ASEAN senior officials responsible for information will continue to pursue wider awareness about the benefits and opportunities of the ASEAN Community through content development and dissemination. This was the direction taken at their two-day meeting in Bacolod, Philippines, which concluded today.
“As we strive to achieve the ASEAN Vision 2025, our main objective is to find ways to effectively communicate and promote ASEAN’s meaning and identity; so that our citizens not only gain awareness of our organization that becomes inspired to participate and support the Community to build an ASEAN that is truly people-centered,” Atty. Noel Puyat, Chair of the Senior Officials Meeting Responsible for Information (SOMRI), said during the opening.
In time for the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, the SOMRI will cooperate on the development of TV spots and features that commemorate the founding of ASEAN as well as highlight the people’s aspirations related to the future of ASEAN integration. Raising ASEAN awareness is one of the key mandates of the SOMRI and is in line with the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Information and Media 2016-2025, which was adopted in 2016.
To implement the said strategic plan, the SOMRI will strengthen its coordination with the ASEAN Community Pillars to support public outreach efforts focused on stories demonstrating how ASEAN citizens can benefit from regional integration. Such public communication shall be carried out using multi-media channels.
The meeting looked at ways to encourage regional co-production and online content production targeting ASEAN audiences to strengthen regional cooperation on the development of ASEAN content. The meeting also discussed cross-sectoral matters such as the dissemination and utilisation of a set of core values on digital literacy and the next phase of the ASEAN Communication Master Plan.
Finally, senior information officials deliberated how to strengthen the information sector’s partnership with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other stakeholders in raising awareness and promoting a sense of belonging, consolidating unity in diversity and enhancing deeper mutual understanding among ASEAN Member States on their culture and history.
