KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- ASEAN and its Plus Three partners must strengthen collaboration in empowering women through digitalisation by focusing on capacity-building, innovation, and cross-border platforms, said Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang.
In her keynote address at the ASEAN+3 Forum on Women and Digitalisation here today, she proposed three key areas of cooperation for the region’s way forward in supporting women’s empowerment through technology.
"First, capacity-building. We should share training programmes and digital literacy modules, so that rural women in all our countries can benefit from best practices.
"Second, funding and innovation hubs. We need to explore potential support for women-led start-ups, cooperatives, and enterprises with easier access to finance, technology, and mentorship.
"Third, regional platforms. By promoting cross-border e-commerce, we can give rural women entrepreneurs access to bigger markets, not only within ASEAN but also in East Asia," she said, adding that no single country can succeed alone as digitalisation moves fast, and collaboration is key.
Also present were the Ambassador of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Malaysia, Thepthavone Sengmany; Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Muhd Khair Razman Mohamed Annuar; Second Secretary of Japan’s Mission to ASEAN, Sae Kobayashi; and Assistant Director and Head of the Poverty Eradication and Gender Division, ASEAN Secretariat, Miguel Musngi.
Rubiah also reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to working closely with ASEAN and its Plus Three partners to build a digital future that leaves no woman, family, or community behind.
"At the end of the day, when rural women prosper, rural communities prosper, and when rural communities prosper, our nations become stronger and more resilient. Digital tools enable rural women to sell products, learn skills, access health information, and reach new markets.
"Digitalisation is not just technology- it is opportunity, empowerment, and equality. The story of women and digitalisation is, in fact, the story of ASEAN’s future. If we succeed in empowering women, especially in rural areas, we will succeed in creating a digital economy that is inclusive, dynamic, and resilient,” she said.
Citing the ASEAN Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (2021–2025), Rubiah said ASEAN’s collective aspiration is for women not only to benefit from digitalisation but also to take the lead in shaping it.
"It mandates institutional mechanisms to promote participation of women in rural development and decision-making, ensuring that development does not leave women behind,” she said, adding that the action plan aims to accelerate rural transformation and reduce poverty while explicitly integrating rural women, youth, and vulnerable sectors into development programmes.
She said the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 complements these goals by targeting inclusive digital transformation and bridging the digital divide, while the Declaration on Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 reinforces regional commitment to ensuring that women are not left behind in the digital economy.
From Malaysia’s perspective, Rubiah said the government has made significant strides in rural digitalisation through the JENDELA (National Digital Network Plan) initiative, which enhances broadband quality and coverage to close the digital divide, particularly in underserved areas.
"JENDELA has already registered notable achievements, with some even exceeding original targets. For instance, we have successfully connected 839 rural and Orang Asli communities via satellite, covering extreme last-mile gaps,” she said.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) 2024 data, internet access among rural households rose to 90.3 per cent in 2024, up from 89.8 per cent in 2023, compared to 98.8 per cent for urban households.
Rubiah also highlighted the ministry’s Desamall online platform, which connects rural entrepreneurs to wider markets and has, since its inception in 2019, successfully onboarded over 7,100 entrepreneurs, of which over 80 per cent are women.
She said the Entrepreneur Digitisation Programme (PPU) has equipped 4,450 entrepreneurs with essential digital business skills, including market access, financing, and content creation.
She added that through the ministry's training arm, Institute of Rural Advancement (INFRA), various training and leadership programmes are being implemented to strengthen women’s participation in the digital economy.
In conjunction with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, two major events were held, namely the ASEAN Multistakeholder Dialogue on the ASEAN Master Plan on Rural Development on Oct 7–8, and the ASEAN+3 Forum on Women and Digitalisation on Oct 9.
The events brought together over 100 participants from ASEAN and Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) to discuss strategies to bridge the digital divide and promote gender equality.
The dialogue session is aimed at strengthening the implementation of the ASEAN Master Plan on Rural Development, focusing on promoting regional cooperation for sustainable and inclusive rural transformation, while the forum session explored the challenges faced by rural women in accessing digital technology, education, and financial services.
-- BERNAMA
