Participants at the TELMIN 19 (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Informationand Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 19th ASEAN Telecommunications and InformationTechnology Ministers Meeting (TELMIN 19) that opened in Vientiane on October24.
Along with information andcommunications chiefs from 10 ASEAN member countries, the event also drew LaoDeputy Prime Minister Sonesay Siphandone, ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi,and representatives from dialogue partners of China, Japan, the Republic ofKorea, India, the US, as well as the European Commission and the InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU).
The annual event aims to strengthenICT cooperation among the ASEAN member countries as well as between theassociation and partners.
During the two-day event, theministers will review their cooperation in the past year, while discussingtheir future partnership orientations, including cooperation initiatives andprogrammes to promote ASEAN digital transformation.
The ministers will holdseparate working sessions with dialogue partners to discuss collaboration programmesand activities in 2020 as well as partnership in personnel training, innovationpromotion, and the enhancing of capacity in coping with cyber-security risks.
Addressing the event, the LaoDeputy Prime Minister said that IT and digital transformation have become amajor motivation for socio-economic development, causing great impact onpeople’s lifeand bringing about various opportunities.
Digital connection hascreated new forms of connectivity and partnership, allowing markets to becomecloser and generating new industries, he said.
Alongside, digitalconnectivity has helped improve public services, including education and healthcare, the official added.
He held that in order toprepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and enhancing cooperation in cyber-security,ASEAN member countries should work more closely together to upgrade quality ofthe human resources to liberalize people’s potential and cope with challengesahead.
As scheduled, on the sidelines of TELMIN 19, Deputy Minister Hung will havebilateral meetings with ITU members to share information and discuss specific cooperationareas in the future./.
VNA
