02 Oct 2023
Mr Chair,
1 I am pleased to speak on behalf of the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
2 Transnational Crime continues to be an international scourge. The post-pandemic resumption of travel, re-opening of borders, and re-alignment of supply chains have allowed criminals to travel across borders. The transnational flow of criminal proceeds and illicit items also adversely affects populations regardless of jurisdiction. This poses a particularly acute challenge in Southeast Asia, which is densely inter-connected. At the recently concluded 43rd ASEAN Summit, ASEAN leaders expressed concern over the increasing number of transnational crime cases in the region and emphasised the need to expedite our efforts, as time stands as the most crucial aspect in preventing and tackling such criminal activities. Therefore, ASEAN is committed to working with the international community to combat transnational crime.
3 To address these challenges, ASEAN, in August, convened the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in Indonesia. During the meeting, the Labuan Bajo Declaration on Advancing Law Enforcement Cooperation in Combating Transnational Crime and ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation in Protecting and Assisting Witnesses and Victims of Transnational Crime were adopted, while the ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime (2016-2025) was reaffirmed. These ongoing efforts reaffirm ASEAN’s shared commitment and collective responsibility in combating transnational crime in the region.
Mr Chair,
4 The UNODC’s 2023 World Drug Report has highlighted that the cheap, easy, and fast production of synthetic drugs has radically transformed many illicit drug markets. The UNODC also found earlier this year that Methamphetamine seizures in Southeast Asia, the world’s largest producing region for the drug, had returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Ketamine seizures had also reached an all-time high in 2022, a whopping 167% more than in 2021.This reflects the severity of the drug problem in our region. ASEAN aims to eliminate illicit drugs and its abuse in our societies by adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards illicit drugs. Illicit drugs are harmful and impose heavy costs to individuals, their families and society at large. We stand united in our vision of a Drug-Free ASEAN and will not waver in our efforts to shield our communities from the devastating impact of illicit drugs.
5 The illicit drug trade is driven by organized crime groups, which have diversified their supply chains, leveraged technology to trade in precursor chemicals and increased the supply of drugs in the region. Just last month, ASEAN held its 8th Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD) to coordinate ASEAN’s drug enforcement efforts. The meeting considered the findings of the 2022 ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report, and reviewed progress by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) on implementing the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs (2016-2025). The annual ASEAN Airport Interdiction Taskforce (AAITF) convened earlier this year, and ASEAN Seaport Interdiction Taskforce (ASITF) Meetings also convened last year, and discussed ways to strengthen cross-border enforcement, seizure and referral processes. ASEAN will continue to work together to combat the organized crime groups that peddle illicit drugs, to the detriment of our societies and communities. We will also continue working with the UNODC to share best practices and increase our capabilities to eradicate illicit drugs and combat transnational crime.
Mr Chair,
6 Online radicalization continues to be a grave security concern for our region and the world, threatening to destabilize and fragment our societies. Digitalization and improved access to the internet increase the reach of nefarious online actors who seek to spread extremist messages of hate. ASEAN is determined not to give terrorism a foothold in our communities. To strengthen early-warning systems to detect radicalization, and effectively counter it, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) convened a consultation on victim-oriented protection to prevent radicalism and violent extremism in June 2023. These efforts underscore the ASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (2019-2025) which aims to inter alia, improve coordination between ASEAN Member States in engaging communities vulnerable to radicalization, develop early-warning and information-sharing systems, and share best practices on deradicalization and strengthen capacity-building efforts across the region. All of this demonstrates ASEAN’s commitment to work with partners from all sectors of society to counter extremist ideologies.
7 Another challenge in our region, particularly with the end of pandemic restrictions, is trafficking-in-persons. A UNODC report in August this year noted that scam centres across Southeast Asia generated billions of US Dollars in revenue annually, and that these centres were overwhelmingly run by persons trafficked across national borders. Digital platforms were therefore used both to facilitate scams and to forcibly enlist people into scammers’ operations. In response, earlier this year, ASEAN promulgated the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Combating Trafficking in Persons Caused by the Abuse of Technology. The declaration emphasised the graveness of trafficking in persons and recognized the impact of technological advancements in shifting the modus operandi of human traffickers, and will be operationalized in line with the ASEAN Multi-Sectoral Work Plan Against Trafficking in Persons (2023-2028). It committed to improving coordination between national law enforcement agencies, and harmonizing standards of protection for victims of trafficking. This includes working toward developing referral mechanisms that avoid re-traumatization of victims.
8 All this demonstrates ASEAN’s long-term and determined effort to combat trafficking in persons in the region, as outlined in the Bohol Trafficking in Persons Work Plan and its successor work plan.
Mr Chair,
9 Cyber threats in Southeast Asia have also increased in quantity and sophistication, accelerated by the increasing digitalization of economies. INTERPOL’s 2021 ASEAN Cyber Threat Assessment noted that the average cost of a data breach was $3.86 million US dollars. Concomitantly, in the first half of 2020, there were at least one and half million phishing attempts in the region. To deal with these significant challenges, ASEAN developed an ASEAN Cyber Cooperation Strategy in 2017. The Strategy was updated in 2021, with a mid-term review being planned for 2024. To facilitate closer regional cybersecurity coordination and capacity building, we established the ASEAN Cybersecurity Coordinating Committee and the ADMM Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE) in 2020 and 2021 respectively. These initiatives were further complemented by cybersecurity policy and cooperation-focused discussions at the annual ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC) established in 2016 and multi-disciplinary policy, operational, technical and diplomatic cyber capacity building activities offered by the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) which has been in operation since 2019. More recently, this year, ACICE launched a Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP) to facilitate quick and timely sharing of cybersecurity information among ASEAN Member States for early warning, and more rapid response to cyberattacks. ASEAN Member States are also working towards the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). This initiative will serve to strengthen ASEAN’s overall cybersecurity posture and operational readiness in tacking the dynamic cyber threat landscape.
Mr Chair,
10 ASEAN’s joint efforts over a gamut of transnational crime issues demonstrate that cooperation and coordination are indispensable to dealing with modern law and order challenges. They also show ASEAN’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16 which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. Surmounting the various threats to the safety and security of ASEAN’s 650 million people requires us to work together. ASEAN will continue to do this and will also work with the international community to fight transnational crime and keep our societies safe.
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