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Remarks by Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, at ASEAN-UN MINISTERIAL MEETING (AUMM)
29 September 2015
Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good day to you all.
Let me begin by thanking the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, His Excellency Anifah Haji Aman, for the invitation to join you today.
2015 marks an important milestone both for the United Nations and ASEAN.
As the UN marks its 70th anniversary, it was extremely encouraging to see world leaders embrace a new framework to eradicate poverty and create a world of shared prosperity, peace, sustainability and dignity for all. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be a key turning point for how we, the international community, engage with each other, embrace our interdependencies and address our common challenges.
For ASEAN, 2015 marks a significant move towards closer regional integration through the realization of the ASEAN Community. Now we must further the partnership between ASEAN and the UN across the three pillars of the UN.
First, aligning the ASEAN Post-2015 Vision with the 2030 Agenda will be instrumental to the partnership between the two organizations. By implementing the 2030 Agenda in an inclusive manner, ASEAN will be able to move towards its shared vision of a peaceful, integrated and prosperous Community. In December, we have a major opportunity to take implementation forward – by agreeing a universal and ambitious climate agreement. And in April, to keep the momentum going, I will hold a high level thematic debate to showcase examples of what is possible and to create a platform for partnerships. I look forward to your participation and personal engagement.
Second, since its founding in 1967, ASEAN has been instrumental in consolidating peace and security in the region and the benefits and lessons learned from the ASEAN experiences should inform our engagement and work.
Furthermore, as of this year, approximately 5500 personnel of peacekeepers have come from the Southeast Asia region. I commend this very encouraging trend and recognise the importance of ensuring the provision of capacity support from the UN for the establishment of a regional ASEAN peacekeeping capacity.
We are of course all alarmed by ongoing conflicts and violent extremism which have claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, displaced the most vulnerable and caused widespread destruction. The Secretary General’s Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism to be submitted to the UNGA in November will be an important milestone in this regard while the review, later this year, of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is another important and related process. ASEAN’s engagement and support for these processes will be crucial.
Third, it is imperative that we all fulfil our international obligations in relation to human rights. Realising human rights is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. We must also ensure that the rights of the millions of people affected by conflicts, disasters and irregular migration are protected, as a matter of priority.
Like all of you, I am also greatly distressed by the current global refugee crisis and building on tomorrow’s high-level meeting on the matter, I will shortly convene a meeting of the General Assembly to ensure that this issue receives the political attention it deserves.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s not be mistaken, closer cooperation between ASEAN and the United Nations is not only key but also crucial for achieving the vision of the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda.
I look forward to continuing this engagement.
I thank you.