ASEAN published Annual Report 2020-2021 in August 2021 showcasing its community building efforts during the period. A midst the ongoing global pandemic, ASEAN is committed to safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of its people, in line with the theme of ‘We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper’ under Brunei Darussalam’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2021.

The Report highlights achievements in each ASEAN Community Pillars including through projects supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). Japan continued to support establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases to strengthen ASEAN’s regional capabilities during public health emergencies. As iterated by Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide at the Japan-ASEAN Summit in November 2020 “I am delighted to be able to jointly announce the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases. Japan will spare no effort in helping the Centre develop into an institution…”

Japan’s support in ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community is evitable through the development of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme for 2021-2025 which was adopted on 27 November 2020. Furthermore, to further increase awareness of ASEAN, the Culture Sector launched the ASEAN Cultural Heritage Digital Archive, so ASEAN’s people can appreciate online the rich cultural artefacts from AMS. To foster understanding, tolerance, and a sense of ASEAN’s agenda among the peoples of individual AMS, the Culture Sector is leading the development of a Regional Policy Framework to guide ASCC efforts. Both initiatives are also supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) which are currently underway.

The AHA Centre is pleased to share the AHA Centre Work Plan 2025. The Work Plan was developed in line with the 2021-2025 ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme and was adopted by the Governing Board on 8 June 2021.

The Work Plan includes several projects supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), namely:

• AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme 2018-2020
• The Establishment of a Disaster Emergency Logistic System for ASEAN (DELSA) – Phase II: Satellite Warehouse
• Establishment of an Integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) System to Strengthen the Operation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (the AHA Centre) – Phase IV
• Strengthening ASEAN’s Collective Response Capacity through the Enhancement of the Capacity Building of the Regional ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) (2020 – 2022)

Full version of the Work Plan is available here https://ahacentre.org/publication/aha-centre-work-plan-2025/

In the spirit of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Japanese Center for Research on Women in Sport (JCRWS) of Juntendo University co-organised the Open Symposium on Gender Equality in Sports with the Japan Sports Agency (JSA) and ASEAN Secretariat, and support from the UN Women. The Symposium is part of the four-day ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Gender Equality in Sports held from 10 to 13 August. Over 70 participants consisting of government officials, representatives of the Women in Sports Commissions of the National Olympic Committees, young female sports leaders and youth leaders of the UNESCO’s Youth Task Force on Sports for SDGs, gathered online to develop a feasible action plan to empower women in and through sports.

The four-day workshop employs a two-track approach, one tailored for policy makers and another one for young female leaders. Participants jointly formulated a set of policy recommendations to promote the participation of women and girls in sports through ASEAN cooperation and in the respective countries.

ASEAN-Japan Actions on Sports is a project under the ASEAN Plus Japan Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS+Japan) funded by the Japanese government through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). A public awareness campaign on the participation of ASEAN women and girls in sports will take place in December 2021, involving ten prominent female sports ambassadors across the region.

See also related article from ASEAN’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aseansecretariat/photos/a.10150347651743854/10159783596868854?_rdc=1&_rdr

The 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) was held on 2nd August 2021 via videoconference. The Meeting was chaired by Brunei Darussalam under the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper.” We reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to care for its people and prepare for future opportunities and challenges, in order to advance sustainable development for shared prosperity in the region.

The Joint Communique acknowledged Japan’s support in community buildings in ASEAN. The meeting appreciated and welcomed the support from Japan and Australia towards the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), while encouraging other external partners to support its operationalisation. In the area of cybersecurity, the meeting recognised the role of cybersecurity activities and training programmes of the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) in Singapore and the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC) in Bangkok in complementing existing ASEAN efforts in cybersecurity capacity building. A Feasibility Study on the Establishment of “ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases” and ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre are supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

The meeting emphasised the importance of ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) as a platform for catalysing cooperation in smart and sustainable cities development in the region through technological and innovative solutions. Japan has been supporting the ASCN through the Promotion of ASCN by Commencing a High-level Meetings. In the areas of disaster management, the meeting welcomed the launch and the implementation of the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025 and to advance ASEAN’s priorities and capabilities in managing disasters in the region. Promotion of ASCN by Commencing High-level Meetings and the Development of AWP 2021-2025 are supported by the Government of Japan through JAIF.

The full statement can be downloaded here: https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Joint-Communique-of-the-54th-ASEAN-Foreign-Ministers-Meeting-FINAL.pdf

On August 3, commencing at 5:15 PM for 1 hour and 50 minutes, the 22nd ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in an online format. Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof, Minister of Foreign Affairs II, Brunei Darussalam, chaired the meeting. From the Japanese side, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan attended the meeting.

At the outset, Minister Motegi expressed his congratulations for the achievements of the athletes representing the ASEAN countries, as well as China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and wished for their continued success. Minister Motegi then made the statements regarding progress in Japan’s cooperation concerning COVID-19. With regard to the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases, in order to develop the Centre into a hub for the region’s fight against public health emergencies and emerging infectious diseases, Japan will continue to provide full support through, among others, the construction of the Centre and provision of equipment through the approximate 50 million US dollars Japan has already contributed via the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund, as well as technical cooperation such as training and the dispatch of experts.

In response, the ASEAN side expressed its gratitude for Japan’s support for the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases, and made statements emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation in relation to COVID-19 countermeasures and post-COVID-19 recovery.

The Chairman’s Statement is available in here: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100220786.pdf