PH Calls for Bold Institutional Reforms and Stakeholder Consultation for ASEAN Strat Plan Post-2025

Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso (6th from the left) and Ambassador Luis T. Cruz (4th from the left), the Philippines’ Eminent Person and High-Level Representative to the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV), respectively, at the 7th Meeting of the HLTF-ACV held on 19-20 March 2023 in Belitung, Indonesia.

BELITUNG 23 March 2023 – The Philippines and other ASEAN Member States called for consultation with relevant stakeholders in order to craft an ASEAN Vision and its Strategic Plans that are inclusive, pragmatic, balanced, and comprehensive. Following this suggestion, the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) invited the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) to the 7th Meeting of the HLTF-ACV, which was held on 19-20 March 2023 at Belitung, Indonesia.

During the Meeting, the Philippines also called for bold institutional reforms including addressing issues and updates in the ASEAN Charter to reflect the many achievements that ASEAN has accomplished over the years and to strengthen the  mechanisms and processes of the ASEAN of the future

The stakeholders’ representatives emphasized the need to mainstream their respective areas of concern, including human rights, biodiversity, ease of doing business and the development of an agile system that will withstand rapid and unexpected shocks and megatrends that will confront ASEAN in the future.

AICHR Indonesia Representative Yuyun Wahyuningrum emphasized the importance of placing human rights concern at the heart of ASEAN and developing a strong human rights ecosystem, by systematically considering human rights perspectives in various regional issues, such as climate change and Women, Peace and Security.

ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim urged the HLTF-ACV to mainstream biodiversity, which has sociocultural, economic and even political components, in the former’s work considering that the ASEAN region contains 25% of the world’s flora and fauna.

ABAC Alternate Chairperson Bernardino M. Vega pointed out that there is a huge potential for ASEAN’s business communities and private sector to cooperate, and emphasized the need for governments to work together to ensure ease of doing business across ASEAN Member States.

Finally, ERIA Senior Economic Adviser Aladdin Rillo emphasized that ASEAN can no longer follow the business-as usual model and repeat what it is doing now, nor afford to work in silos, and underlined the need to address cross pillar coordination.  He proposed changes in the mandate and function of the ASEAN Secretariat and the Secretary General.  

In anticipation of these megatrends and challenges, Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Eminent Person to the HLTF-ACV of the Philippines, called upon her colleagues to boldly address the most difficult issues with courage and honesty knowing that an agile and responsive ASEAN can manage whatever complicated and unforeseen shocks and megatrends that will confront the future ASEAN.

Ambassador Buensuceso was joined by Ambassador Luis T. Cruz, the Philippines’ High-Level Representative to the HLTF-ACV in the meeting.

Timor-Leste joined the Meeting for the first time as an observer.

ASEAN aims to finalize the Vision statement and its Strategic Plans for adoption by ASEAN leaders in 2025. The HLTF-ACV agreed on a 20-year time frame for the Vision, and that the Vision will include ASEAN’s responses to the megatrends and challenges facing ASEAN 20 years from 2025. The structure of the Post-2025 Vision will expand on the current ASEAN community pillars to include Connectivity and other cross-pillar issues. END

Ambassador Buensuceso with the stakeholders’ representatives: (L-R) ACB’s Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim, Ambassador Buensuceso AICHR Indonesia Representative Yuyun Wahyuningrum, ERIA Senior Economic Adviser Alladin Rillo, and ABAC Alternate Chairperson Bernardino M. Vega.

Ambassador Buensuceso with the Philippine delegation to the 7th Meeting of the HLTF-ACV.