Dr. Amanda H A Watson is a Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU). Her expertise includes undersea internet cables in the Pacific Islands region, as well as telecommunications in Pacific countries.
Pacific Forum
Southeast Asia’s digital decade has begun. However, seizing its full potential in the emerging data-driven economy requires confronting head-on fundamental challenges in cybersecurity: Internet penetration is high, but digital inequity is growing; mobile connections are skyrocketing, yet digital literacy to combat cybercrime, disinformation, and misinformation is plummeting. Most importantly, cyberattacks are rising, but trust-building among key stakeholders remains stagnant, or worse, declining. If these issues are not fully addressed, the region’s digital ambitions oriented around ASEAN’s inclusive community-building agenda are likely to be aspirational rather than attainable.
To harmonise and elevate Southeast Asia’s cyber resiliency and capacity, the Pacific Forum in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) released the report 'Cyber ASEAN: Advancing Cyber Resiliency and Capacity in Southeast Asia'. Cyber ASEAN is the region’s homegrown cyber-capacity assessment framework comprising four pillars: international collaboration, international technical standards, information-sharing, and incident or threat management and inclusion.
This seminar will showcase the key findings and outcomes of Cyber ASEAN that resulted from its two-year multistakeholder consultations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Viet Nam throughout 2022 – 2023. The panel of experts will share their views on the increasing need for more context-specific cyber capacity-building initiatives to achieve lasting impact and sustainability amid the speedy digital transformation and increasing geopolitical tensions in Southeast Asia and more broadly, the Indo-Pacific.
Download the report, and learn more about Cyber ASEAN: http://cyberasean.pacforum.org
This seminar is organised in partnership with the Pacific Forum. Light refreshments will be provided after the seminar.
If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please contact the event organisers.
The Panellists
Amanda Watson
Dr Amanda H A Watson
Mark Bryan Manantan
Mark Bryan Manantan is the Director of Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies at the Pacific Forum. At the Forum he leads the Cyber ASEAN capacity-building initiative and the US Technology and Security partnerships with Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Catherine Bridges
Catherine Bridges
Catherine Bridges is the Director, Executive Education and Professional Development at the National Security College, ANU.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Bart Hogeveen
Bart Hogeveen is a Deputy Director for Cyber, Technology & Security at ASPI. Bart coordinates ASPI’s capacity building activities. This involves a portfolio of initiatives supporting States with establishing a strategic cybersecurity outlook, the development of national cybersecurity strategies and promoting governments’ cooperation with intellectual property-intensive companies.
The Australian Government
ANU Philippines Institute
Pacific Forum
