2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) Meeting

Why in the News?

Recently, India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 was approved at the 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting.

Probable Question

ASEAN occupies a central place in the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. Comment

Key Points

About ADGMIN Meeting:

• The ADGMIN is an annual meeting of Telecom Ministers of 10 ASEAN.
•  The meeting discussed and deliberated various matters relevant to strengthening regional digital cooperation in the spirit of digital inclusion and integration.
• It approved the India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022. 
• India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 focuses on capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas in the field of Information and Communication Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Advanced Satellite Communication, Cyber Forensics, etc.

What is ASEAN?

• It is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation. It was established on 8 August 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• ASEAN brings together ten Southeast Asian states – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
• This was set up during the polarized atmosphere of the Cold War, and the alliance aimed to promote stability in the region.
• Its chairmanship rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member states.
• ASEAN and India began holding annual summits in 2002 to elevate political, security, economic and socio-cultural ties. In 2015, ASEAN leaders welcomed India’s “Act East Policy.”
• In 2015, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) came into existence, a major milestone in the organization’s regional economic integration agenda. 
• The AEC envisions the bloc as a single market with free flow of goods, services, investments and skilled labor, and freer movement of capital across the region.

Also read: How to Prepare International Relations for UPSC Mains

ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

• It offers an outlook to guide cooperation in the region, enhance ASEAN’s Community building process, and further strengthen the existing ASEAN-led mechanisms, such as the East Asia Summit.
• Its main objectives are helping to promote an enabling environment for peace, stability and prosperity in the region in addressing common challenges, upholding the rules-based regional architecture, and promoting closer economic cooperation, and thus strengthening confidence and trust.

Prepare for UPSC CSE with our DREAM TEAM and level up your UPSC exam preparation. Watch a useful video on 5G VS 4G by our Science and Technology faculty, Sharad Tripathi Sir and have a glimpse of his simple yet effective teaching style:

How Important is the ASEAN Region Economically?

• If ASEAN were a country, it would be the seventh-largest economy in the world, with a combined GDP of $2.6 trillion in 2014. 
• By 2050, it's projected to rank as the fourth-largest economy.
• Home to more than 622 million people, the region has a larger population than the European Union or North America.
• It also has the third-largest labor force in the world, behind China and India.

India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)

• It is an open, non-treaty based initiative for countries to work together for cooperative and collaborative solutions to common challenges in the region.

ASEAN Significance for India

• ASEAN occupies a central place in the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region.
• Maritime cooperation in terms of connectivity, safety and security has gained high attention. 
• India and ASEAN can collaborate to combat terror financing, cyber security threats, tax evasions.
• A rules-based regional security architecture can be envisioned with ASEAN help.
• ASEAN is the pivot for India’s Act  East Policy. 

Way Forward

• Despite their distinct cultures, histories and languages, the 10 member states of ASEAN share a focus on jobs and prosperity. 
• Household purchasing power is rising, propelling the region into the next frontier of consumer growth.
• The  ASEAN region must now meet the challenges of providing enormous investment in infrastructure and human-capital development to ensure it realizes its full potential.

News Source: Press Information Bureau

For more informative articles like this, download the PrepLadder app and get access to well-structured and the most comprehensive study material for Civil Services exam preparation. You can also join our Telegram channel for UPSC exam preparation to apprise yourself with the latest information about the exam  

Own Your Dream

Team PrepLadder