ASEAN Makes Progress on the Development of the Strategic Plans for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045; the Philippines Advocates for Stronger Cross-Pillar Coordination in ASEAN
THAILAND 03 May 2024 – The High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) held its 14th Meeting and interfaced with the Chairs of the drafting committees of the Strategic Plans for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), and ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) on 27-30 April 2024 in Pattaya, Thailand, to coordinate the development of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans. The HLTF-ACV likewise discussed the progress of the implementation of the Recommendations on Strengthening ASEAN’s Institutional Capacity and Effectiveness.
The Strategic Plans of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), AEC, ASCC, and ASEAN Connectivity will serve as ASEAN’s 20-year roadmap to achieve the vision set forth in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
The drafting committees of the three ASEAN Community Pillars and ASEAN Connectivity apprised each other of the progress in the drafting of their respective Strategic Plans. In order to fully capture the aspirations of ASEAN for the next 20 years across all ASEAN Community Pillars, the drafting committees consulted various stakeholders to foster greater inclusivity and open dialogue, obtain diverse views and perspectives, and enrich ASEAN’s policy discussions on the development of the strategic plans.
The Philippine Delegation, led by Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Philippine Eminent Person to the HLTF-ACV, commended the progress undertaken by the drafting committees. She emphasized that the drafting committees need to include cross-pillar measures across all of the strategic plans.
Citing ASEAN’s work in fostering the blue economy and climate change adaptation and mitigation as examples, she conveyed that these areas of cooperation are beyond the scope of one ASEAN Community Pillar to address and that these issues should be included across all of the strategic plans so that they “become the accountability of the four and not just one.” She encouraged the chairs of the drafting committees to “communicate to each other and convey to the relevant pillars what should be adopted into their strategic plans to coordinate cross-pillar actions and ensure that everyone is accountable.”
Ambassador Luis T. Cruz, Philippine High-Level Representative to the HLTF, led the Philippine delegation in the negotiations for the APSC Strategic Plan on 27-28 April 2024. The APSC strategic plan encompasses the key political-security issues that ASEAN projects will be of crucial importance for ASEAN to address in the next 20 years, covering areas such as enhancing maritime security and cooperation, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and disarmament, cybersecurity, combating transnational crimes, addressing the intersection between wildlife trafficking and health security, and the promotion and protection of human rights, among others.
Negotiations for the Strategic Plans of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 are set to continue, with the view to conclude the documents in time for its adoption at the 1st ASEAN Summit in 2025. END
