AT the recently concluded Asean Summits in Laos, the deliberations and decisions for future cooperation and action, in particular during the East Asia Summit (EAS) — attended by 18 countries, namely Asean member states, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia — are of crucial importance.
The EAS, given its broad ranging membership, presents the best opportunity to help address and tackle strategic, political, economic and social issues of common concern and interest, confronting both the region and the international community.
To complement and reinforce efforts at eradicating poverty, improving people's lives and providing equality of opportunity and access to benefits and resources, the EAS's agenda needs to be more broad-based to address, among others:
» maintaining peace and security, because by keeping the peace it enhances national and collaborative capacities for solving governance and development issues instead of expending inordinate efforts and resources on resolving conflicts;
» fulfilling the post-2015 economic growth and sustainable development goals, aimed at wiping out deprivation and exploitation in all its forms and wherever it exists and transitioning to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy, which when acted upon together will enable achieving wider prosperity and security for present and future generations;
» promoting justice, rule of law and basic human rights, as there can be no peace and development without social justice;
humanitarian assistance, by mobilising and coordinating effective and principled humanitarian action, advocating the rights of people in need and promoting preparedness and prevention, to ensure a coherent response to emergencies resulting from conflict and/or global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation;
» controlling and preventing cross-border trafficking in humans and drugs, money laundering and terrorism, all of which are very real and difficult issues to confront and require a joint mechanism to mobilise resources and coordinate effective responses; and
» nuclear, chemical and conventional weapons disarmament, that leads to binding obligations on all states to prevent proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and related materials, their means of delivery and illicit arms trade.
As Asean celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, let's hope that in addition to promoting closer interaction and integration within the Asean Community and ensuring its "Vision 2025" morphs into reality, Asean would engage in increasingly active and purposeful cooperation with its EAS dialogue partners and the wider international community towards making a meaningful contribution to regional and global peace, security and freedom.
Rueben Dudley
former United Nations / ILO regional deputy director for Asia and the Pacific
The EAS, given its broad ranging membership, presents the best opportunity to help address and tackle strategic, political, economic and social issues of common concern and interest, confronting both the region and the international community.
To complement and reinforce efforts at eradicating poverty, improving people's lives and providing equality of opportunity and access to benefits and resources, the EAS's agenda needs to be more broad-based to address, among others:
» maintaining peace and security, because by keeping the peace it enhances national and collaborative capacities for solving governance and development issues instead of expending inordinate efforts and resources on resolving conflicts;
» fulfilling the post-2015 economic growth and sustainable development goals, aimed at wiping out deprivation and exploitation in all its forms and wherever it exists and transitioning to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy, which when acted upon together will enable achieving wider prosperity and security for present and future generations;
» promoting justice, rule of law and basic human rights, as there can be no peace and development without social justice;
humanitarian assistance, by mobilising and coordinating effective and principled humanitarian action, advocating the rights of people in need and promoting preparedness and prevention, to ensure a coherent response to emergencies resulting from conflict and/or global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation;
» controlling and preventing cross-border trafficking in humans and drugs, money laundering and terrorism, all of which are very real and difficult issues to confront and require a joint mechanism to mobilise resources and coordinate effective responses; and
» nuclear, chemical and conventional weapons disarmament, that leads to binding obligations on all states to prevent proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and related materials, their means of delivery and illicit arms trade.
As Asean celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, let's hope that in addition to promoting closer interaction and integration within the Asean Community and ensuring its "Vision 2025" morphs into reality, Asean would engage in increasingly active and purposeful cooperation with its EAS dialogue partners and the wider international community towards making a meaningful contribution to regional and global peace, security and freedom.
Rueben Dudley
former United Nations / ILO regional deputy director for Asia and the Pacific