PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called for solidarity to combat international crimes and the growing impact of climate change at the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and its related meetings in Indonesia.
He made the call as ASEAN faces “a complex geopolitical environment,” which includes the differing agenda of its member states.
“ASEAN itself is not immune to its own challenges, as we continue to navigate our differences in the region towards a general consensus of action,” Marcos said in his intervention at the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community’s post-2025 vision (HLTF-ACV).
“Regionalism should mirror our collective interests, for our strength relies on our united voice,” he added.
Regional cooperation
IN his intervention at the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the President proposed the harmonization of laws and regulations in the region so it can better respond to regional challenges.
Among such pressing regional concerns, he said, is the “increasing misuse of innovative technological applications to facilitate trafficking in persons.”
“Creating a robust legal framework and an effective enforcement mechanism that mutually supports each other to reinforce national and regional cooperation against trafficking in persons are needed to address those issues,” Marcos said.
Such cooperation can also extend to issues related to climate change, which continues to cause devastation in many countries including those from ASEAN, according to him.
ASEAN member states, he added, can accelerate the global transition from fossil fuel-reliance to renewable energy by boosting their production of “critical metals” needed for the production and development of green technology such as aluminium, nickel and chromite.
“Recognizing that a cleaner energy future is anchored on the supply of critical minerals, ASEAN should now start enhancing regional cooperation towards boosting the region’s strategic industrial metals and minerals value chain,” Marcos said at the ASEAN Summit Plenary Session.
He noted that ASEAN continues to ask developed to countries to honor their “moral obligation” to help countries, which are vulnerable to climate change through technology transfer, capacity building, and climate financing.
For its part, ASEAN, he said, should to do its role in mitigating the impact of climate change by having member states implement their commitments in the Paris Agreement.
Aging population
MARCOS also raised the issue of the aging population in ASEAN, which he said the regional bloc should start preparing for as early as now.
Citing data from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), he said about a quarter of the population in the Asia Pacific region, including ASEAN, will be over 60 years old by 2050.
“I think therefore it is time that ASEAN should start discussing the concerns of an ageing population, consistent with the ASEAN tradition of valuing our elders,” Marcos said.
Foremost of his recommendation is to ensure ASEAN elders have “a safe and dignified, and productive life” by putting social benefits and policies in place.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) pointed out Marcos was the first regional leader to discuss the issue during an ASEAN summit.
Interoperability
DURING the plenary session, Marcos also pushed for a stronger “cross-border connectivity and the interoperability of digital frameworks” to encourage free trade in ASEAN.
Such initiative, he said, should be complemented by the necessary skilled workforce in the region.
“We must forge a vibrant digital economy and ensure that our people are equipped with the digital skills of the future so that no one is left behind in the midst of our world’s digital transformation,” Marcos said.
He said the ASEAN, through its Youth Dialogue and Junior Fellowship Program, can provide the necessary avenue to allow the younger generation to gain the necessary skills to qualify for opportunities in the digital and creative economies.
“We must ensure that they are well equipped to not only compete globally, but also to develop expertise, forge linkages, and establish leadership in these fields,” Marcos said in his intervention during the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth.
As part of his business agenda, the President also reiterated the importance of ensuring food and energy security in the ASEAN amid international “price fluctuations triggered by geopolitical instability and conflict, pandemics, climate change, logistics chain disruptions, and fuel shortages.”
Full support
THE 42nd ASEAN Summit, currently being held at the Meruorah Komodo Convention Center in the Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, will end on May 11, 2023.
Among the highlights of the event was the participation of Timor-Leste, which is currently seeking to become a member of ASEAN.
Marcos backed the full membership of Timor-Leste in ASEAN, which he said will further strengthen the regional bloc.
Other matters discussed in the summit and its related meetings were the strengthening of ASEAN institutions and “health architecture,” drafting of the ASEAN post 2025 Vision, post-pandemic economic recovery, and the 5-point consensus for the resolving the crisis in Myanmar.