1. The 10th ASEAN-United Nations (UN) Summit was held on 3 November 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.), Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, and attended by Heads of State/Government of ASEAN Member States and their representatives as well as H.E. Ant?nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN. The Secretary-General of ASEAN was also in attendance.
2. We recognised the instrumental role of the UN in ensuring the effectiveness of multilateral approaches to explore solutions to global challenges in close collaboration with regional organisations, including the exemplary partnership between ASEAN and the UN. The Secretary-General of the UN expressed appreciation for the strong commitment of ASEAN to the UN and to multilateralism. We were pleased to note that the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership has intensified and broadened across various areas of cooperation under the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, particularly since the adoption of its first five-year Plan of Action (2016-2020) in September 2016. We reaffirmed our commitment to advancing the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive partnership to promote sustainability in all dimensions in ASEAN and contribute to the realisation of a people-centred ASEAN Community that leaves no one behind.
3. We noted with satisfaction that positive progress continues to be made with over 90 per cent of the action lines within the current Plan of Action 2016-2020 being addressed at the end of the fourth year of its implementation. This has contributed meaningfully to the realisation of our common goals of peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and beyond. We looked forward to the development of a new Plan of Action (2021-2025) that will guide both sides in realising the full potential of the partnership for the next five years.
4. We welcomed the UN’s contribution to the progress made in enhancing the capacity of ASEAN in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention and peacekeeping for the maintenance of peace and stability through the sharing of expertise and best practices, as well as training cooperation in ASEAN such as triangular partnership peacekeeping training and ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN-UN collaboration with various ASEAN Centres, including the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR). We were pleased that the first Track 1.5 regional workshop of the ASEAN-IPR Secretariat was co-organised with the UN on ‘Lessons Learned on Conflict Resolution and Management in the ASEAN Region’ with specific focus on ceasefire mediation, in December 2018.
5. The UN Secretary-General expressed appreciation to the ASEAN Leaders for the current contribution of approximately 5,000 military and police peacekeeping personnel from ASEAN Member States, including through the provision of a growing number of women peacekeepers, which have been deployed in 10 global UN peace operations. We also took note of the meeting between the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) and the UN Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Peace Operations in June 2019 in Jakarta to discuss ways and means to enhance our peacekeeping cooperation. We commended ASEAN’s efforts to advance the women, peace and security agenda, including through the provision of a growing number of women peacekeepers and the establishment of the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry (AWPR), to which the UN Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s commitment to providing technical support. We looked forward to the convening of the forthcoming Seventh ASEAN-UN Workshop – Fifth Regional Dialogue on ASEAN-UN Cooperation on Political-Security Cooperation (AURED V): Focused Collaboration in Support of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) on 3-4 December 2019 in Viet Nam.
6. We emphasised the importance of the promotion and protection of human rights in the region, including through increasing engagements between the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the UN. We encouraged the AICHR and the UN to continue exchanging best practices and capacity building initiatives, particularly in the areas of the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities. We looked forward to the 2nd Interface Meeting between AICHR and the UN, which will be held in Bangkok in November 2019 with a view to focusing on future cooperation in areas of common interest.
7. In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we welcomed the adoption of the Joint Statement on Reaffirmation of Commitment to Advancing the Rights of the Child in ASEAN, ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the context of Migration, and a Declaration on the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN. We also appreciated the finalisation of a Joint Report by ASEAN Secretariat and UNICEF on ‘Children in ASEAN: 30 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child’.
8. We agreed to intensify our joint efforts in combatting the growing threat of transnational organised crimes in the region and welcomed the UN’s continued support on this front, particularly in sharing global practices and technical expertise with ASEAN in the areas among others, cybercrime, international economic crime, trafficking in persons, illicit drugs, infringement of intellectual property rights, as well as wildlife and timber. We looked forward to UNODC’s continued support to Thailand as ASEAN Chair to explore an ASEAN-wide border management cooperation arrangement as a cross-cutting solution for the region and other law enforcement and justice cooperation initiatives.
9. We reaffirmed the importance of recognised global, regional and national cooperation to address the threats and challenges posed by terrorism and violent extremism. We agreed on the importance of comprehensive approaches to counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism, in line with the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action for Preventing Violent Extremism. The UN reaffirmed its commitment to providing technical support to ASEAN, including through the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and UN agencies with technical expertise in areas such as law enforcement, gender, youth, education and engaging civil society in preventing violent extremism. We are pleased to note that our cooperation on this front has been enhanced through a range of capacity building activities, including in areas addressing foreign terrorist fighters, the financing of terrorists and the promotion of counter-narratives to address efforts to propagate messages of hatred and destruction by terrorists and violent extremists. The Secretary-General of the UN welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (2018-2025).
10. We acknowledged the significance of the cooperation of ASEAN and the UN to pursue further economic integration both within the region and in the global economy as well as efforts to create effective operational and regulatory frameworks, for a competitive ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) that leaves no one behind. We recognised the need for strengthening collaboration between ASEAN and the UN in areas such as trade facilitation, energy connection and interconnectivity and women’s economic empowerment, within and beyond the region as well as digital economy, financial technology and e-commerce. We reaffirmed UN’s support on ASEAN’s efforts in narrowing development gap between and within ASEAN Member States through assistance on the implementation of internationally agreed framework of cooperation and relevant ASEAN documents to achieve ASEAN integration.
11. We recognised the importance of cooperation between ASEAN and the UN in promoting a competitive, resilient and sustainable food, agriculture and forestry sector that contributes to an equitable and inclusive growth. In this regard, we are pleased to note that our cooperation on this front has been further promoted with the signing of an MOU between ASEAN and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in October 2018 and the finalisation of the five-year Work Programme of the ASEAN-FAO Cooperation on Agriculture and Forestry (2019-2024).
12. We also recognised the importance of cooperation between ASEAN and the UN in promoting the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector in ASEAN Member States. In this regard, we are pleased to note that our cooperation on this front has been further promoted with the extension of an MOU between ASEAN and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in December 2018 for three more years at the 19th ASEAN Telecommunication Ministers (TELMIN) Meeting on 25th October 2019 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
13. We appreciated the UN’s continued support to ASEAN in furthering efforts to achieve energy security in the region through joint study and publications. We welcomed the collaboration between the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in addressing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
14. We agreed that strengthening ASEAN-UN cooperation in disaster risk reduction, emergency response and management remains a priority as it aims to build a safer and disaster-resilient Community through the implementation of the agreed priorities for 2018-2019 under the ASEAN-UN Joint Strategic Plan of Action on Disaster Management (2016-2020). We appreciated the UN’s assistance to enhance the key role of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) by supporting its capacity building programmes, including training programmes for the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT), and the UN support to capacity building of gender expertise in disaster management among the front-line responders. We affirmed the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management to ensure gender equality and empowerment for women, girls, youth, and children is critical for disaster preparedness and response in the region.
15. We were pleased to note that our cooperation in addressing climate change and other environmental issues has continued to be undertaken through the ‘ASEAN-UN Environment and Climate Change Action Plan’ (2016-2020), which has supported the implementation of the ‘ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment (ASPEN)’. As part of efforts to further build resilience and strengthen support for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, we welcomed the UN’s support for the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity in enhancing coordination among ASEAN Member States in the conservation of ecosystems. We appreciated the UN’s continued support for ASEAN’s vision of disaster and climate resilient communities including its aims in reducing vulnerability to disaster and climate-related risks, including but not limited to various natural hazards, haze pollution, extreme weather events and climate change leads to growing frequency and severity of disasters, protecting forests and biodiversity, sea level rise, and preserving environmental flows in the region. We delivered the ASEAN Joint Statement to the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019 on 23 September 2019 and looked forward to fostering cooperation in building climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development. We looked forward to the delivery of the ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change at the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, in December 2019.
16. We welcome the adoption of the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage on 23 September 2019. We remain committed to strengthen primary healthcare in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage among ASEAN Member States and ensure the availability and timely provision of essential medicines and cost-effective health interventions at healthcare facilities and building-up the capacity of health workers.
17. We appreciated the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Women’s commitment to support ASEAN’s efforts in the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) including ending violence against women (EVAW) in the region, and also UN Women’s support to ASEAN’s efforts in developing the gender mainstreaming strategies into key sectoral priorities of ASEAN. We welcomed the support from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNICEF for ASEAN in implementing the ‘ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Education for out-of-school Children and Youth’ (OOSCY) since its adoption in 2016, including the establishment of the first ASEAN Working Group on OOSCY in December 2018. We acknowledged the ongoing support of UNAIDS to ASEAN to progress towards achieving their commitment to end AIDS by 2030. We also acknowledged the support of UN ESCAP in drafting the regional action plan for the implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Population Ageing and note the potential for further collaboration on the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025 for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the implementation of the ‘Women Empowerment Principles.’
18. We underlined the importance of promoting complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Complementarities Initiative) and reaffirmed our commitment to further enhancing ASEAN-UN cooperation in this regard, including through various initiatives such as the annual High-Level Brainstorming Dialogue (HLBD) on Enhancing Complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Directors-General Forum of ASEAN Countries on Development Cooperation, and other platforms for dialogue and cooperation on the SDGs. We were pleased to note the successful convening of the Third HLBD on 29 March 2019 in Bangkok. We also welcomed the recent ‘ASEAN-China-UNDP Symposium’ held in Ha Noi on 4-5 September 2019, which highlighted the importance of inclusive innovation in policymaking and practice in order to help expedite the eradication of poverty with the aim of ‘leaving no one behind’. We were pleased to note the ‘Complementarities Roadmap’, which will serve as a guide to further advance the Complementarities Initiative during 2020 – 2025. We also welcomed the launch of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) in Thailand and looked forward to further enhancing our cooperation and engagement with the ACSDSD. We also looked forward to the UN’s participation in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network. We noted the importance of collaboration between ASEAN Centers, including the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC) to improve livelihood of our peoples and promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.
19. We welcomed the Statement made by H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.), Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, on behalf of ASEAN Member States at the SDG Summit on 24 September 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York as well as the convening of the Side Event on “Regional Dimension in Achieving SDGs: From Lessons Learned to Practical Action in the ASEAN Region and Beyond on 24 September 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
20. We emphasised the importance of sustaining our Comprehensive Partnership at the highest level and looked forward to the 11th ASEAN-UN Summit to be held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam in 2020.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs