The ASEAN People’s Forum (APF) 2020 concluded on November 7 after three days of sitting with two plenary sessions and 24 workshops covering 11 different topics.
Hanoi (VNA)♎ – The ASEAN People’s Forum (APF) 2020 concluded on November 7 afterthree days of sitting with two plenary sessions and 24 workshops covering 11different topics.
With the theme “Southeast Asian People’s Solidarity for anInclusive, Cohesive and Responsive Community”, it offered an opportunityfor participants to exchange information and experience and strengthen solidarity. It also helped improve connectivity between social movements andpeople’s organisations in ASEAN to respond to global challenges for the purposeof building a people-centred ASEAN Community. The outcomes of the plenary sessions and themed workshops areincluded in reports of theme groups, which will be added to the APF JointStatement 2020. Addressing the closing ceremony, Phan Anh Son, Vice Presidentand General Secretary of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), saidthat the forum was a success, manifesting the inclusive, cohesive andresponsive spirit of Southeast Asian peoples. Son,who is head of the national committee for APF 2020 organisation board, affirmedthat Vietnamese people’s organisations will continue contributing tothe forum as well as the strengthening of solidarity among the peoples of SoutheastAsian nations. APF is an annual event held on the sidelines of ASEAN Summit, which wasinitiated by Malaysia in 2005. The forum creates an open space for the engagement of people’s organisationsin the ASEAN, raising the voice of the people to leaders of ASEAN countries,thus building an ASEAN Community for the common interest of the people and forpeace, development and equal and sustainable development in the region./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 5 expressed his belief that the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings would be a success thanks to the close coordination of ministries and agencies.
The 24th meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council, the most important event of the ASCC this year, was held online on November 6 with the participation of 10 member countries’ officials, the ASEAN Secretary-General, and the bloc’s Secretariat.
The People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) held a workshop in Hanoi on November 6 to discuss promoting cooperation among social organisations in the fight against wildlife and timber smuggling in ASEAN.
As many as 26 paintings featuring Hanoi Autumn as well as cultural and religious heritage of ASEAN countries are being displayed at an exhibition in the Vietnamese capital city.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
An overview of the forum (Photo: VNA) 
