SINGAPORE intends to put in S$10 million over the next decade to fund the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional computer emergency response team (Cert).

This is likely to be co-located within the Asean-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence at North Bridge Road.

The team aims to facilitate the timely sharing of information on cyber incidents across the bloc, foster capacity-building initiatives, and promote the exchange of best practices on the protection of critical information infrastructure.

Speaking to the media after the closing of the fourth Asean Digital Ministers Meeting on Friday (Feb 2), Singapore’s Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo said: “It is so important to be plugged into a network of trusted colleagues, who after observation of the situation, are prepared to share this information with you, so that you can take immediate remedial action.

“Each one of us sharing the information will help all of us to be more prepared in dealing with cybercrime and in dealing with scams.”

Financial model

The two-day meeting saw the endorsement of a financial model to ensure sustainable funding of the regional Cert.

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The ministers also discussed a 10-year implementation plan and review mechanism for the group.

In a press statement on Friday, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) said: “The financial model would also support joint training sessions, cybersecurity exercises and networking of Asean member states’ national Certs with Interpol, industry and academia, as well as the provision of industry cyber threat feeds to all Asean member states.”

Following the endorsement of the financial model, Singapore will work with other nations to operationalise the regional Cert.

Its activities will be overseen by a committee comprising national representatives of the 10-member Asean and with a rotating chairmanship.

Asean digital ministers had first agreed in 2020 to establish the regional team.

In 2022, Singapore tabled an implementation paper at the second edition of the digital ministers meeting, followed by an operational framework at last year’s assembly in the Philippines in February.

Represented by the CSA, the Republic has been working alongside other member states to ensure the regional Cert complements the operational efforts by individual national Certs.

An Asean working group on anti-online scams was also established for member nations to collaborate in combating scams across digital and telecommunications channels.

The two-day meeting also saw the launch of two guides – one on artificial intelligence (AI) governance and the other on model contractual clauses of Asean and the European Union (EU).

The Asean Guide on AI Governance and Ethics is a practical guide for organisations in the region that intend to employ traditional AI technologies in commercial and non-military or dual-use applications.

Featured in the 80-plus-page document are measures to promote the responsible use of AI; recommendations for the design, development and deployment of such systems; as well as use cases from organisations like Gojek and EY.

Among the recommendations is the setup of an Asean working group to drive and oversee AI governance initiatives in the region.

Meanwhile, the EU-Asean joint guide compares respective contractual clauses and offers examples of best practices to help businesses operating across both blocs comply with regional data protection laws.

The first half of the guide had earlier been launched at last year’s digital ministers meeting.

Asean, China renew cooperation

Asean and China on Friday also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting greater cross-border digital connectivity.

Minister Teo and China’s Industry and Information Technology Vice-Minister Zhang Yunming inked a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in communications and digital technology, such as in areas of cyber and data security, and digital literacy.

The next meeting of Asean’s digital ministers will take place in Thailand in January next year.