Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
First
of all, it is an honour and privilege for me to welcome all of you to
the ASEAN Smart City Development Cooperation Forum. On behalf of the
ASEAN Smart Cities Network, I would like to thank the host, The
Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy of Korea, and the
co-organisers, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, and
the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organisation for your hospitality and
for hosting and organising this ASEAN Smart City Development
Cooperation Forum.
2. ASEAN Smart Cities Network or ASCN is a collaborative platform established in April 2018 at the 32nd
ASEAN Summit in Singapore. It is a platform where twenty-six (26)
cities from the ten (10) ASEAN Member States work towards the common
goal of smart and sustainable urban development. Since its First Meeting
in Singapore, there have been many significant developments in terms of
the projects and partnerships. Although the ASCN's is a regional
platform, thanks to collaborations from external partners,
private-sector solution providers and multilateral financial
institutions, its reach has always been global and continues to grow
each year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
3.
The ASCN has developed an ASEAN Smart Cities Framework, which serves as
a guide for the development of smart cities in ASEAN Member States. The
framework outlines three strategic outcomes:
- establishing a competitive economy;
- building a sustainable environment; and
- achieving high quality of life – where the smart cities need to reach a balance.
4.
The framework also outlines six (6) focus areas when implementing the
smart city projects – (i) civic and social areas, (ii) health and
well-being, (iii) public safety and security, (iv) quality environment,
(v) built infrastructure, and (vi) industry and innovation. These six
areas reflect the needs of cities which are at varying stages of
development as well as her people.
5. To date,
sixty-four (64) projects and initiatives have been identified under the
ASCN Smart City Action Plans including Urban Infrastructure projects,
Urban Street and Public Space Management, Clean River Management,
Intelligent Transportation and Traffic Systems, Security Systems, and
National Digital Identity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
6.
ASCN believes that we can utilise technology to tackle the
opportunities and issues caused by rapid urbanization, and in doing so
achieve a smart and sustainable urban development, that will greatly
contribute to improve the lives of ASEAN citizens.
7.
Before I conclude my remarks, I would like to share that there are two
(2) key ASCN deliverables for 2021, which are the ASCN Online Portal
and ASEAN Smart and Sustainable City Investment Toolkit. The portal and
toolkit are expected to be able to further support the objective and
ease the way for more smart cities cooperation.
8. With
the spirit of togetherness, let us continue to build on this vital
partnership to attain the common goal of improving the quality of life
of ASEAN citizens, especially in this current time of the COVID-19
pandemic.
9. I would
like to share with you that this also aligns with Brunei Darussalam's
theme for this year ASEAN Chairmanship which is "We Care, We Prepare, We
Prosper".
10. With that, I wish
to convey once again my appreciation for this ASEAN Smart City
Development Cooperation Forum and I wish all of you a most productive
Forum and good outcomes.
Thank you.
