Hanoi (VNA) - The 27th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting was held virtually on March 30. This was an important event and the first meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community this year.

The meeting was attended by 10 ministers/heads of delegations from ASEAN countries in charge of the Socio-Cultural Community, the ASEAN Secretary-General, the delegations of ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.

Participants expressed their strong support for the meeting’s theme "ASEAN Action: Tackling Challenges Together" and a series of initiatives launched by Cambodia, especially in the fields of youth, sports, labour and enhancement of entrepreneurship for women.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung voiced support for Cambodia's initiatives on building a declaration on insurance linkage within ASEAN, and promoting the potential of women in business, peace and security.

Dung stressed that efforts of the ASCC are testament to the protection of factors that promote economic and social development; and ensure the rights of workers in general and migrant workers in particular, thus building an open, adaptive society and eliminating existing inequalities in society.

He expressed his belief that ASEAN’s recent initiatives to promote the role of regional young people will contribute to building a cohesive and sustainable ASEAN Community.

The minister also shared Vietnam’s efforts to promote post-pandemic recovery, saying that the Vietnamese government has issued policies to help workers and businesses overcome difficulties.

Vietnam has successfully implemented its vaccine strategy through the largest vaccination campaign ever, becoming one of the countries with the highest COVID-19 vaccine coverage rate in the world, he noted.

Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung shares Vietnam’s efforts to promote post-pandemic recovery at the meeting (Photo: Vietnamplus)

By the end of March 11, 2022, Vietnam had injected nearly 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with 81.14% of the population getting at least one dose. Currently, Vietnam is also preparing to inoculate children aged 5-11 years old. These efforts of the Government have helped Vietnamese people quickly return to normal life, focusing on economic development and reopening tourism and schools.

Participants spoke highly of the ASCC’s priorities and efforts in connecting people with people, putting people at the centre of sustainable development and leaving no one behind, saying that activities of the community are increasingly substantive, and closely following international, regional and national priorities.

They also applauded the education sectors of ASEAN member countries for promoting digital transformation in education activities and re-opening schools in the new normal.

The meeting noted with satisfaction the progress of the continued implementation of the ASCC Blueprint 2025 in building a community that engages and benefits the people, and is inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic. It also commended ASCC Pillar’s endeavour to continue to enhance the quality of life of ASEAN peoples amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. This is being done through incorporating and aligning the Blueprint’s implementation into the respective post-2020 ASCC Sectoral Work Plans and the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and its Implementation Plan (ACRF) as recommended in the Mid-Term Review of the ASCC Blueprint 2025. The meeting notes the updates given at the 5th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on the Culture of Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society; the Report of the 17th Coordinating Conference on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOC-COM); and updates on the Consolidated Strategy on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The meeting also emphasised the significant role of sports in ASEAN community building. Sport was recognized as assisting in the development of the ASEAN Declaration on Leveraging the Role of Sports in ASEAN Community-Building and Achieving the SDGs and the ASEAN Declaration on Fostering ASEAN Identity Through the Safeguarding of Traditional Sports and Games in the Modern World.

The ministers agreed on the content of the 27th ASCC Meeting Report to submit to the upcoming 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, scheduled for November 2022.

ღ The ASCC Meeting is a meeting of ministers in charge of relevant areas in the ASCC held twice a year. It takes place right before ASEAN Summit to review the implementation of activities and prepare the ASCC’s documents on related cooperation areas for submission to the ASEAN Summit for approval./