Association of Southeast Asian Nations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of 10 Southeast Asian states. It was created in 1967 with the aim to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development within its member states and across the region. 

The organisation works on ​promoting collaboration among its member states in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields. Such collaboration covers areas related to information and communications technologies, including the Internet. Work in this area in carried out mainly within the ASEAN Telecommunications and IT Ministers meetings, where decisions are made and documents are adopted that set the framework for regional cooperation. 

In 2000, the ASEAN member states adopted the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement, which outlines several areas of cooperation in the field of ICTs: enhancing the competitiveness of the ICT sector, and encouraging the liberalisation of trade in ICT products and services; reducing the digital divide; facilitating the growth of electronic commerce; promoting e-government services; and establishing the ASEAN Information Infrastructure, with the view  to promote interoperability, interconnectivity, security and integrity of national ICT infrastructures. 

Cybersecurity is another area of interest for ASEAN members, who have committeed, amon others, to develop and operationalise national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), as well as to contribute to the development of a virtual forum for ASEAN cybersecurity (aimed to function as a framework for exchange of information, standards setting, and cooperation among enforcement agencies).