United Nations Cooperation with South-East Asian Nations Association Vital for Fight against Climate Change, Terrorism, Organizations’ Chiefs Tells Security Council
Speakers also Focus on Rohingya Refugees, Code of Conduct for South China Sea
Cooperation between the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is vital to maintaining international peace and security and combating global menaces such as climate change and the spread of terrorism, the heads of the two organizations told the Security Council today, as some delegates described the regional bloc’s consensus-building approach, known as the ASEAN Way, as an example to follow.
“At this time of increasingly complex challenges for global peace and security, cooperative and inclusive multilateral efforts, including strong partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations, are essential,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his briefing to the 15-member organ. He noted that, since its formation in 1967, ASEAN has been involved in many regional initiatives in quiet diplomacy, conflict‑prevention and peacebuilding in conflict situations.
ASEAN’s engagement with the United Nations on the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is crucial in helping to advance concrete steps in line with humanitarian principles and the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, he said. Welcoming the constructive dialogue between ASEAN and China to maintain regional peace and maritime security, he said he looks forward to the conclusion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea to help prevent maritime and territorial disputes.
Going forward, ASEAN and the United Nations could jointly explore developing early warning arrangements and threat analysis, including for well-understood threats stemming from inequality and exclusion, as well as emerging threats in areas such as hate speech and cybersecurity, he said. As 4 ASEAN member States rank among the 10 countries in the world most affected by climate change, it is also important for the two entities to strengthen ties and take urgent action.
Also addressing the Council was Dato Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN Secretary-General, who said that South-East Asia was able to evolve away from being described as “the Balkans of the region” to a community that provides opportunities for all despite diverse political, economic and social systems. This transformation was achieved through the ASEAN Way, by which member States have committed to peaceful relationships with each other, guided by mutual respect, non-interference and peaceful dispute settlement.
ASEAN has incorporated external Powers into its established rules, notably through accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, enabling the bloc to reap the peace dividend, he said. With a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $3 trillion, it accounts for 3.5 per cent of the global economy in nominal terms. With almost 650 million people — half of them under age 35 — and a rapidly growing middle class, it is an attractive market.
A complementarities road map (2020-2025) was adopted in 2019 to promote synergies between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he said, also citing humanitarian assistance, prevention and control of infectious diseases and counter-terrorism efforts as among the areas where ASEAN and the United Nations have pursued cooperation. The bloc has also contributed some 5,000 troops to date to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
In the ensuing debate, the two Council members from South-East Asia presented their views, with Indonesia’s delegate observing that the ASEAN Way ended distrust and set off a remarkable cycle of peace and prosperity. ASEAN can address emerging non-traditional security challenges by countering terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrimes and illicit drug trafficking. For its part, Indonesia is working towards establishing a South-East Asian network of women peace negotiators and mediators. “These are just snippets of ASEAN’s role in maintaining peace and security. It is no coincidence that, for the past 53 years, guns have fallen silent in South-East Asia,” he said.
The representative Viet Nam, Council President for January and Chair of ASEAN in 2020, speaking in his national capacity, said that the regional bloc’s long experiences in shaping norms should be shared to inspire and reinforce peaceful and friendly relations in various corners of the world. “Successful stories of ASEAN could complement efforts of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security,” he said, calling for Council support to enhance ASEAN members’ participation in peacekeeping operations.
Several speakers, expressing concern about the plight of the Rohingya, urged the Government of Myanmar to create the conditions for their safe, voluntary and dignified return, provide justice to victims and hold the perpetrators of rights violations to account. They also encouraged ASEAN and China to form a code of conduct to manage South China Sea maritime and territorial disputes, with the United States’ representative asserting that China’s provocative behaviour raises serious doubts about its intentions to agree to an effective code.
China’s delegate said that his country has always supported navigational and oversight freedom and it is worrying that the United States, under such a pretext, sent military ships to the Sea — a provocative act that represents the biggest security risk in the area. While China is a firm defender of regional peace, the United States has hundreds of military bases around the world and has deployed hundreds of thousands of military forces outside its territory.
The Russian Federation’s delegate said that using today’s meeting to propose a vision for regional dispute resolution based on narrow national interests is unacceptable, particularly by States located many thousands of miles away. There is likewise no value in raising the Rohingya issue, which should be resolved bilaterally, he added.
Also speaking today were the representatives of Germany, Tunisia, Belgium, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, France, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom and Estonia.
The meeting began at 3:01 p.m. and ended at 5:22 p.m.
Briefings
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations, outlining previous and ongoing cooperation between the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), declared: “At this time of increasingly complex challenges for global peace and security, cooperative and inclusive multilateral efforts, including strong partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations, are essential.” Since its formalization in 2011, the UN-ASEAN Comprehensive Partnership has become an important component of the world body’s broad engagement with regional organizations.
The two entities can strengthen their cooperation in addressing threats to peace and security by recognizing the longstanding contributions of ASEAN member States to United Nations peacekeeping, he said, noting that some 5,000 military and police personnel from seven ASEAN countries are currently serving in missions worldwide. The increasing number of women peacekeepers deployed by South-East Asian countries is a testament to the regional group’s recognition of the critical roles that women can and must play in implementing mission mandates. All 10 ASEAN member States have endorsed his “Action for Peacekeeping” initiative, while six ASEAN countries have made pledges to the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System. Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia host, on a rotating basis, the Triangular Partnership Project to improve the engineering capacity of peacekeepers in the region and beyond.
He went on to state that since its formation in 1967, ASEAN has been engaged in many regional initiatives in quiet diplomacy, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in conflict situations. In 2011, the Security Council supported ASEAN’s diplomatic efforts to promote peaceful solutions to end border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia. ASEAN’s engagement on the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has enormous importance for the United Nations. It is crucial that the United Nations strengthen cooperation with ASEAN in helping to advance concrete steps in line with humanitarian principles and the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. Welcoming the constructive dialogue between ASEAN and China towards the maintenance of regional peace and maritime security, he said he looks forward to the conclusion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea to help prevent maritime disputes. Further, he encouraged ASEAN to use its great convening power to effectively and creatively address peace and security threats in the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Turning to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, he said that South-East Asia has hosted historic meetings in Singapore and Hanoi and has contributed to efforts to promote sustainable peace and security with a view to complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Peninsula. With Indonesia and Viet Nam members of the Security Council in 2020, stronger links can be built between ASEAN and the United Nations to advance diplomatic efforts on the Peninsula, he added.
Laying out potential areas of practical cooperation, he said that the United Nations and ASEAN can strengthen cooperation in such areas of peacekeeping as training, increasing women’s participation in peace processes and peacekeeping, and sharing lessons learned with other regional organizations. The United Nations is also ready to strengthen concrete technical cooperation, particularly with the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation and the recently launched ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry. The United Nations also intends to continue cooperation on technical assistance and capacity-building in the areas of human rights and counter-terrorism.
ASEAN and the United Nations could jointly explore developing early warning arrangements and threat analysis, including for well-understood threats stemming from inequality and exclusion, as well as emerging threats in areas such as hate‑speech and cybersecurity, he said. Given that four ASEAN member States rank among the 10 countries in the world most affected by climate change, it is important for the two organizations to strengthen ties and take urgent action. “I am deeply convinced of the value of ASEAN-UN cooperation for peace, security and sustainable development,” he concluded.
DATO LIM JOCK HOI, Secretary-General of ASEAN, said that the bloc has worked to achieve peace in its region amid diverse political, economic and social systems, promoting economic cooperation as a means for evolving away from being described as “the Balkans of the region” to a community that provides opportunities to all. Its member States have committed to peaceful relationships with each other, guided by the principles of mutual respect, non-interference and peaceful dispute settlement, and many of its partners have acceded to its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia.
Beyond the political commitment to cooperation is the primacy accorded to dialogue and consultation, with the aim of arriving at consensus, he said, which has enabled ASEAN members to address issues and to move forward notwithstanding their diverse political, economic and social systems. The ASEAN Way is a unique manner of addressing issues which some observe as difficult to understand but which has become a way of life. Another unique contribution to nurturing an environment conducive to peace is the ability to initiate regional mechanisms and frameworks for promoting cooperation and confidence-building. He cited the ASEAN Plus Three, ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in this context.
More broadly, he said that ASEAN has incorporated external powers into its established rules, notably through accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. It has engaged in efforts to formulate norms and codes of conduct to complement international law, ensuring that States uphold the rule of law in managing differences. Such efforts have enabled ASEAN to reap the peace dividend. With a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $3 trillion, it accounts for 3.5 per cent of the global economy in nominal terms. With almost 650 million people — half of them under age 35 — and a rapidly growing middle class, it is an attractive market. Nonetheless, it is important for ASEAN to forge ahead with its reform and integration agenda and to close the development gap.
He went on to stress that developing human capital is high on the agenda, with ASEAN leaders at the 2019 summit noting completion of the review of implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III (2016-2020). He further described a deepening of the sense of belonging among the region’s peoples, noting that ASEAN’s success or failure in dealing with challenges should be judged by whether it has averted conflict. Community-building efforts are supported by robust external partnerships, including with the United Nations, through established modalities for relations at various levels — from Secretariat-to-Secretariat interaction and the ASEAN-United Nations Ministerial Meeting, to the ASEAN Summit, where regional leaders engage with the United Nations Secretary-General in a strategic dialogue.
Further, a complementarities road map (2020-2025) was also adopted in 2019 to promote synergies between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He went on to cite transnational issues, humanitarian assistance, prevention and control of infectious diseases and counter-terrorism efforts among the areas where ASEAN and the United Nations have pursued cooperation. He underlined the importance of comprehensive approaches to fighting terrorism and violent extremism — an area that dovetails with the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, noting that the bloc’s efforts to promote a culture of prevention focuses on understanding root causes and consequences. Preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention is another shared area of interest. The flagship ASEAN-United Nations Workshop — Regional Dialogue on Political Security Cooperation, among other capacity-building activities, has likewise been useful to the region.
On peacekeeping, he said ASEAN has contributed some 5,000 troops to date to United Nations missions, noting also that peacebuilding has always been foremost on its agenda. ASEAN shares a similar vision with the United Nations in efforts to end nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, he said, citing the 1995 Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. Dealing with the remnants of war, notably unexploded ordnance, is a domain where joint work can be enhanced. Such areas are just a few where ASEAN and the United Nations collaborate and he looked forward to crafting the next Plan of Action for the ASEAN–United Nations Comprehensive Partnership for 2021-2025. He also looked forward to participating in the UN75 global conversation to shape “the future we want” and “the UN we need”, welcoming efforts by the Council to ensure that it remains responsive to increasing demands.
Statements
DIAN TRIANSYAH DJANI (Indonesia) said that ASEAN’s collective efforts and culture of dialogue and consensus-building, known as the ASEAN Way, ended distrust and set off a remarkable cycle of peace, trust and prosperity. ASEAN can contribute to international peace and security and to addressing emerging non-traditional security challenges by countering terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrimes and illicit drug trafficking. ASEAN can also make a significant contribution to the women, peace and security agenda. In this connection, ASEAN has established the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry, a pool of ASEAN women experts, which seeks to promote gender perspectives in peace and reconciliation processes. Indonesia is working towards establishing a South-East Asian network of women peace negotiators and mediators. “These are just snippets of ASEAN’s role in maintaining peace and security. It is no coincidence that for the past 53 years, guns have fallen silent in South-East Asia,” he said.
CHRISTOPH HEUSGEN (Germany) urged ASEAN to embrace the universality of human rights in its regional policies, expressing the readiness of his country and the European Union to work with ASEAN to share lessons learned. Regarding the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Gambia v. Myanmar case and the report of the Independent Commission of Enquiry, which were both released last week, he urged the Government of Myanmar and its military to ensure full accountability for all crimes and severe human rights violations in 2016 and 2017. Under Germany’s Security Council presidency, the 15-member organ adopted resolution 2467 (2019) on sexual violence in conflict, he said, expressing support for the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar created by the Human Rights Council. Regarding the South China Sea, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including its arbitration rulings, must be respected.
CHERITH NORMAN-CHALET (United States) expressed strong support for United Nations-ASEAN cooperation guided by Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, noting that United States investment in ASEAN stands at $271 billion. The bloc plays a critical role in reinforcing the international rules-based order amid attempts to erode navigational rights. Indeed, freedom of the seas is being threatened in the South China Sea through unlawful maritime claims. The United States position there and elsewhere is simple: the rights and interests of all nations, regardless of size or power, must be respected. Urging all States to peacefully resolve their maritime disputes, without coercion, and to respect free navigation and overflight, she said that the United States has repeatedly expressed support for a meaningful code of conduct which commits countries to refrain from destabilizing behaviour. She expressed concern about provocative activity by China aimed at pressuring claimant States to be in various arrangements. Such behaviour raises serious doubts about China’s intentions to agree to an effective code of conduct. She also expressed deep concern about the plight of the Rohingya and urged Myanmar to address the root causes, create the conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified returns, provide justice to victims and to hold the perpetrators of rights violations to account.
MONCEF BAATI (Tunisia) underscored the importance of the Council engaging regularly with regional organizations, noting that such arrangements have proven highly efficient in addressing local issues. Their understanding of local dynamics “sometimes make the difference”. He welcomed that almost all items included in the ASEAN-United Nations Plan of Action for 2016-2020 have been addressed, noting ASEAN’s important role in conflict prevention and conflict resolution. Its approach to promoting dialogue supports actions enshrined in Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter, he said, noting that the Chapter should be the first port‑of-call for the Council’s efforts to maintain peace. He welcomed ASEAN’s efforts to address the causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis, calling for intensified measures to ensure the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees, and also noting the bloc’s bridge-building role through dialogue platforms, notably the ASEAN Plus Three. He urged the Council to enhance its consultation with regional organizations, as well as to reflect on how to strengthen such coordination, develop a joint decision-making framework and to support peace efforts initiated by regional organizations through predictable resources.
MARC PECSTEEN DE BUYTSWERVE (Belgium) applauded ASEAN for its preventive diplomacy, stressing that a great deal can be learned from the region’s approach in this area. Regional cooperation is also essential in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Highlighting two areas in which ASEAN can play an important role, he said that disputes in the South China Sea can be settled based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Hope for concluding a code of conduct for the parties in the South China Sea is within reach. Regarding the situation in Myanmar, ASEAN can assist the safe, voluntary dignified return of Rohingya refugees through its humanitarian centre. To combat impunity, the recent order by the International Court of Justice must be fully implemented.
INGA RHONDA KING (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) said that ASEAN’s relationships are conditioned by culturally determined modes of interaction among member States and mediated in line with the principles of sovereignty, non-interference, and mutual respect. In the case of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), regional identity takes the form of a “Unity in Diversity” embodied across its shared institutions, fostering trust, confidence, and a spirit of partnership. In both cases, a normative togetherness is nurtured without impeding local cultures and values from which member States draw their national identities. For both ASEAN and CARICOM, the full respect of sovereignty is an essential condition for peace. What makes ASEAN distinct from many similar organizations is its unique method of conflict prevention and conflict resolution, the ASEAN Way, which enabled the region to craft a zone of stable peace without transcending the traditions of statehood that regionalism intends to enhance. The ASEAN Way may offer the United Nations a template to settle many differences.
ANNE GUEGUEN (France), underscoring the importance of United Nations cooperation with ASEAN, notably in peacekeeping, said the participation of women in the peace and security agenda is crucial. ASEAN has become particularly essential to the United Nations fight against terrorism and organized crime. ASEAN’s participation in implementing the global counter-terrorism strategy, which will be renegotiated this year, is among the conditions underpinning its success. The United Nations and ASEAN have also joined forces on sustainable development, cooperating in implementing priority actions based on the ASEAN Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda. Links have been strengthened based on shared priorities, first among which are tackling poverty and protecting the environment. Noting that the regional scale is essential to building confidence and friendship, she said that such awareness of local situations gives regional and subregional organizations legitimacy. Crimes committed in “Burma’s” Rakhine state must not go unpunished, she said, citing the International Court of Justice order in that context and urging “Burmese authorities” to implement the Court’s measures of protection and put in place conditions for safe, dignified and voluntary return. She welcomed discussions between ASEAN and China to establish a code of conduct in the South China Sea, calling on all coastal States to promote peace and security in the region. For its part, France will strengthen its relations with ASEAN, she said, expressing its hope to become a development partner.
DMITRY A. POLYANSKIY (Russian Federation) encouraged strengthening ASEAN’s role in regional affairs. The Russian Federation has made impressive progress in its cooperation with the bloc, notably developing trade and humanitarian links and focusing its policy and security dialogue on the formation of an equal, balanced arrangement for inter-State relations. Pointing to the Sochi Declaration, adopted in 2016 to develop cooperation through 2020, he said that the Russian Federation and ASEAN are also “of same mind” in creating an open, balanced security architecture, and likewise united on preventing the emergence of new dividing lines among States. Recently, however, the rules-based order has been based on a selective approach to international legal norms. The Indo-Pacific region is a concept which has subtly emerged. States have been told that the Indo-Pacific strategy is more open and democratic, but it does not include West Africa, the Persian Gulf or China. He questioned the added value of that format, suggesting that it aims to create divisions. Advancing a unifying agenda will not be helped by these dubious innovations. The Russian Federation is helping ASEAN address terrorism, transnational crime and the illicit narcotics trade, and is focused particularly on the safe use of information and communications technologies. He advocated a practical partnership between Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved on a bilateral basis. Using today’s meeting to propose a vision for regional dispute resolution based on narrow national interests is unacceptable, particularly by States located many thousands of miles away. There is likewise no value in raising the Rohingya issue, which should be resolved bilaterally.
BERIOSKA ILUMINADA MORRISON GONZÁLEZ (Dominican Republic) said that multilateral cooperation is a catalyst for addressing shared global challenges, such as climate change and natural disasters, which have repercussions on the lives of people. Her delegation welcomes ASEAN members’ increased participation in United Nations peacekeeping, particularly of female personnel. Noting that South-East Asia is home to four of the countries that are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, she said that Caribbean countries, including hers, share the same challenge and need local capacity-building. United Nations-ASEAN cooperation is key to creating resilient communities. She also highlighted the recently signed memorandum between ASEAN and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). ASEAN’s efforts to advance the women, peace and security agenda should be highlighted and replicated elsewhere.
JONATHAN GUY ALLEN (United Kingdom) noted that his country has a strong, longstanding relationship with ASEAN, having joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and recently appointed the country’s first dedicated Ambassador to ASEAN. It also has bilateral defence cooperation agreements with almost all ASEAN countries. Noting that all ASEAN members have endorsed the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, and ASEAN has established the Women for Peace Registry, he welcomed the recent commitment of Indonesia’s Foreign Minister to increase the number of women in peacekeeping. The United Kingdom and Italy look forward to working with ASEAN to boost climate action ambitions. ASEAN can also play an important role in three areas. First, he urged Myanmar to implement the International Court of Justice’s recent ruling on the crime of genocide. Second, ASEAN and China can reach agreement on a code of conduct for the South China Sea in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Third, ASEAN can help defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, he said, observing that the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recently said that he no longer feels obliged to follow the moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile tests. ASEAN is expected to become the fourth-largest economy by 2030, he said, noting that that growth must be matched by its greater contribution to global peace and security.
SVEN JÜRGENSON (Estonia) expressed support for ASEAN’s commitment to peace and security, and to peaceful dispute resolution through full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, calling for deepening the United Nations cooperation with regional and subregional organizations. Recognizing ASEAN’s interest in promoting cybersecurity, he said that global digital cooperation is needed to address emerging non-traditional, cross-sectoral threats to peace. He went on to encourage ASEAN and China to implement the 2002 Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in its entirety, noting that Estonia counts on ASEAN to provide the necessary support to its members in addressing the root causes of crises. In that context, he welcomed the recent International Court of Justice order indicating provisional measures for protecting the Rohingya in Myanmar, outlining Estonia’s expectation that Myanmar will comply and report back on measures taken within the indicated timeline. Cooperation between the United Nations and ASEAN could be strengthened to maintain peace and to accelerate prosperity in the region.
ZHANG JUN (China) expressed support for deepening the United Nations cooperation with regional organizations, guided by the Charter’s Chapter VIII, and commended the Organization’s expanded areas of partnership. He called on States to work together to defend multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core. The role of regional countries and organizations must be respected, as their geographic and cultural aspects give them unique advantages in handling hot spot issues. The international community should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries concerned. He advocated support for ASEAN in implementing counter-terrorism resolutions and combating terrorism financing, noting also that ASEAN States are all developing countries, making development a priority. The United Nations should leverage its capacities, step up cooperation and provide greater assistance for implementing the 2030 Agenda.
For its part, China attaches great importance to developing its relations with ASEAN, he said, recalling that it was the first to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and that its relationship has become a pace setter for East Asian cooperation. He objected to discussing the situation in Myanmar, noting that the Foreign Ministers of China, Myanmar and Bangladesh have held several meetings, and thanks to regional efforts, Myanmar has taken positive steps in Rakhine. China has taken note of the International Court of Justice interim decision noting the complex historic, religious and cultural background. On the South China Sea, the United States representative made unfounded accusations against China, which he firmly rejected, especially as the United Nations is not the right forum of discussing that issue. He described the situation in the South China Sea as largely stable and improving, with disputes resolved through consultations.
While China and ASEAN are committed to maintaining stability in the South China Sea, he expressed regret that the process has suffered from constant sabotage by non-regional countries, including the United States. China has always supported navigational and oversight freedom and it is worrying that the United States, under such a pretext, sent military ships to the Sea — a provocative act that represents the biggest security risk in the area. It should be rejected by all countries. While China is a firm defender of regional peace, the United States has hundreds of military bases around the world and has deployed hundreds of thousands of military forces outside its territory. It has not acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and has “withdrawn from one international treaty after another, one international mechanism after the other”. He questioned how it can make such accusations. On the South China Sea arbitration case, China has declared that the arbitration award is null and void. China does not participate in arbitration, nor does it recognize such awards. On the Korean Peninsula, China and the Russian Federation have tried to relaunch a dialogue to peacefully resolve differences among the parties, having recently proposed a draft resolution which is still on the Council’s table. He called for joint efforts to resolve the situation and to resolve differences through dialogue.
DANG DINH QUY (Viet Nam) noted that the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations has been recognized since the Organization’s founding, as articulated in Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter. From the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia to the ASEAN charter, the regional bloc’s long experiences in shaping and sharing of norms should be shared to inspire and reinforce peaceful and friendly relations in various corners of the world. Successful stories of ASEAN could complement efforts of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. His country, as the Chair of ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the Security Council, calls for Council support in enhancing the efficient and effective participation of ASEAN member States in peacekeeping operations, he said, expressing appreciation for the Triangular Partnership projects. The Council could also extend support in efforts to promote the women, peace and security agenda at regional and national levels and implement the complementarities road map between the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the ASEAN Vision 2025. He went on to propose a high-level dialogue between the United Nations and ASEAN on sustainable development on the occasion of the United Nations-ASEAN Summit to be held in his country later this year.