From August 4th to 8th, 2024, a delegation from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), led by Vice Minister Vu Chien Thang, attended the 22nd ASEAN Cooperation Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei Darussalam.
The event included a series of activities: the 22nd ACCSM Senior Officials Meeting and the 7th ACCSM+3 Meeting; the Forum on Good Governance with the theme “Revolutionizing the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence for Good Governance”; and the Heads of Civil Service Meeting for the 22nd ACCSM and the 7th ACCSM+3.
The event was attended by heads/deputy heads, senior officials, and experts from the public service agencies of ASEAN countries, China, Japan, South Korea, Timor-Leste (as an observer), and the ASEAN Secretariat.
H.E. Vu Chien Thang, Vice Minister of Home Affairs, at the meeting.
On August 5th, 2024, the 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) ACCSM and the 7th ASEAN+3 Senior Officials Meeting (SOM+3) ACCSM+3 took place. During these meetings, the delegates monitored the progress of the ACCSM Work Plan 2021-2025, the development of the ACCSM Work Plan for the post-2025 period, and welcomed Cambodia for assuming the ACCSM Chairmanship for the period of 2024-2026. The Vietnamese delegation, as the Convenor for the ASEAN Network of Public Service Training Institutes (PSTI) for the 2023 – 2024 period, reported on the activities in Viet Nam and conducted the handover of the Convenor role to Brunei Darussalam for the next term.
An overview of the event.
On August 6, 2024, at the ACCSM22 Forum on Good Governance themed “Revolutionizing the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence for Good Governance”, delegates listened to presentations by leading AI experts from Datastreams (South Korea), the Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Malaysia), and the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Thailand). The topics covered included (1) Implementing Good Governance Values on Digital Platform Services; (2) AI in Public Services: Malaysian Experience; (3) Thailand’s AI Strategy: From Plan to Action. During the exchange and discussion sessions, delegates raised numerous questions and shared insights on the practical applications and potential of AI in the public sector, social management, and the development of the economy, science, and technology.
Experts answering questions from delegates at the Forum.
On August 7, 2024, the 22nd ACCSM Heads of Civil Service Meeting and the 7th ACCSM+3 Heads of Civil Service Meeting took place. The Heads of delegation and the ASEAN Secretary-General reviewed reports from the SOM and SOM+3 meetings; discussed and exchanged views on the ASEAN Declaration on strengthening governments’ strategies on mental health and well-being to achieve work-life balance in the public sector; and deliberated on priorities for the post-2025 cooperation. Vice Minister Vu Chien Thang shared several of Viet Nam’s initiatives, such as: Implementing the National Strategy for Protection, Care, and Improvement of Public Health by 2030, with a vision towards 2045, which aims to ensure that all citizens receive quality healthcare services, live in safe communities, and develop both physically and mentally, thereby improving quality of life and the quality of human resources for national development and defense; the National Strategy on Mental Health for the 2016-2025 period, with a vision towards 2030, aimed at enhancing mental health, preventing mental disorders, ensuring the provision of effective and equitable medical and social care services, promoting recovery, protecting human rights, and reducing illness, mortality, and disability for individuals with mental disorders; and Viet Nam’s salary, bonus, and welfare regimes for public officials.
The Vietnamese delegation at the event.
At the conclusion of the event, Brunei Darussalam handed over the Chairmanship of the 23rd ACCSM for the 2024 – 2026 period to Cambodia.
Heads of delegations from ASEAN+3 countries.
During the business trip, the delegation also worked with Ambassador Tran Anh Vu and the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam. At the meeting, Ambassador Tran Anh Vu briefed the delegation on the current state of Viet Nam-Brunei relations and cooperation in the fields of economics, culture, and society, as well as the diplomatic activities of the Embassy.
Vice Minister Vu Chien Thang at the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.
