ASEAN to further promote human rights and women's role

• Joint Communiqué of AMM-53 acknowledges Vietnam’s initiatives in 2020

* At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives, the minister praised the commission’s efforts in implementing the 2016-2020 work plan.

They then urged the commission to further improve its performance in promoting and protecting human rights in the region, contributing to the people-centered ASEAN Community building.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed that AICHR has contributed to the ASEAN’s efforts to ease the impact of COVID-19, especially to vulnerable groups.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chairing the meeting. Photo: TG&VN

He suggested the commission to play an active role in the building of the ASEAN recovery framework and the mid-term review of the Blueprints of the ASEAN Community’s three pillars.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the meeting, Ambassador Nguyen Thai Yen Huong, Vietnam’s AICHR representative announced that, all ASEAN foreign ministers have approved the work plan for 2021-2025 and the 2021 priority programme of AICHR.

* At the ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on Strengthening Women’s Role for Sustainable Peace and Security, participants affirmed the importance as well as the role of women in not only political-security but also socio-economic fields.

The meeting aims at discussing how to intensify the role and joint actions of ASEAN women so as to strengthen substantive and sustainable peace, security and prosperity in the region.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, suggested ASEAN exert more efforts to mainstream gender issue in the ASEAN Community’s all three pillars, and priorities gender equality and the implementation of the WPS agenda in the post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision.

She affirmed the importance of including peace-building strategies in ASEAN in plans to realise the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, adding that Vietnam also sent female peacekeepers to Africa to help locals in agricultural techniques and sew face masks to prevent COVID-19.

At the event, participating countries affirmed to strengthen activities of the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry (AWPR) and boost the inclusion of the WPS agenda in programmes and policies in all pillars of the ASEAN Community.

They also pledged to deepen cooperation between ASEAN and partners through frameworks and mechanisms such as ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit, and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.