Bangkok, 22 September 2011

The Senior Officials of Social Welfare and Development from ASEAN Member States concluded on 22 September 2011 their 7th Meeting in Bangkok which had been convened for two days.

During the Meeting, the Senior Officials discussed the strategies to implement the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint, giving special attention to the promotion of the welfare and development of vulnerable groups in the region. To this end, the Strategic Framework for 2011-2015 was endorsed.

The Senior Officials also discussed projects and activities which address the issues of cyber pornography and cyber prostitution in ASEAN, care for victims of trafficking, community-based rehabilitation promotion, early child care development and education, quality of life and well-being of older people and persons with disabilities, among others. They also looked into the possible joint efforts to support ASEAN Member States in accelerating the children-related target achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the context of the ASEAN Roadmap for the Attainment of MDGs.

Guided by the Meeting’s theme of “Establishment of the Social Protection Floor on Social Welfare and Development in ASEAN”, the Senior Officials exchanged views and acknowledged the importance of social protection policies in combating poverty, reducing inequalities, improving living standards and accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and unlocking productive capacities of vulnerable groups. Recognising social protection as a cross-cutting issue that requires holistic approach, the Senior Officials considered the need to improve coordination among line agencies in setting and implementing the social protection floor.

Mechanism to monitor and assess the achievement of goals, outcomes and targets of the ASCC Blueprint was considered. A cross-sectoral workshop to consider the appropriate indicators to measure ASEAN’s achievement in improving the social welfare and development of vulnerable groups was planned for this year.

Towards the 19th ASEAN Summit in November 2011, the Senior Officials endorsed the Bali Declaration on the Enhancement of the Role and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in ASEAN Community for adoption by the ASEAN Leaders. Simultaneously, the concept note and mobilisation plan of an ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2011-2020) was also adopted leading to the ASEAN Leaders proclaiming at the 19th ASEAN Summit the thematic decade to promote disability inclusive development in ASEAN.

Various strategies to promote the engagement of stakeholders in ASEAN’s collective efforts aimed at the best interests of vulnerable groups were concretized. Specific actions to promote the social responsibility of the private sector in the ASEAN Community building as recommended by the Regional Workshop on ASEAN Action Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) held on 19 September 2011 in Bangkok, were carefully considered. The Senior Officials agreed that those recommendations will be reported to the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council towards identifying the appropriate ASEAN bodies to implement Action Lines C.3 of the ASCC Blueprint concerning CSR.

Participants of the 6th ASEAN GO-NGO Forum on Social Welfare and Development held on 20 September 2011 in Bangkok considered that the existing social safety nets in the region might not be adequate in protecting the rights of vulnerable sectors of society particularly children, women, older people and persons with disabilities, and put forward bold recommendations to the Senior Officials. Thus, responsive efforts to strengthen social protection floor in the region were considered.

In promoting the ASEAN Social Work Consortium (ASWC), which was established by the SOMSWD at its Sixth Meeting in January 2010, the ASWC Work Plan for 2011-2014 was endorsed. The Work Plan aims at achieving responsive and excellent social work services and education in the region. Under the leadership of the Philippines, the First Conference of the Consortium was convened in March 2011 in Manila, bringing together social work practitioners, educators and schools of social work from ASEAN Member States. As a follow through of this activity, the Second Conference was planned for 2012 in the Philippines.

The Senior Officials considered their participation in international events, such as the 4th International Expo and Awards as well as International Conference on Social Welfare Issues in the ASEAN Region which will be hosted by Indonesia on 27-30 October 2011 and, subsequently, the 2nd Asia Pacific CBR Congress which will be held on 29 November – 1 December 2011 in Manila, the Philippines.

To promote child participation in the region, the Senior Officials endorsed the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN Children’s Forum which shall serve as a platform to voice children’s aspirations and concerns on issues affecting their lives. Following the First Forum in Clark, Pampanga, the Philippines in October 2010, the Second Forum will be held in Singapore in mid 2012.

Apart from meeting with the NGOs, the Senior Officials were also engaged in exchange of views with the representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and International Labour Organization (ILO).

Areas of future joint collaboration with the aforementioned NGOs and UN Agencies have been explored to strengthen the social protection and further the development and well-being of disadvantaged groups in ASEAN.

The 6th ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD+3) involving counterparts from China, Japan and Republic of Korea, will be convened on 23 September 2011 to continue enhancing their cooperation.

The Senior Officials will convene their 8th Meeting tentatively in August 2012 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam.