Adoption of the ASEAN Task Force on Fake News Action Plan

On September 23, in Da Nang City, the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam and the ASEAN Secretariat held a press conference to inform about the results of the 16th ASEAN Ministers of Information Meeting and the 7th ASEAN+3 Ministers of Information Meeting (collectively referred to as AMRI 16).

Informing about the results of the meeting, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications of Vietnam Nguyen Thanh Lam said that the AMRI 16 Conference was a great success, including the organization and content of the Conferences, workshops and forums during the meeting.

Event - Adoption of the ASEAN Task Force on Fake News Action Plan — Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam spoke at the event.

The main outcomes of the 16th AMRI Conference include: The Ministers affirmed and positioned the role of the information industry in the new period from "information" to "knowledge", information will become an active means for lifelong learning and raising awareness and digital literacy for ASEAN citizens.

This is the inevitable trend of digital transformation, the influence of social networks and new media, and the development of artificial intelligence.

The Ministers encouraged greater dialogue and engagement between the media, communities and citizens to promote greater information inclusivity, calling for regional cooperation to build a healthy cyberspace environment through enhancing digital capacity, promoting the maximization of reliable information sources to build trust, shape public opinion, and enhance digital skills for ASEAN citizens, especially the younger generation and the elderly.

The ASEAN Ministers in charge of information adopted new documents and acknowledged the achievements and progress of cooperation frameworks in the information sector, including: Adoption of the AMRI Vision Statement “ASEAN 2035”; Adoption of the Da Nang Declaration on “Media”; Adoption of the Plan of Action of the ASEAN Task Force on Fake News (PoA of TFFN) – one of the continuous efforts of the information sector in institutionalizing mechanisms in the region to address the rise of asymmetric threats including fake news, disinformation, hate speech, extremist views and extremism; Adoption of the Government Information Management Guidelines on Countering Fake News and Disinformation in the Media; Update and welcome the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Information and Communications (2016-2025) as well as support for the development of the Plan for the new phase.

In addition, approved the outcome reports from the three Working Groups under the ASEAN Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI); updated and welcomed the progress of the ASEAN Communications Master Plan 2018-2025 (ACMP II) in promoting a community of opportunities for all; recognized and appreciated the activities/projects of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) focusing on capacity building for the information and communications sector.

At the 16th AMRI Conference, Vietnam contributed many initiatives and proposals, focusing on three main contents. First, enhancing citizens' awareness of information use in the digital age; second, enhancing the responsibility of cross-border platforms, especially in combating fake news; third, enhancing the role of official traditional agencies (which can be called national official information) on digital platforms to protect citizens in the digital space.

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