Speech by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Ministers on Information (AMRI-16)

The 16th ASEAN Ministers on Information (16th AMRI), the 7th ASEAN+3 Ministers on Information (7th AMRI+3) and related Senior Officials Meetings will take place in Da Nang from September 20 to 23, 2023. The theme of the Conferences is “Communications: From Information to Knowledge for a Resilient and Responsive ASEAN”. The Conference is organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications . At the opening ceremony of the 16th ASEAN Ministers on Information, held this morning, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung delivered an important speech. Vietnam.vn respectfully introduces the full text of the speech by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung.

Speech by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Ministers on Information Meeting (AMRI-16)

September 22, 2023, Da Nang

Dear VicePresident of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vo Thi Anh Xuan,

Dear Ministers, Heads of Delegations of ASEAN member countries, Dialogue partners, and observer countries,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Vietnam is honored to be the host country of the 16th ASEAN Ministers on Information (AMRI -16). We would like to welcome you to Da Nang city, a beautiful city located in the Central region of Vietnam. This city stretches out to the sea. The sea is a symbol of cooperation and exchange. And cooperation and exchange are the core values of ASEAN. And it is thanks to this spirit that ASEAN has become the center of growth of the world. And we, the ASEAN member countries, are proud of that.

Our information and communication sector is undergoing revolutionary changes. It is digital technology that has brought about this disruptive change. The future is no longer an extension of the past. And we must create our new future based on digital technology. The way of doing things and approaches must be innovative, but the core mission of communication must still be maintained: to provide information, raise awareness, disseminate knowledge, empower people, serve development, enhance understanding and solidarity among peoples, ASEAN member countries and promote the image and values of ASEAN to the world.

We live in a world of information overload. We can be overwhelmed by too much information. We are suffering from “information obesity” due to the constant consumption of information, regardless of whether it is real or fake. Each of us spends no less than 6 hours a day consuming this amount of information. There is too much information but knowledge and understanding are on the decline. Very few people understand what lies behind the flood of information. Very few people find knowledge and create value from it.

In a volatile and unpredictable world like today, too much information can also cause confusion, insecurity, doubt, and loss of trust. The media now needs to bring new knowledge to help us adapt quickly, to use new technology for development and cooperation purposes, to bring positive energy, and to nurture faith in a peaceful and prosperous future for ASEAN and the world.

The 2023 ASEAN Summit held in Indonesia on September 5 adopted the Declaration on Sustainable and Resilient Development, affirming the need to “overcome challenges through knowledge and information sharing, technical assistance, resource mobilization and capacity building initiatives.”

This year’s ASEAN Information Ministers Meeting unanimously chose the theme: “Communication: From information to knowledge for a responsive and resilient ASEAN”. To respond quickly to change, we must quickly find new knowledge from change. To be resilient and recover from a major collision or disaster, we must be equipped with new knowledge. Therefore, our information and communication sector must transform from simply providing information and news to providing knowledge and understanding to people to help them survive in a volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

Social media are now important platforms for creating and sharing information. Digital platforms need to become platforms for creating and sharing useful knowledge for people. Social media must become a society of information, of knowledge and understanding. Digital technology, especially artificial intelligence, is ready to create knowledge and understanding from information. However, we, the ASEAN leaders in information and communications, must lead this process.

Knowledge and understanding remain the most precious human qualities. Digital technology has helped create more information, but with the advent of deep learning, it can also help create knowledge and understanding of information. Knowledge and understanding will create a peaceful, developed, prosperous and happy ASEAN. The AMRI-16 Ministers of Information proudly declared the new mission of communications to create knowledge and understanding from information, thereby empowering people to be confident, master their destiny and happy.

Humans are creating ever more powerful technologies. But the destructive power of technology is just as great as its power to develop. Therefore, the ethical aspect of technology, the responsible use of technology, as well as the social responsibility of media platforms, need to be emphasized more than ever. And this is also the responsibility of the ASEAN information and communications sector.

Prior to this ASEAN Information Ministers' Meeting, based on Vietnam's initiative, ASEAN countries organized two forums to promote cooperation in digital transformation of journalism and combating fake news.

Digital transformation of journalism is about bringing journalism into the digital space. Journalism is important in the physical world and now it must be even more important in the digital world. ASEAN media agencies have shared good practices in digital transformation and will jointly develop guidelines on digital transformation in ASEAN journalism.

Knowledge of how to combat fake news is becoming increasingly important to help strengthen trust in the digital space. Along with fake news created by humans, Artificial Intelligence is now capable of creating highly authentic fake content, further complicating the information environment. ASEAN countries consider this a priority in their information cooperation plan, and this year's Information Ministers' Meeting will also focus on discussions to enhance the effectiveness of coordination between countries in this area.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The information and communication sector of ASEAN is taking on a new mission, proactively opening up a new space to jointly contribute to building a peaceful and prosperous ASEAN Community. It is a change from information to knowledge and understanding. Leading this shift and succeeding in this new mission will be the contribution of ASEAN countries to the information and communication sector of the world.

In that spirit, I appreciate and sincerely thank the Ministers of ASEAN countries and dialogue countries, observer countries, for taking the time to come to the beautiful coastal city of Da Nang, to review and discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital media, orientation for media, orientation for ASEAN media cooperation in the coming years.

I wish the Vice President, Ministers and all delegates good health, happiness and success!

Wishing the 16th ASEAN Ministers on Information a great success!

Wishing you all a very useful and enjoyable time in Da Nang!

Thank you very much!

vietnam.vn