Joint Ministerial Statement Of The 13th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council 26 March 2015 Melaka, Malaysia

1. We, the Ministers of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam met on 26 March 2015 at Melaka, Malaysia. Under the chairmanship of Malaysia, our 13th ASCC Council was preceded by the 18th ASEAN Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC (SOCA) held on 24-25 March 2015 in Melaka.

2. We were mindful that 2015 is a year of utmost significance with the convergence of key community-building initiatives. The ASCC is implementing the remaining actions during this final year of the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015). By the end of 2015, the ASCC will be embarking on a new course which will be based on an ASCC Community 2025 vision and strategic planning framework that is currently being finalized through collaborative and consultative processes at the regional and national levels.

3. We are satisfied with the progress that the High Level Task Force for the ASCC has made in the development of the draft ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the draft ASCC Attendant Document. We noted the draft ASCC Attendant Document and it will be subjected to national consultations with appropriate government agencies and stakeholders in April 2015.

4. We appreciated the research by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) leading to an Interim Report on Framing the ASCC Post-2015 which served as a reference to the development of the draft ASCC Attendant Document.

5. We are heartened by the leadership shown by our sectoral ministerial bodies, senior officials and the support provided by our growing number of partners. We called for special efforts to be made by HLTF and SOCA to monitor and facilitate the finalization of the ASCC Attendant Document, in concert with all stakeholders, and with inputs from mechanisms like the ASCC Senior Officials Coordinating Conference Meeting (SOC-COM), and the support of the ASEAN Secretariat.

6. We took steps to enhance the ASCC governance framework by endorsing the Terms of Reference of the SOCA, which effectively clarifies its role in supporting the ASCC Council, in cross-sectoral coordination, in monitoring critical management actions for the ASCC Blueprint and its successor documents, and in its role vis-à-vis the SOC-COM. We also endorsed the Terms of Reference of SOC-COM.

7. We noted the status of implementation of the ASCC Blueprint including various ongoing and pending action. To complement remaining ASCC Blueprint actions for 2015, we endorsed a selection of priority actions designed to complement and further enhance our community-building work. We endorsed that priority work should focus on the Declaration on Institutionalising the Resilience of ASEAN and its Communities and Peoples to Disasters and Climate Change; the ASEAN Declaration on "One ASEAN, One Response 2020 and Beyond: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One"; ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change 2015; ASEAN Declaration on Post-2015 Priorities on Civil Service; ASEAN Declaration on Ageing: Empowering Older Persons on ASEAN; Regional Framework and Action Plan to Implement the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection; and Regional Plan of Actions on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Regional Plan of Actions on the Elimination of Violence Against Children. We looked forward to the finalisation of the draft ASEAN instrument on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers.

8. We endorsed follow-up actions recommended by SOCA to address the relevant recommendations of the HLTF on Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and Reviewing the ASEAN Organs. Several of these recommendations have been incorporated into the ASCC Attendant Document's results framework and strategic measures.

9. We welcomed the development of the draft TOR of ASEAN Institute of Green Economy (AIGE) following its launch at the 25th ASEAN Summit in November 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw.

10. We expressed deepest appreciation to Malaysia for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements as the host of the 13th ASCC Council.

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LIST OF MINISTERS/HEADS OF DELEGATION
ATTENDING THE 13TH ASCC COUNCIL MEETING
26 March 2015, Melaka, Malaysia

1. H.E. DATO' SERI MOHAMED NAZRI BIN TAN SRI ABDUL AZIZ
    MINISTER OF TOURISM AND CULTURE
    MALAYSIA

2. H.E. PEHIN ORANG KAYA PEKERMA LAILA DIRAJA DATO SERI SETIA AWANG HAJI 
BIN HAJI ABDULLAH
    MINISTER OF CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORTS
    BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

3. H.E. ITH SAMHENG
    MINISTER OF LABOUR AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING
    CAMBODIA

4. H.E. MR. SUGIHARTATMO
    PERMANENT SECRETARY
    COORDINATING MINISTRY FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURE
    INDONESIA

5. H. E. PROF. DR. BOSENGKHAM VONGDARA
    MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE
    LAO PDR

6. H.E. MR. AYE MYINT KYU
    UNION MINISTER
    MINISTRY OF CULTURE
    MYANMAR

7. H.E. MRS. CORAZON JULIANO-SOLIMAN
    SECRETARY
    DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
    PHILIPPINES

8. MR. RICHARD TAN KOK TONG
    DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
    MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT
    SINGAPORE

9. H.E. POLICE GENERAL SUWAT CHANITTHIKUL
    VICE MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN SECURITY
    THAILAND

10. H.E. MR. NGUYEN THANH HOA
      VICE-MINISTER OF LABOUR, INVALIDS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
      VIET NAM

11. H.E. MR. LE LUONG MINH

      SECRETARY-GENERAL OF ASEAN

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