ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Advances Post-2025 Strategic Planning

25 August 2024 -

The Sixth Ad Hoc Working Group Meeting to develop the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Post-2025 Strategic Plan convened from 24-25 August 2024 at the ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting focused on refining the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan, building upon previous discussions and incorporating valuable insights from stakeholders.

In their opening remarks, Deputy Director-General of Planning and International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of the Lao PDR, Khamphou Phiasackha  and Under Secretary, International Relations Division (Culture), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Dr. Christina Yeo Ken Yin, acted as the Co-Chairs and noted that the development of the ASCC strategic Plan 2025 is well on track and commended the broad range of stakeholder consultations that have been convened. The Co-Chairs highlighted the importance of these stakeholder engagements to ensure relevance of the Strategic Plan and the need to address the impact of emerging trends, regional and global developments.

The meeting engaged in discussions to refine the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan in an effort to ensure that the strategic plan aligns with broader ASEAN goals and addresses the region’s evolving needs. The meeting also delved into cross-cutting issues such as enhancing partnerships and identifying strategies to enhance the ASCC’s impact and relevance in the coming years.

The development of the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan is a crucial step towards building a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous ASEAN Community. The 7th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group to Develop the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan is planned to take place in September 2024 in Vientiane, the Lao PDR.

The meeting is part of the activities under the ‘Supporting the Development of the ASCC Post-2025 Strategic Plan’ Project supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund 3.0 (JAIF 3.0).