Illustrative Image (Photo: Adobe Stock)) New York (VNA) – The ASEAN Committee in New York held a ceremony to mark the bloc’s 56th founding anniversary at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on October 10 (local time).
The event saw the attendance of President of the 78th UN General Assembly Dennis Francis, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, ambassadors and heads of delegations from UN member countries.
As the rotating Chair of ASEAN in 2023, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pahala Mansury affirmed the central role of ASEAN as a regional cooperation model which has spared no efforts to maintain peace and stability, promote dynamic growth and effectively cope with global challenges.
Speaking at the ceremony, President of the 78th UN General Assembly Dennis Francis asked ASEAN to continue demonstrating its leading role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking action to respond to climate change, and dealing with poverty and inequality.
He also expressed his gratitude for ASEAN's support and contributions to the common affairs of the UN and to the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, adding that for the first time a Vietnamese representative has been working at the office.
Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder emphasised that amid the current challenges, ASEAN continues to play an important role in and make positive contributions to ensuring peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development in the region and the world.
Delegations of ASEAN member states to the UN have regularly maintained close contact, conversations, and meetings and shared views and information about issues of common concern on the UN agenda.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on August 8, 1967 under the Bangkok Declaration, marking an important milestone in the region's development process./.
