In a statement issued on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized human rights as a significant regional challenge that ASEAN must confront.
"Everywhere we witness various challenges related to human rights. This underscores the vulnerability of protecting these rights," she noted during the ASEAN Political-Security Pillar (APSC) ministerial meeting in Vientiane.
She stressed the importance of ASEAN strengthening and advancing human rights issues, including enhancing the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and boosting cooperation with ASEAN partner countries.
Additionally, she highlighted the right to development as an inseparable component of efforts to realize human rights and global peace.
Marsudi also addressed challenges facing ASEAN related to developments in the South China Sea, expressing hope for the prevention of escalation in the maritime region.
She emphasized the need to finalize negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and to ensure compliance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto praised the APSC Blueprint, which is 99.6 percent complete.
He also underscored the necessity of establishing a strategic plan for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, enabling it to adapt to the region's dynamic strategic landscape and effectively address future challenges.
"We must also strengthen law enforcement, enhance border management, and foster ASEAN cooperation in combating transnational crime," he stated, emphasizing that human trafficking is a pressing cross-border crime that ASEAN must prioritize.
Laos is hosting its neighboring countries for the ASEAN Summit, which also welcomes the region's great powers, including the United States, China, India, Japan and South Korea, from October 6 to 11. With the theme 'Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience' set under Laos's chairmanship, the summit will focus on various issues.
These include economic integration, realizing an inclusive and sustainable future, digital transformation, and the role of ASEAN culture and arts in promoting inclusion and sustainability.
ASEAN comprises 10 member states: Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Timor-Leste, as a prospective 11th member, has participated in some ASEAN meetings and activities as an observer.
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Translator: Nabil Ihsan, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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