This 1st ASEM ICT Ministerial Meeting, or High-level Conference on the Application of ICT in Human Resources Development and Capacity Building was hosted by Ministry of Posts and Telematics (MPT), Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The ASEM ICT Ministerial Meeting was convened in light of the decision of the Leaders of ASEM member countries during the 5th ASEM Summit in 2004. ASEM Leaders had approved the ASEM ICT Initiative on promoting the applications of ICT in human resource development and capacity building.

In recent years, ICT is playing an increasingly important role in the development of social and economic cooperation between Asia and Europe. The different levels of ICT development in ASEM member countries brings about the opportunity to bridge the digital divide and optimize the use of resources.

The first ASEM ICT Ministerial Meeting will establish an important foundation for future ICT cooperation in ASEM.