Phnom Penh (FN), Oct. 25 – Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen urged ASEAN to advance digital transformation, particularly encourage business enterprises to harness digital technology, in order to promote resilient and sustainable development in the region.
The premier spoke at the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2021 under the theme “Building our Sustainable Digital Future”, held Monday via video recording.
Prime minister underlined that the evolution of digital economy has brought vast opportunities; as it has not only provided new source of economic growth, but also increased economic productivity.
“In this context, in order to promote resilient and sustainable development in the region, ASEAN needs to advance digital transformation, particularly encourage business enterprises to harness digital technology, by initiating the arrangement of joint governance for digital infrastructure development, including standardization, regulation, privacy, data sharing and digital connectivity, through the implementation the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025 as well as other key initiatives.”
“Concurrently, accelerating regional and global integration is also one of the top priorities in supporting recovery and sustainable socio-economic development. ASEAN must continue to adhere to multilateralism, strengthen globalization, and strive to advance the regional integration agenda in line with ASEAN Vision 2025, aimed at strengthening greater connectivity between social beings and economic dynamism,” the premier added.
“For that, we need to pay utmost attention on a number of important tasks, including: fostering comprehensive and in-depth liberalization of trade in services and investment, facilitating safe cross-border movement of travelers, and enhancing the capacity of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), etc.”
Samdech also highlighted the roles that private sector can play so as to contribute to achieving the priority works and work plan of ASEAN in 2022 as follows:
1. seizing full benefits of the existing ASEAN Free Trade Agreements, especially RCEP that is planned to enter into force in early 2022, to boost trade and investment activities, particularly foreign direct investment, so as to create jobs, increase income for our people and stimulate economic growth.
2. contributing to human resource development through the transfer of technology, knowledge and know-how, particularly the development of digital skill as well as the enhancement of science, technology and innovation through collaboration with business and direct investment from abroad, which would contribute to narrowing the digital gap and developing digital economy in the region.
3. heightening collaboration between public and private sector, especially through Public-Private Partnership mechanism, aimed at mobilizing financial resource for the development and implementation of various initiatives as well as for fulfilling the financial needs for sustainable socio-economic recovery.
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