ASEAN Digital Index Workshop Highlights Learnings and Sets the Stage for ADIX 2.0

ASEAN Digital Index Workshop Highlights Learnings and Sets the Stage for ADIX 2.0
On 20 May 2025, the ASEAN Secretariat, in partnership with the European Union through the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI), hosted the latest online ASEAN Digital Index (ADIX) Workshop. The event gathered key stakeholders from ASEAN Member States (AMS), digital economy experts, and policymakers to reflect on the progress of ADIX 1.0 and collaborate on the next phase of its development.
The workshop opened with remarks from H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Economic Community, and H.E. Sujiro Seam, Ambassador of the EU to ASEAN, underscoring the importance of data-driven tools like ADIX in guiding ASEAN’s digital transformation.
Through a series of interactive sessions and SLIDO activities, participants explored the methodology behind ADIX as a composite index. They also reviewed insights gained from the recent Open Day with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Competence Centre on Composite Indicators and Scoreboards (JRC-COIN). ASEAN Member States shared practical strategies to improve data availability and inter-agency coordination. This is key to strengthening digital policy implementation across the region.
Some highlights and reflections include:
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JRC-COIN insights were used to refine ADIX’s methodology, ensuring stronger statistical foundations and transparency in constructing the index.
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AMS shared national approaches to inter-agency coordination, with countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore highlighting successful models to improve digital data collection and policy alignment.
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Participants reviewed and ranked proposed ADIX 2.0 indicators, identifying those most relevant to ASEAN’s digital goals under the Digital Economy Framework Agreement and Digital Masterplan 2030.
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The EU and ASEAN outlined the next steps in the digital cooperation, including joint technical support for ADIX 2.0 and plans to expand cross-border digital infrastructure.
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Clear priorities emerged for updating the index, such as phasing out less relevant indicators, focusing on emerging digital trends, and investing in mechanisms for timely and consistent data sharing across AMS.
The workshop concluded with a panel on EU-ASEAN digital cooperation, setting the tone for enhanced collaboration in building a more connected, competitive, and inclusive digital ASEAN.
Explore our work on the ASEAN Digital Index (ADIX), a joint collaboration of ASEAN and EU organised through E-READI.