On June 26, 2020, the 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit was held via video conference on the theme “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”. The summit was chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as Vietnam is ASEAN’s chair in 2020. The focus of the meet was on COVID-19 response, post-pandemic recovery and further cooperation with partners.
- Before this summit, preparatory meetings were also held from June 22 to June 24, including informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 26th ASEAN Coordinating Council under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.
- It should be noted that the 36th ASEAN summit had been scheduled for April in central Vietnam’s Da Nang but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Points:
-Leaders at the summit adopted the ASEAN Declaration on Human Resources Development for the Changing World of Work.
-Leaders also determined to establish the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council as a platform for coordination, research, and development on innovations, and monitoring of regional programs that support the advancement of TVET in the region.
-Importantly, during the summit, a Special Session of the ASEAN Leaders on Women Empowerment in the Digital Age was held for the very first time on the lines of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
-The ASEAN leaders will also conduct the mid-term review of the implementation of the blueprints under the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.
Point to be noted:
During the framework of the 36th ASEAN Summit, other meetings including the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), representatives of ASEAN youth and ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) also took place.
About Association of Southeast Asian Nations:
Established in 1967, ASEAN groups 10 nations viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Secretariat– Jakarta, Indonesia
Chairman– Nguyen Xuan Phuc
Secretary General– H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi
