13th ASEAN Connectivity Forum

Digital technologies are increasingly reshaping economic activity across Southeast Asia, underpinning productivity growth, new business models, and the expansion of digitally enabled public and private services. As economies deepen their reliance on technology, the long-term sustainability of digital ecosystems has become a central policy concern. Research indicates that sustained digitalisation could contribute significantly to regional growth over the coming decade, but this potential is contingent on resilient and secure digital infrastructure.

At the same time, the acceleration of digital adoption has heightened cybersecurity risks, exposing governments, businesses, and civil society to threats ranging from data breaches to systemic disruptions. Policymakers therefore face a dual challenge: sustaining digital innovation while ensuring the security, reliability, and trustworthiness of digital systems. Despite variations in regulatory maturity across countries, there is a growing recognition that sustainable digital growth depends not only on technological adoption, but on building trusted, secure, and resilient digital ecosystems over the long term.

Against this backdrop, the 13th ASEAN Connectivity Forum was convened to examine how ASEAN can advance sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth amid accelerating digital and green transitions. Organised by the ASEAN-Korea Centre, the forum brought together policymakers, academics, and industry leaders to explore the strategic priorities of the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan 2026–2035, with a particular focus on the role of digital foundations in enabling long-term sustainability. During Session 3: From Digitalisation to Environmental Sustainability: Shaping Innovative and Dynamic Future through the Twin Transitions, Citra Nasruddin, Programme Director at the Tech for Good Institute, delivered a presentation on cybersecurity and digital policy, emphasising that secure and trusted digital infrastructure is a prerequisite for both economic integration and environmental sustainability.

Speakers and Moderator

• Dr. Hwang Jun-seok, Director of Seoul National University Global R&DB Center
• Citra Nasruddin – Programme Director, Tech for Good Institute
• Toan Long Quach, Associate Economist, Macro-Financial Research  Department, AMRO
• Ryu Hak-seok, Director of Partnerships and Governance, GGGI
• Lim Hui Yi, Senior Director, Economic Advisory Team, EY

Key Takeaways

1. Cybersecurity underpins digital sustainability and long-term economic resilience in ASEAN

Cybersecurity emerges as a foundational enabler of digital sustainability rather than a narrow technical concern. As ASEAN economies become more digitally integrated, the resilience of digital systems determines whether digitalisation can deliver durable and inclusive growth. Sustainable digital ecosystems require trust that digital services are reliable, secure, and protected from systemic disruption. Without this trust, the social and economic benefits of digitalisation are undermined. Positioning cybersecurity as core digital infrastructure reframes it as an investment in long-term economic stability, comparable to physical connectivity or energy systems, rather than as a reactive compliance cost.

From a sustainability perspective, cybersecurity also enables the convergence of digital and environmental priorities. Smart energy grids, climate monitoring systems, digital public services, and urban mobility platforms increasingly rely on interconnected digital architecture. Weak cyber foundations in these systems expose not only economic activity but also essential public services to cascading risks. Embedding cybersecurity into digital development strategies therefore ensures that innovation is capable of supporting ASEAN’s broader transition toward sustainable and climate-resilient growth models.

2. Escalating cyber threats necessitate a shift from protection-centric security to systemic cyber resilience

The intensification of cyber threats across Southeast Asia highlights the limits of traditional approaches. Rising incidents of ransomware, phishing, scams, and attacks on critical information infrastructure demonstrate that digital risks now affect broad sectors of society. While many ASEAN member states have introduced stronger cybersecurity laws and enforcement mechanisms, uneven institutional capacities expose systemic vulnerabilities. This environment necessitates a shift from a narrow focus on preventing incidents toward a broader framework of cyber resilience.

Cyber resilience emphasises preparedness, adaptability, and recovery in recognition that cyber incidents are inevitable in highly digitalised economies. This perspective pushes policymakers to consider governance arrangements that go beyond technical controls, including clear institutional mandates, cross-sector coordination, shared liability frameworks, and continuous capability development. It also elevates the role of businesses and users as active participants in managing cyber risk. By adopting resilience as a guiding principle, ASEAN economies can better maintain confidence in digital systems even as threat complexity grows.

3. Regional cooperation is critical to sustaining trust across ASEAN’s twin digital and green transitions

The interconnected nature of ASEAN’s digital economy makes regional cooperation indispensable to cyber resilience and digital sustainability. Integrated supply chains mean that vulnerabilities in one jurisdiction can rapidly propagate across others. National-level reforms, while necessary, are insufficient on their own to address risks that operate at a regional scale. As a result, cybersecurity increasingly functions as a shared public good that underpins ASEAN’s broader connectivity and integration agenda.

Regional initiatives—such as cooperative cybersecurity strategies, incident response networks, and emerging alignment under digital economy frameworks—play a crucial role in harmonising baseline standards and enabling collective risk management. Embedding cybersecurity into ASEAN’s economic architecture strengthens trust among member states and external partners.. Importantly, this regional approach also ensures that digitalisation and environmental sustainability reinforce rather than undermine each other. Secure digital foundations allow climate technologies to scale safely across borders, positioning cybersecurity as a strategic enabler of ASEAN’s long-term twin transitions.