Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly(AIPA)’s function is crucial in concerted efforts to build a people-oriented,people-centred ASEAN Community, said Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary General ofASEAN.

Speaking at the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA that is being held online from September 8-10, Phoaksaid AIPA parliamentarians are well-placed to reach out to the peoples of ASEANand act as intermediaries between them and the policymakers.

AIPA, as the region’s lead parliamentary organisation, iswell-posed in enhancing the ASEAN’s integration process, he continued.

AIPA plays a critical role in transposing regional commitments tonational laws. Similarly, AIPA is pivotal in expediting ratifications of signedASEAN agreements, aligning domestic laws and regulations with regionalpriorities while monitoring the implementation of these laws.

This year 2020 was supposed to be an exciting year for ASEAN.While COVID-19 has substantially slowed-down some of activities and events,ASEAN – under Vietnam’s able Chairmanship – has stayed focused in endeavoringour community building process and regional integration journey, according tothe Deputy Secretary General.

“Looking back, two learning points are evident. Firstly, COVID-19has irreversibly transformed the world, and the road to recovery will be a longand consequential journey. Secondly, in an interconnected world, a globalcrisis requires international cooperation, and no single country can wrestleany crisis alone. Hence, tackling the pandemic demands solidarity and actionsacross the international community,” he said.

In the same context, he went on, ASEAN will and must continue toremain united in the resolve to make policy and law-making work for the benefitof peoples. ASEAN has to keep markets open, ensure the normal flows of tradeand supply chain connectivity, particularly for essential products. Such ademonstration of regional commitment is critical, in light of the pressure toturn inward.

Since March 2020, ASEAN has been taking prompt and decisiveactions to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. The successful convening ofthe 36th ASEAN online Summit in June 2020 was a clear illustration of ASEAN’ssolidarity manifested in concrete regional cooperation.

It has, among others, affirmed the need for a regional recoveryplan post-COVID-19, that involves collaboration among public agencies,businesses and other stakeholders.

At the last Interface between ASEAN Leaders and AIPA during the36th ASEAN online Summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as ASEANChair, affirmed the compelling need for ASEAN member states to stay united, andto turn challenges into opportunities for sustainable development, Phoakrecalled.

PM Phuc urged both ASEAN and AIPA to work together to facilitatethe post-COVID 19 recovery, including implementing timely policies and measuresto mitigate adverse impacts of the crisis and to rebuild lives, he said./.