James Kon
The Sultanate reaffirms the role of cultural and creative industries as an enabler and driver for ASEAN socio-economic growth and welcomes the Siem Reap Declaration on Promoting a Creative and Adaptive ASEAN Community to support the cultural and creative economy.
This was underscored by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad at the 28th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia held from October 12 to 13.
The minister said this will allow ASEAN to embrace emerging trends, and uplift the livelihood of the cultural and creative workers in ASEAN, encompassing the youth, women, elderly and persons with disabilities and to capitalise on rapid changes brought by digital transformation.
He added, “Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship’s theme – ‘ASEAN ACT: Addressing Challenges Together’ – set the tone and steered the work of the ASCC and its sectoral bodies in 2022, with priority on community building efforts, while remaining adaptive to emerging challenges and opportunities. This reaffirms ASCC’s role in contributing towards a shared community that is people-centred and people-oriented.”
The youth’s important and active role in ASEAN community building as well as in addressing existing and future challenges faced by the region was emphasised by the ASCC Council ministers at the meeting chaired by Cambodia’s Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Dr Hang Chuon Naron.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi pointed out that the youth empowerment agenda remains in the forefront of ASCC’s deliverables. He stressed the need to continue to offer youth platforms to showcase their success stories and lessons learnt to provide a comprehensive picture of their involvement in ASEAN.
Following-up on Brunei Darussalam’s deliverables during its ASCC Chairmanship last year, the ministers remained committed to advancing climate change cooperation in the region through the establishment of an ASEAN Centre for Climate Change in Brunei Darussalam.
ASCC ministers also welcomed developments on ASEAN Plus China sports cooperation, through the Senior Officials Meeting on Sports, which will commence their engagement with the General Administration of Sports of China this year, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy and the designation of care economy as a Research and Development Platform under ASCC.
The ASCC ministers endorsed the ASCC outcome documents that will be submitted to the ASEAN Leaders at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in November 2022 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On the sidelines of the 28th ASCC Council Meeting, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi joined other ASCC ministers and the ASEAN Secretary-General in a joint courtesy meeting with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techno Hun Sen.
He also met with Dr Hang Chuon Naron, who is also the ASCC Council 2022 Chair; and ASCC Council Minister and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs of Indonesia, and as the incoming ASCC Council 2023 Chair Dr Muhadjir Effendy.
