Union Minister for Religious Affairs of Culture attends 26th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Ministers Meeting

Brunei Darussalam hosted the 26th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Ministers Meeting via videoconferencing yesterday.
A Myanmar delegation including senior officials led by Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture U Ko Ko joined the meeting.
During the meeting, Dato Haji Aminuddin, Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei made an opening speech. In his speech, he said that in line with the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper” in 2021, in the chairmanship of ASEAN in Brunei, the member countries have successfully addressed the challenges and gaps the ASEAN people are facing in the region, and it still needs to cooperate to ensure the ASEAN strategic framework on Culture of Prevention (CoP) and ASEAN related opinions, resilience and mutual understanding.
Then, Mrs Hajah Nor Ashikin Binti Haji Johari, Permanent Secretary of Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei presented the report of the 31st Meeting of the Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed the Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration which will implement the emergency cases of ASEAN and responses to natural disasters in line with the innovative work plans of the community, preparations for the future of ASEAN with the aim of strengthening sector-wise coordination among the three pillars of ASEAN, promoting of long-term prosperity in the ASEAN region and creating the opportunities through the cooperation for the benefit of all ASEAN people, and Ha Noi Declaration that aims to strengthen the process of working with the dialogue partners of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Working groups in line with the ASEAN Community Goals of ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Roadmap.
The meeting also focused on the priority sectors of Brunei including Care Economy and ASEAN Strategic Framework.
Moreover, they approved the Joint Statement that includes promotion of culture and peace via youth, education, health, information and media sectors, the establishment of ASEAN Climate Change Centre, poverty alleviation, gender equality, social affairs, sports and educating programmes for sports and youth development.
Then, the leaders also talked about 7 documents and 19 records to be submitted to the 38th ASEAN Summit, one record to 24th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and one record to 16th Summit of East Asia.
Then, Union Minister U Ko Ko appreciated the efforts of Brunei during the term of chairmanship. He then pledged that Myanmar will work together in building a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community.
He also reported on the vaccination processes being conducted to date across the nation, donations of anti-COVID-19 medicines and medical equipment of ASEAN countries including dialogue partners.
Moreover, he appreciated the supports of the ASEAN Secretariat for ASEAN culture and arts monitoring frameworks and result-based monitoring system in Myanmar and welcomed Cambodia for the Chairmanship in 2022. — MNA