Carlyle A. Thayer said that in January this year, the Press Statement after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat identified the following priorities set by Malaysia as ASEAN Chair for 2025: “advancing ASEAN’s collective vision of a resilient, people-centred, forward looking ASEAN Community while advancing economic growth and regional connectivity, and enhancing regional resilience.”
Thang highlighted three key strategic priorities for ASEAN moving forward: strengthening unity and the central role of the people; enhancing connectivity with a whole-of-community approach to ensure equitable access to opportunities and leave no one behind; and upholding ASEAN's centrality while promoting partnerships for shared benefit. He also underscored the importance of communication, particularly in raising public awareness about ASEAN’s values and significance.
A webinar on the implementation of the ASEAN Roadmap on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2025 was held on October 18-19, attracting the participation of high-ranking officials from ASEAN member countries, and representatives of eight ASEAN’s sectoral bodies.
Brunei’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat, hosted the 16th Coordinating Conference on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOC-COM) on March 15, aiming to enhance synergy on the cross-sectoral and cross-pillar work of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
The APEC 2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting and related meeting continued the fifth working day on May 13 with more than 10 meetings and workshops hosted by APEC working groups and subcommittees.
APEC economies will establish a common framework to manage the issue of labour mobility in the region, said Tran Viet Thai, Director of the Vietnam APEC Study Centre under the Foreign Ministry.
