JAKARTA, 24 February 2021 – Today, ASEAN and Canada reaffirmed commitment to strengthen cooperation under their new Plan of Action 2021-2025 in areas of mutual interests at the 9th ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting via videoconference.
Both sides highlighted the importance of continuing efforts to effectively implement the new Plan of Action (2021-2025), adopted at the ASEAN-Canada Ministerial Meeting in September last year.
In this spirit, the meeting agreed to deepen collaboration in the areas of trade and investment; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) development; public health; innovation including entrepreneurship and start-ups; digital economy; education; gender equality; Women, Peace and Security; and connectivity.
The Meeting highlighted the importance of collaboration towards post COVID-19 recovery, and ensuring fair, equitable and global access of vaccines. ASEAN also welcomed Canada’s interest to contribute to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, as well as cooperation through initiatives such as the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.
Canada’s support to ASEAN Community building and integration efforts through cooperation programmes such as; the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED); the Canada-OECD Project for ASEAN SMEs (COPAS); and the “TRIANGLE in ASEAN initiative” to promote safe and fair labour migration, was highly appreciated.
Moving forward, both sides underscored the significance of enhancing economic relations and looked forward to advancing discussion on a possible ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which is also one of the priority economic deliverables of Brunei Darussalam’s Chairmanship of ASEAN this year.
Taking note that next year marks the 45th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Partnership, Canada looked forward to engaging ASEAN on potential commemorative events.
Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States and their representatives, Canada’s Ambassador to ASEAN, and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political-Security Community attended the meeting.
- ABOUT ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.Menu - WHAT WE DO
ASEAN organs always strive to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat shall be functioned as coordinating Secretariat to help facilitate effective decision-making withing and amongst ASEAN bodies. In addition, each Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative to liaise with Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat
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ASEAN shall develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogues, cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. This includes external partners, ASEAN entities, human rights bodies, non-ASEAN Member States Ambassadors to ASEAN, ASEAN committees in third countries and international organisations, as well as international / regional organisations.
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The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009. The ASEAN Community, anchored on three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community was launched in 2015. The ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together was introduced in 2015 as a Post-2015 Vision. It comprises the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025
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