KUALA TERENGGANU: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture hosted the 8th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Culture of Prevention and the 21st Coordinating Conference on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community today.
MOTAC secretary-general Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot officiated and chaired the meeting.
Shaharuddin said the meeting aimed to strengthen regional cooperation in promoting the Culture of Prevention and enhance coordination on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community agenda in alignment with the aspirations of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
He reflected on the discussions of the previous meeting, which reaffirmed that CoP remains a cornerstone of ASEAN’s efforts to foster a peaceful, inclusive and harmonious community.
Shaharuddin highlighted the significant progress achieved in implementing the Plan of Action on CoP, which records 218 initiatives encompassing both policy-oriented and project-based efforts across six thrusts.
The six thrusts comprise a culture of peace and intercultural understanding and a culture of respect for all.
They also include a culture of good governance at all levels and a culture of resilience and care for the environment.
The final two thrusts are a culture of healthy lifestyle and a culture supporting the values of moderation.
Shaharuddin also reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to improving the quality of life of ASEAN peoples through meaningful cooperation initiatives.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration among all ASEAN sectoral bodies.
In a statement, MOTAC said the 21st SOC-COM, scheduled for tomorrow will serve as a key technical and operational platform to support the work of the Senior Officials’ Committee for the ASCC.
The statement said the conference will also facilitate the implementation of cross-pillar issues by coordinating efforts among ASCC sectoral bodies, SOCA, relevant ASEAN bodies, and representatives from the Political-Security and Economic Communities.
MOTAC said functioning as a counterpart to the Committee of the Whole for the ASEAN Economic Community and the Coordinating Conference for the ASEAN Political-Security Community, SOC-COM plays a key role in ensuring coherence and synergy across ASEAN’s three pillars.
The ministry stated that Malaysia continues its chairmanship under the guiding philosophy of Malaysia MADANI, which emphasises sustainability, compassion, innovation, respect, trust and well-being in every regional initiative.
MOTAC extended a warm welcome to all delegates and reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to promoting regional cultural cooperation while upholding ASEAN Centrality in building a peaceful, harmonious and resilient community. – Bernama