ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meet by Videoconference to discuss Regional Issues

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever M. Mahilum-West, Director-General of ASEAN-Philippines and Temporary SOM Leader of the Philippines, participates in the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting held by videoconference on 21 July 2020.

PASAY CITY 01 August 2020 – The ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting (ARF SOM) was held by videoconference on 21 July 2020, with participants exchanging views on collective responses to COVID-19, developments in the South China Sea, and other political-security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

Amid the evolving pandemic situation, ARF participants called for continuous cooperation to address the impacts of COVID-19 and to bolster collective efforts to address transnational issues such as terrorism, money laundering, piracy, cyber crime, and climate change.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever M. Mahilum-West, Director-General of ASEAN-Philippines and Temporary SOM Leader of the Philippines, called on the development of a comprehensive recovery plan as the region battles COVID-19 and awaits the development of a vaccine. She added that the pandemic should not distract ARF from its collective efforts to ensure maritime peace, stability and security in the region.

“The Philippines places a high priority on maritime security. And, as an archipelagic state, our people largely depend on our seas for various needs,” the Filipino diplomat said.

Assistant Secretary Mahilum-West stressed the importance of refraining from actions that raise tensions in the South China Sea and called on parties to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities to avoid escalation of disputes.

“As a community of law-abiding nations, it is in our best interest to resolve issues peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” she said.

“We are mindful that the international community is keenly observing the situation in the South China Sea and the negotiations on the Code of Conduct. We hope that all will acknowledge the importance of allowing space for diplomacy to advance and for negotiations to thrive and move forward,” she added.

The ARF SOM Leaders also approved the Ha Noi Plan of Action II (2020-2025), which aims to provide direction to the ARF on strengthening its areas of cooperation for the next five years. It will replace the Ha Noi Plan of Action to Implement the ARF Vision Statement, which was adopted in 2010.

The ASEAN Regional Forum is a venue for constructive dialogue and consultation among participants on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region through its confidence-building and preventive diplomacy initiatives.

Participants in the ASEAN Regional Forum include the ten ASEAN Member States, as well as Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and the United States. END