At the Interface with AIPA representatives. (Photo: VNA)
They were the first activities within the framework of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits.
During ASEAN leaders’ Interface with AIPA representatives, representatives from AIPA member legislatures highlighted parliamentary diplomacy’s contributions to common efforts to seek solutions to regional issues. AIPA representatives proposed four groups of recommendations to ASEAN leaders related to harmonious people-centred socio-economic development,promotion of green, equitable and sustainable investment, improvement of capacityto respond to and mitigate damage caused by natural disasters, and strengtheningof regional parliamentary cooperation.
Leaders of ASEAN member states acknowledged the important contribution of AIPA over the past decades to theprocess of building the ASEAN Community. They affirmed AIPA plays an important role inupholding principles, standards, code of conduct, promoting dialogues andresponsible participation of partners for peace, security and prosperity in theregion.
They proposed measures to improve the efficiency of coordinationbetween legislative and executive channels, including actively reviewing andremoving barriers, striving to harmonise laws and facilitate the implementationof agreements and cooperation programmes, especially in fields of concern suchas digital transformation, energy transition and climate change response.
At the Interface with representatives of the ASEAN Youth Organisation. (Photo: VNA) Meeting ASEAN leaders, representatives of ASEAN Youth Organisation expressed young generations' wishto join hands to contribute to the common recovery and development of the regionwith a willingness to learn in order to be best prepared for the future. Theyhighlighted a need to ensure inclusive and across-the-board educational programmes targetingall young people, especially those in remote and mountainous areas while givingequal attention to all fields to fully equip youth with necessary skills in the21st century.
Suggestions submitted to ASEAN leaders included optimising scientific and technological advances to facilitate exchanges and connectivity, expanding exchanges foryouths, young teachers, researchers and scholars to narrow the gap between urbanand rural areas, paying more attention to children's mental health followingCOVID-19 epidemic, and strengthening the standardisation of qualifications topromote labour movement and create more job opportunities for young people inall member countries.
The ASEAN Leaders affirmed that young people play an importantrole in stepping up cohesion and responding to common challenges in the region,contributing to planning the future of the ASEAN Community. They spoke highlyof youths’ practical suggestions to solve regional issues, saying that theydemonstrate the awareness and responsibility of the young generation for ASEAN’simportant decisions.
Meanwhile, ABAC delegates said ASEAN need to continue assertingits leading role in strengthening an open, responsible, fair and rules-basedmultilateral trading system. They suggested that member countries considerbuilding the ASEAN Economic Community a national priority, improve economicself-reliance through economic harmonisation and integration; and on thatbasis, promote trade facilitation, digital transformation, smart connectivity,circular economy, energy transition, building responsible and inclusive businesses,food security and tourism.
At the Interface with representatives of ABAC. (Photo: VNA)
The Vietnamese Government always pays attention to institutionalreform, improving business environment; supporting businesses, especiallymicro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and creating favourable conditionsfor all economic sectors to prosper, particularly private sector, he said.
To further facilitate businesses’ involvement in the process ofbuilding the ASEAN Community, he suggested strengthening dialogues andcooperation so that policies are planned in line with strategic orientations ofcountries and aspirations of the business community for real benefit of thepeople.
Apart from controlling COVID-19, he proposed ASEAN governments continuewith synchronous measures to maintainmacro-economic stability, control inflation, promote growth, ensure majorbalances of the economy, promptly respond to the risk of recession and crisisfrom the outside, harmoniously handle international economic cooperation andcompetition, and step up trade.
In his opinion, firms need to actively embrace sci-tech and digitaltransformation, ensure workers’ rights in combination with manpowerdevelopment, thus meeting increasing demand of the labour market and better performsocial responsibility.
The Vietnamese government leader expressed his belief that with ASEANleaders’ commitments, ASEAN BAC and ASEAN business community will have many initiativesand take specific, practical and effective actions to overcome challenges, firmlyconsolidate the relationship between the State, enterprises and people, for aresilient, strong, sustainable and inclusive bloc.
The 40th and 41st ASEANSummits are scheduled to open on November 11 morning. Leaders of ASEAN countries will attend the plenaryand retreat sessions to discuss the ASEAN Community building process, ASEAN'sexternal relations as well as regional and global issues of shared concern./.
