05 August 2015 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario delivered an intervention at the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting – Plenary Session on August 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In his intervention, Secretary del Rosario spoke about ASEAN Community Building and cited its major achievements in its political-security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars. He said that while much has been achieved, there is still work that needs to be done.
The Secretary likewise stressed the importance of human rights to the work of all three community pillars. He reiterated the Philippines’ advocacy on inclusive growth and the rule of law.
The Secretary further thanked the ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh for extending assistance to the typhoon survivors in the Philippines under the ASEAN Assistance for the Recovery of Yolanda-Affected Areas (ARYA). He conveyed the Philippines’ expression of solidarity to the Government and people of Myanmar who have been severely affected by the recent monsoon rains.
He also called upon the remaining ASEAN member states to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB). The ACB, located in UP Los Baños in Laguna, Philippines is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the ASEAN region.
The Secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining and enhancing ASEAN centrality in managing regional affairs and in building the region’s security architecture. “Our external partners should extend their appropriate support and cooperation to maintain a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. Specifically, regional cooperation must focus increasingly on addressing natural disasters, non-traditional security threats, transnational crimes, and other emerging issues,” he said.
He called on fellow ASEAN member states to immediately conclude the negotiations on an ASEAN instrument on the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers for the benefit of migrant workers in the region. END