The statement was made during ameeting between UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political AffairsMiroslav Jenca and ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh at the ASEANSecretariat on 26 June.
Addressing the event, the ASEA Chiefpraised Assistant SG Jenca’s visit to the ASEAN Secretariat shortlyafter assuming office in May as a reflection of the importance ofASEAN to the UN.
Meanwhile Jenca pledged to work with the ASEAN Secretariat to expand and deepen ASEAN-UN cooperation.
Thetwo sides exchanged views on ways to strengthen ASEAN-UN ties,including a review of the comprehensive partnership and streamliningvarious cooperation mechanisms.
Both agreed to considerformulating a long-term plan for ASEAN-UN cooperation, taking intoaccount ASEAN Community Building Post-2015 and the UN's Post-2015Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Recognising theASEAN's important role in promoting regional peace and stability, Jencaaffirmed the UN will continue to cooperate with the bloc in variousareas of mutual interest under the political-security pillar, includingstrengthening cooperation to address transnational threats such asmaritime security, violent extremism, international terrorism and humantrafficking.
Minh expressed his appreciation for the UNand its agencies for the valuable experience and expertise extended tothe ASEAN Secretariat over the past years, noting that institutionalcollaboration is an important pillar of ASEAN-UN cooperation.
Thetwo sides discussed several initiatives to strengthen and enhance theeffectiveness of the ASEAN Secretariat to address new responsibilitiesand future challenges.
ASEAN-UN cooperation began inthe 1970s and has since rapidly expanded. ASEAN and its agencies nowhave working relationships with more than 50 UN agencies. The JointDeclaration on Comprehensive Partnership between ASEAN and the UN,signed in 2011, serves as an overarching framework for cooperationbetween the two organisations.-VNA