President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will continue to uphold and promote the Philippines’ interests in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when he attends the 43rd Summit of the regional bloc in Jakarta, Indonesia in September, a foreign affairs official said on Thursday.
“In these engagements, the President will continue to uphold and promote Philippine interests in the ASEAN. He will highlight our advocacies in strengthening food and energy security, harnessing the potential of the digital and creative industries and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and addressing the impacts of climate change among others,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu of the Office of ASEAN Affairs during a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang.
“The President will also continue to emphasize our efforts to protect migrant workers in crisis situation as well as in combatting trafficking in persons especially with the use or abuse of technology. Other priority areas of cooperation with dialogue partners will also be discussed,” he added.
Furthermore, Espiritu said that the President will continue to promote a rules-based international order including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), especially in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines will continue to uphold and exercise freedom of navigation and overflight to the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law.
The leaders are expected to discuss various international issues that impact the region and beyond including the Myanmar situation, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, as well as the geopolitical rivalries in the Indo-Pacific region.
To date, over 90 outcome documents are being targeted to be issued, adopted, or noted during the summits, according to the foreign affairs official.
The key outcome documents will include the ASEAN Leaders’ declaration on strengthening food security and nutrition in response to crisis, and also individual joint statements on strengthening cooperation on food security between ASEAN, Australia, Canada and India, ASEAN guidelines on the protection of migrant workers and family members in crisis situation, ASEAN leaders’ statement on the development of the digital economy, and the ASEAN joint statement on climate change for the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, among others.
Overall, the President is expected to attend 13 leaders’ level engagements, 12 of them are summit sessions with other leaders. These include the 43rd ASEAN Summit Plenary Session, the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum and then the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session on September 5, Tuesday; and the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, the 24th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, the 26th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the ASEAN-US Summit, and the ASEAN-Canada Summit and on September 6, Wednesday.
On the last day, September 7, 2023, Thursday, President Marcos will attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit, the 18th East Asia Summit, the 3rd ASEAN-Australia Summit and the 30th ASEAN-UN Summit.
The 43rd Summit and Related Summits, with the theme, “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” will conclude on September 7, with a handover ceremony of the ASEAN Chairmanship from Indonesia to Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Aside from attending the summit, the President will have bilateral meetings with other ASEAN leaders and other world leaders who will be present during the summit.
Among those scheduled are meetings with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia. It is composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia. PND
