The First Asia-Europe ICT Ministerial Meeting: Promoting ICT applications in HRD and Capacity Building

 

In the past few years, ASEM members have carried out many ICT cooperative programmes to share experiences and support human resource to narrow the digital gaps for the mutual development. At the ASEM ICT Ministerial Meetings, especially ASEM 4, ASEM 5 and ASEM 6, cooperation in ICT has been of great importance in its agenda. Leaders of ASEM wish to pay the top priorities to the implementation and expansion of the specific ICT cooperative programmes and the ICT application to all faceted socio-economic sectors such as education, health care and the improvement of rural people's living standards.

In the opening speech, Mr Pham Gia Khiem, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam highlighted the increasingly important role of ICT cooperation in ASEM, noting the fact that many ASEM members are developing countries and still facing difficulties in providing ICT services to their citizens. Deputy Prime Minister urged ICT Ministers in ASEM to foster ICT cooperation, particularly promoting the applications of ICT in HRD and capacity building, in bridging the digital divide and empowering the use of ICT in rural and remote communities.

 

Enterprises in the meeting also shared experiences in the promotion of ICT application in community as well as initiatives in narrowing digital gaps in Asia and Europe. Mr Truong Gia Binh, Chairman-CEO of FPT Corporation (Vietnam) said that it is necessary to enhance the education cooperation like establishing bilateral colleges and universities. He added that ICT ambassador training should be provided to strengthen the ICT cooperation among nations and regions.Suggestions for the enhancement of the cooperation of research institutes and educational facilities in ASEM, Mr Jean-Philippe Thouard, Coordinator of the French Cooperation at the Asian Institute of Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (France) said thatencouraging the exchange of information and coordination between the numerous academic and research cooperation programmes that Europe and Asia. An ASEM ICT research portal may serve as an information repository, an exhibit to the diversity of programmes and actors involved, and provide the tools for initiating new exchanges.

 

 

- The Ministers exchanged views and shared information and experience on the use of ICT in human resource development and capacity building programs. The Ministers acknowledged the effort and active contribution of related organizations to the success of the second generation of the Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN2). They encouraged initiatives and activities to promote cooperation in policy and regulatory issues, enhancement of ICT capabilities of enterprises, cooperation of educational facilities and empowerment of local communities in the use of ICT.

 

- The Ministers expressed support for new initiatives that enable users to effectively pull information tools and services to address the outstanding needs, e.g., with regard to health issues and financial transfers. The Ministers welcomed joint efforts on digital interoperability and convergence, and ICT-enabled public services. They encouraged further initiatives to strengthen digital security and enable authentication, traceability and verifiability in e-transactions, in support of trust and integrity for the individual user.

 

- The Ministers emphasized the need to facilitate close participation and contributions by the ICT business community in developing and implementing ASEM ICT cooperative programs and projects.

-   In the next meeting, the Ministers agreed, in principle, to convene the ICT Senior Officials Meeting annually to follow up on progress and to meet again at Ministerial level.