As the ASEAN Chairman for 2022, Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen attended here this morning the opening ceremony of the 43rd General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-43) under the theme “Advancing Together for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient ASEAN”.
Addressing to the opening ceremony, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the theme of AIPA-43 is relevant and appropriate, which will contribute to inspiring a sense of shared responsibility to respond to regional and global development in a timely manner as well as accelerating ASEAN socio-economic recovery toward common prosperity.
“ASEAN has come a long way and is globally recognised as a core community of regional architecture. As the rotating Chair of ASEAN in 2022 under the theme ‘ASEAN A.C.T: Addressing Challenges Together’, Cambodia is indeed proud to have navigated ASEAN in addressing difficult challenges facing our region and making significant achievements to expedite the building process of ASEAN Community in accordance with ASEAN’s core spirit of: One Vision, One Identity, One Community’,” he said.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen also mentioned about the success of Cambodia as the ASEAN Chair in hosting the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, with support from ASEAN member states.
Regarding sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience, he continued, ASEAN has been placing its priority on human resource development, education reform and vocational training to keep pace with digital transformation and enhance the role of women and youth to increase economic productivity and stimulate economic growth in the post COVID-19 era. On climate change issue, Cambodia has also proposed the formulation of “ASEAN Green Deal Initiative” at the recent ASEAN Summits, to re-orient regional development toward ASEAN’s sustainable green future.
ASEAN is also scaling up concerted efforts to implement agreed action plans and initiatives to derive maximum benefits from the opportunities arising from global trends, including digitalisation, circular economy, green economy, development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs), and especially the effective implementation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as well as other ASEAN Free Trade Agreements. All of these will be the key driving force in promoting connectivity in all areas as well as in working together to effectively respond to any challenges.
On political and security aspect, Cambodia has continued attaching the priority to strengthening ASEAN Centrality and Unity as well as adhering to multilateralism, which is a key regional mechanism for contributing to reducing the geo-political tensions and the confrontation between the superpowers, especially by continuing to promote dialogues with partners through various forums. “Although regional security issues have not yet been fully addressed, I believe that the positive outcomes of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits have made significant contribution to setting the common positions, that provide inputs to the finding of the solutions toward ensuring regional security, stability, and development,” Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.
These achievements and the setting of these clear directions are once again the testimony to the unwavering political will of ASEAN in continuing to intensify regional integration and adaptation to the new normal, aimed at building the future of ASEAN with unity, inclusiveness, and resilience as well as to demonstrate ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening relations with partners based on the principles of trust and mutual respect for regional and global peace and prosperity.
Themed “Advancing Together for Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient ASEAN”, the 43rd AIPA General Assembly is taking place from Nov. 20-25.
This year’s assembly groups eight parliaments from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Malaysia is not taking part due to weekend elections and Myanmar is not attending amid a political and humanitarian crisis.
