HCM City hosts conference on ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

HCM City (VNA) – A conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 20 focused on the ASEAN Socio-cultural Community (ASCC).

At the event, Ha Minh Duc, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Department of International Cooperation, reviewed the outcomes of the ASCC blueprint from 2009 to 2015, saying that the plan drew the participation of 12 ministries and agencies of Vietnam. It handled 99 percent of actions in the ASCC Master Blueprint.

She emphasised the need to build another plan for the ASCC for the next ten years, especially in the context of the ASEAN Community (AC) formation at the year’s end.

It aims to balance economic growth and sustainability, as well as enhance regional capacity in response to climate change and health issues, among other goals, she noted.

As part of the plan, relevant communications campaigns to raise public awareness, which were restricted in the past, should be prioritised, she said. This will help ASEAN members capitalise on benefits brought by the AC in the long run.

The AC comprises three pillars – the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community – and is scheduled to be established on December 31, 2015.-VNA