ASEAN leaders discuss important regional issues

Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung presides over the Retreat Session of the 17th ASEAN Summit, Hanoi, October 28, 2010 – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

ASEAN leaders talked about measures to (1) accelerate the building of the ASEAN Community, effectively implement the ASEAN Charter and enhance ASEAN connectivity; (2) further broaden and deepen ASEAN’s external relations, at the same time maintaining the bloc’s centrality in the region; and (3) strengthen cooperation to effectively respond to emerging challenges, namely post-crisis sustainable recovery and development, climate change, disaster management and infectious diseases.

ASEAN Leaders agreed to further promote the “culture of compliance,” so as to better, supervise and assess the implementation of agreements.

* Adopting important documents

ASEAN leaders adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity submitted by the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Connectivity, and decided to establish an ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee oversee and enhance the implementation of the Master Plan.

The Leaders welcomed efforts by ASEAN Financial Ministers toward the establishment of the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund.  

They adopted a Statement on Human Resources and Skills Development for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth and the Hanoi Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare and Development of ASEAN Women and Children.

Besides, the Leaders agreed on various measures in order to jointly deal with transnational issues as food and energy security, climate change, natural disasters and infectious diseases.

* Elevating ASEAN’s partnership with Dialogue Partners.

The Leaders agreed to elevate ASEAN’s partnership with several dialogue partners, as well as set out new directions for future cooperation.

They reiterated their expressed view that an effective regional architecture should secure ASEAN’s centrality and be based on existing processes which are intertwined and complementary to each other.

ASEAN leaders welcomed the contributions from dialogue partners in dealing with regional issues and agreed to invite the leaders of Russia and the US to participate in the East Asia Summit starting from 2011.

The Leaders also discussed and exchanged views on the participation and contribution of ASEAN at the upcoming G-20 Summit in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.

As the chair of ASEAN in 2010, Vietnam will convey ASEAN’s message to the G-20 Summit on efforts to ensure sustainable and balanced development, intensify the role of developing economies as well as reform the global financial system.

On the same day, the Leaders had a working lunch with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in order to promote cooperation among ASEAN businesses as well as contributions from the business sector to regional integration and sustainable development.

A Chairman’s Statement of the 17th ASEAN Summit will be issued on the outcomes and decisions of the Summit.