JAKARTA, 10 July 2024 – Today, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) convened its 20th Meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Coordinating Conference (20th SOC-COM) in person the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat and via video conference.
The conference brought together representatives from the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR), Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA), Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM), as well as delegates from the ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, ASEAN Centres and Entities, and the ASEAN Secretariat. Timor-Leste was also in attendance, as an observer.
In his opening remarks, Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, underscored the critical role of stakeholder engagement across the ASCC’s diverse stakeholders. He emphasised the importance of gaining their insights and recommendations in addressing current and future mega trends and issues faced by the ASCC, as well opportunities in partnerships and cooperation to build a robust ASCC Post-2025.
The conference discussed updates on key ASCC cross-pillar initiatives and emphasised the importance of enhancing and strengthening cross-pillar collaboration and cooperation to accelerate their implementation. The conference also exchanged views on mechanisms and support for the ongoing development of the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan, current and emerging trends and opportunities, and strategies to ensure the alignment of the ASCC Post-2025 with key regional priorities and agenda.
Ambassador Bovonethat Douangchak, Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN and Chair of the CPR encouraged cooperation and coordination among the three ASEAN Pillars and Connectivity with the CPR and emphasised the importance of coherent policy implementation to support ASEAN Community building process.
The ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue also briefed the conference on their work on sustainable development cooperation, and highlighted engagement opportunities for ASEAN Sectoral Bodies and the wider public.
