEAN is of the view that no government can deal with the growing sophistication and transboundary nature of cyber threats alone. Regional collaboration is imperative, and ASEAN has taken concrete and practical steps to this end. 

4          At the 34^th ASEAN Summit earlier this year, our Leaders reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to enhancing cybersecurity cooperation, and the building of an open, secure, stable, accessible, and resilient cyberspace supporting the digital economy of the ASEAN region. At the 3^rd ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC) held in September 2018, ASEAN became the first and only regional group to subscribe to the 11 voluntary, non-binding norms recommended in the 2015 report of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (GGE). At the 4^th AMCC in October 2019, participants agreed to establish a working-level committee to consider the development of a long-term regional action plan to ensure effective and practical implementation of the norms, including in the areas of CERT cooperation, protection of critical information infrastructure and mutual assistance in cybersecurity.

5          ASEAN will also continue our focus on regional capacity-building efforts, including through supporting the cybersecurity activities and training programmes of the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Singapore, and the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre in Thailand. Last month, Singapore hosted the 14^th edition of the annual ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team Incident Drill, with the aim of strengthening cybersecurity preparedness and cooperation between ASEAN Member States and its Dialogue Partners.

6          Third, ASEAN reaffirms our view that the United Nations must continue to play a key role in discussions on cybersecurity. We support the work of the Open-Ended Working Group on the developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (OEWG) and GGE, and hope that the two mechanisms can work closely with their own mandates. ASEAN welcomes the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament, which affirms the commitment to fostering a culture of accountability and adherence to norms, rules, and principles for responsible behaviour in cyberspace. ASEAN recognises the need to further develop, on the basis of consensus, voluntary and non-binding norms of responsible State behaviour in cyberspace, as well as ways to implement them. ASEAN reaffirms that international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations, is applicable and essential to maintaining peace and stability and to promoting an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful Information and Communications Technology environment. We welcome the commitment between ASEAN and the UN to enhancing training and support in cybersecurity cooperation, as reflected in The Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Partnership between ASEAN and the UN (2016 – 2020). We look forward to more concrete cooperation in the development of the next ASEAN-UN POA for the period of 2021 to 2025.

7          In conclusion, ASEAN reaffirms the importance of a rules-based cyberspace as a key enabler of social and economic progress for our people.  We will continue to deepen our cooperation regionally and internationally to achieve a peaceful, secure, and resilient cyberspace. 

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