Participants in the inaugural ASEAN-UK Joint Cooperation Committee (AUKJCC) Meeting on June 24 (Source: asean.org) The ASEAN Foreign Ministers conferred the status of Dialogue Partner on the UKat the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting on August 2, 2021. With thisformalisation, the AUKJCC, which comprises the Committee of PermanentRepresentatives to ASEAN, the Ambassador of the UK to ASEAN and the ASEANSecretariat, will provide the direction and oversee all aspects of the DialoguePartnership.
At the meeting, officials from both sides exchanged views on the recentdevelopments in ASEAN and the UK, including efforts to address the COVID-19pandemic, as well as on regional and international issues.
Both sides also deliberated on ways to deepen the ASEAN-UK cooperation in areassuch as maritime security and maritime law; transnational crime; cybersecurity;financial services; digitalisation; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs); climate change and environment; energy; sustainable economic growth;education; health; women, peace and security; science, technology andinnovation; youth; culture; tourism; people-to-people linkages; ASEANConnectivity initiatives; and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI).
The meeting adopted the Terms of Reference ofthe AUKJCC, and noted the ongoing negotiations on a Plan of Action (PoA) toImplement the ASEAN-United Kingdom Dialogue Partnership for the period of2022-2026, which will serve as a practical guide to further substantiate theDialogue Partnership with a focus on areas of mutual interest, aligned with theASEAN Community Vision 2025./.
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