Vientiane AIPA adopts resolutions to boost community building
The 35th General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) closed yesterday in Vientiane after adopting a number of documents and resolutions were reviewed to enhance the AIPA’s role in Asean community building.
In her closing remark, President of the 35th AIPA General Assembly Ms Pany Yathotou, who is also President of the National Assembly of Laos, said the General Assembly closed with success in accordance with plan.
“The 35th AIPA General Assembly has concluded in accordance with the set objectives and goals,” she told the closing ceremony.
Held under the theme ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Cooperation in the Asean Community Building’, the 35th General Assembly adopted the Resolution on Parliamentary Cooperation in the Asean Political-Security Community.
Other adopted documents included resolution on fostering a green growth development strategy in Asean, as well as a resolution on promoting entrepreneurship in the process of narrowing the development gap in Asean.
In regards to health, the General Assembly adopted documents on strengthening cooperation among AIPA member parliaments on the Ebola virus disease, enhancing legislative cooperation among AIPA member parliaments on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, strengthening the parliamentary role in developing vocational education and skilled labour for the integration of Asean labour market.
Some 12 resolutions on AIPA’s organisational matters were also adopted.
Separate dialogue sessions between AIPA member parliaments with the eight observer countries were convened under the topics of ‘New approach for cooperation engagement between AIPA member parliaments and parliaments of observer countries’.
The observer countries comprise of: Australia, Belarus, China, Japan, India, Republic of Korea, Russia and Timor-Leste.
Ms Pany said she was of the view that th e outcomes of the 35th AIPA General Assembly would contribute to Asean community building set for 2015 based on three pillars.
The three pillars are the Asean Political-Security Community, Asean Economic Community and Asean Socio-Cultural Community.
“I am confident that the outcomes of this General Assembly will contribute to the overall work of Asean based on the three pillars of the Asean community to ensure the realisation of community building,” Ms Pany told the closing ceremony.
“The issues that we agreed on are all directly related to the Asean community building process based on the Asean motto of ‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community’.”
She called upon AIPA member countries and observer countries to put more effort into raising awareness on the outcome of this General Assembly, as well as the outcome of the previous AIPA General Assemblies, with the aim of incorporating them into their own activities for tangible and measurable results.
“It is only through our efforts that AIPA will be able to meaningfully contribute to the overall goals of Asean by the end of 2015 and to the post-2015 Asean vision,” she stated .
The AIPA extended their appreciation to Ms Pany as president of the 35th AIPA General Assembly for her able leadership and effort in carrying out activities since September 2013 until September 2014.
Malaysia will be president of AIPA, as well as hosting the 36th AIPA General Assembly next year.
Source: Vientiane Times
Published on September 20, 2014
