We noted with satisfaction the adoption of the Concept Note and Terms of Reference for the Network of ASEAN Associations of the ASEAN Member States by the 23rd ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting, which aims at promoting greater public awareness of ASEAN and its identity, as well as strengthening and broadening grass-roots support for the ASEAN Community within ASEAN Member States. We also looked forward to the first annual meeting of the Network in Thailand in 2019.
We agreed on the need to strengthen ASEAN preparedness to deal with the trends of an ageing society, as well as the promotion of better social safety nets, through the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI) and the development of an ASEAN Training Centre for Social Work and Social Welfare (ATCSW) this year.
We noted the development of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Culture of Prevention to implement the ASEAN Declaration on Culture for Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society adopted in 2017 in particular the outreach campaigns of the six priorities of Culture of Prevention that will commence in 2019 and 2020.
In ensuring a competitive workforce equipped with future-ready skills, we noted the signing of the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Statement on the Future of Work: Embracing Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, as well as the finalisation of the Future ASEAN Agenda on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). We further noted the adoption of the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Joint Statement on Green Initiative to the 108th International Labour Conference by the ASEAN Labour Ministers and emphasised the need to promote business and human rights based on the United Nations’ ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework We noted the ongoing efforts to implement the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Education for Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) adopted at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR in 2016, including the development of a regional action plan for the implementation of the said Declaration.
We shared a concern for the multi-faceted impact and risks of climate change and climate-related disasters on the people of ASEAN. We welcomed the positive outcomes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Katowice Climate Change Conference in 2018, and reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to advancing climate action towards the achievement of our respective Nationally Determined Contributions in implementing the Paris Agreement. We look forward to furthering progress at the upcoming UNFCCC Santiago Climate Change Conference as well as the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. We recognised the importance of a people-oriented and people-centred approach in dealing with climate change and will continue to enhance our communication, education and public awareness on climate change, as well as environmental protection.
We recognised that our region is prone to natural disasters, which cause disruptions to the socio-economic development and people’s ways of lives. We reiterated our support for the operationalisation of the ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region. We also commended the work of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) enhancing ASEAN’s capabilities and cooperation in disaster management and emergency response. In this regard, we welcomed the establishment of an ASEAN Satellite Warehouse in Chai Nat, Thailand, and looked forward to the launch of the ASEAN Satellite Warehouse in Manila, the Philippines in 2019 under the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA), which will enhance the mobilisation and delivery of relief items rapidly to disaster-affected areas. We also look forward towards the operationalisation of ASEAN Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (AMRG on HADR) which will help reinforce ASEAN’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities to respond to disasters effectively under a single ASEAN banner. We also agreed on the need to strengthen regional collaboration on public health at the national and regional levels in line with the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) through the operationalisation of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Disaster Health Management. We also welcomed the endorsement of the Phase 2 Plan of Action of the ASEAN Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (ADRFI), that would support the provision of disaster risk financing and insurance solutions in the region, to close ASEAN’s protection gap and reinforce ASEAN’s disaster resilience.
We shared a concern over the high and rapidly increasing levels of marine debris and acknowledged the urgent need for strong regional collaboration among ASEAN Member States and with partners to effectively address this issue. We therefore welcomed the convening of the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Marine Debris on 5 March 2019 in Bangkok. We adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN Region and welcomed the ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris to strengthen collaborative action among ASEAN Member States and partners to prevent and significantly reduce marine debris, produced from both sea-based and land-based activities.
We noted that transboundary haze pollution, arising from land and forest fires remains a major concern in the region. We reiterated our commitment to the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) and the Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation Towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (the Roadmap) to achieve a Haze-Free ASEAN by 2020. We looked forward to the conducting of the Mid-Term Review on the implementation of the Roadmap to take stock of the implementation progress and to sustain momentum in ensuring concrete improvements towards achieving the vision of the Roadmap. We looked forward to the establishment and full operationalisation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution under the AATHP which will provide a strategic framework for the implementation of collaborative actions, to address transboundary haze pollution in the ASEAN region.
We recognised the challenges of biodiversity conservation and the impact of climate change in ASEAN, in particular activities relating to the loss of biodiversity. We noted the positive outcome of the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt in 2018. We recognised the progress made in implementing conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity of the region to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, with the support of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and encouraged all ASEAN Member States to join the preparation of the Post-2020 biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity taking into account the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals.
We reaffirmed our support for a more visible and enhanced role of ASEAN to support Myanmar in providing humanitarian assistance, facilitating the repatriation process with regard to the situation in Rakhine State, and promoting sustainable development. We appreciated the efforts of the Secretary-General of ASEAN (ASG), the AHA Centre, and officials from the Government of Myanmar in conducting the Preliminary Needs Assessment (PNA) Mission, which was based on the mandate given by ASEAN. We agreed for the ASG to go further with the recommendations contained in the PNA, including those that focus on capacity-building, dissemination of information and support to the provision of basic services in Rakhine State, and recognised the need for adequate resources for these activities. We underscored the importance of prioritisation of the basic services that would receive support and the usefulness of exploring cooperation with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners on possible support. We welcomed the compilation of information by the ASEAN Secretariat regarding the cooperation and assistance voluntarily extended by ASEAN Member States to Myanmar to address the humanitarian situation, which will facilitate enhanced ASEAN coordination on this matter.
We stressed the importance of and expressed our continued support for Myanmar’s commitment to ensure safety and security for all communities in Rakhine State as effectively as possible and facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons in a safe, secure and dignified manner. We looked forward to the full implementation of the MOU between Myanmar Government, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and to the continued and effective dialogue between Myanmar and Bangladesh to facilitate the repatriation process of displaced persons from Rakhine State. We stressed the need to find a comprehensive and durable solution to address the root causes of the conflict and to create a conducive environment so that the affected communities can rebuild their lives. We encouraged Myanmar to continue to implement the remaining recommendations of the final report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. We expect that the Independent Commission of Enquiry established by the Government of Myanmar would seek accountability by carrying out an independent and impartial investigation into alleged human rights violations and related issues. We also reaffirmed ASEAN’s support for Myanmar’s efforts to bring peace, stability, the rule of law, to promote harmony and reconciliation among the various communities as well as to ensure sustainable and equitable development in Rakhine State.
We noted the work of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW) and look forward to the adoption of the Terms of Reference of ACMW this year. We were pleased to note the on-going implementation of the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers by the ASEAN Member States through its action plan and filling up of the self-assessment tool, and acknowledged notable progress in the empowerment of women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons in the ASEAN region. We looked forward to the implementation of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the finalisation of the Regional Plan of Action to Implement the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing Empowering Older Persons in ASEAN. We also reaffirmed the commitment to promote the women, peace and security agenda in the ASEAN region as outlined in the Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN by building on existing frameworks, such as the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry, under the ASEAN Institute of Peace and Reconciliation.
We noted the continued progress in the implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan III and the on-going monitoring and evaluation of the capacity building activities. We expressed appreciation to ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners and external parties for the financial and technical assistance provided in implementing the IAI Work Plan III and recognised the important role of sub-regional cooperation framework in delivering the benefits of the ASEAN Community to the less developed areas of Member States, with the aim of achieving inclusive and equitable development. In this regard, we encouraged deeper cooperation among the sub-regional groupings and with the ASEAN Secretariat to promote greater coordination of sub-regional and regional initiatives, where applicable. We will continue our collective efforts in the rural development to serve as an essential strategy to eradicate poverty and eliminate urbanrural development gap. We encouraged further convergence of rural development and poverty eradication initiatives at the local, national and regional levels under the ASEAN Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (RDPE) 2016- 2020.
We also agreed to comprehensively address the underlying causes of malnutrition and associated diseases to improve the quality of life of ASEAN peoples for a more vibrant and dynamic region, consistent with the vision of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Ending All Forms of Malnutrition.
We recognised the pivotal role of our civil service in providing coordinated, efficient, effective and responsive public services to the peoples of ASEAN. We commended the ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) for its role in the promotion of good governance principles in public management towards efficient, citizen-centric, and accountable civil services in ASEAN. In this regard, we look forward to the finalisation of the ASEAN Statement on Promotion of Good Governance and Acceleration of an Agile Civil Service in a Digital Economy.
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