In response to the global coronavirus pandemic, the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), will co-host a series of public forums – ‘ASEAN on Point’ - to address issues of importance to the advancement of ASEAN.  The forums will provide a platform to bring together representatives of diverse stakeholders to share knowledge on the latest research and insights on relevant topics on post-pandemic recovery in order to inform the policy discourse. It is hoped that the insights and recommendations from the forums can contribute to different sectoral work in ASEAN towards recovery. The vision of these Forums is to ‘Build Back Better’ so that the region’s recovery policies result in a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable region. 

Fake news and misinformation are emerging challenges that the ASEAN Member States must address as access to the internet and digital media grows exponentially among ASEAN citizens. Data for January 2020 from We Are Social (2020) reports that the internet penetration rate in the region is 66%, which reflects a year-on-year growth of 8.2%. Social media usage is at 63%, a 7.7% increase from the previous year.

ASEAN is taking concrete steps to prevent fake news and misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that can potentially sow a climate of distrust. Since 2017, efforts to address fake news and misinformation have figured significantly in ASEAN’s activities. In 2017, the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) convened a Roundtable Discussion on Fake News and Communicating the Right Information, and have since adopted the Framework and Joint Declaration to Minimise the Harmful Effects of Fake News in 2018. ASEAN also launched the Core Values on Digital Literacy for ASEAN which aims to promote greater cybersecurity as part of the efforts to counter online falsehoods.

Speakers:

• Marites Vitug, Editor-at-Large Rappler, Philippines 
• Donny Eryastha, Head of Public Policy, ByteDance 
• Trieu Minh Long, Director-General, Ministry of Information and Communications, Viet Nam

Date and Time:

20 January 2021, 10 AM to 11 AM Jakarta Time (UTC+7)

Location:

Online (link to meeting room to be provided after registration)

PROGRAMME AND AGENDA

Video