"The draft has been prepared, and Thailand has been tasked to lead this (negotiations) until 2025," he said during a press conference of the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta on Thursday.
He described DEFA as one of the achievements of Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship in 2023.
Indonesia held the 43rd ASEAN Summit this year with the aim of strengthening the bloc's commitment to address present challenges and maintain its relevance in the region and for its people as well as the world, while continuing to serve as an epicentrum of growth.
"DEFA is one of the mainstay achievements related to the 'epicentrum of growth.' This is a master plan made under Indonesia's (ASEAN) chairmanship," Hartarto said.
DEFA is a comprehensive agreement on digitalization, which covers digital talents, digital IDs, cybersecurity, retraining, upskilling, digital infrastructure, and interoperability in ASEAN.
The implementation of DEFA is expected to boost the ASEAN digital economy to US$2 trillion by 2030. Without DEFA, the digital economy in ASEAN is only expected to reach a value of US$1 trillion by 2030.
The ASEAN DEFA Negotiating Committee (NC), which is chaired by Thailand, consists of lead negotiators from 10 ASEAN countries.
The committe has been tasked with negotiating the provisions of the DEFA based on the principles, process, and timeframe set out in the ASEAN DEFA Negotiating Framework.
The first meeting of the ASEAN DEFA NC is scheduled to take place at the end of 2023. The next meetings will be held in 2024 and 2025 with the aim of concluding ASEAN DEFA negotiations by 2025.
As a cooperation framework, DEFA provides a comprehensive road map to empower businesses and stakeholders in ASEAN by accelerating trade growth, creating a secure digital environment, and increasing the participation of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
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Translator: Martha S, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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