ASEAN senior officials pose for a group photo at their meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Phnom Penh (VNA) – ASEAN senior officials sat downto begin their meeting (SOM) in Phnom Penh on August 1, spotlightingthe theme of “Addressing challenges together”.
Their discussion aimed at responding to strategic challengesfacing the region such as the effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic, recoveryprogress, geopolitical competition, current traditional and non-traditionalissues, and increasing ASEAN’s connectivity, centrality and resilience.
They also mulled over the preparation for the 55th ASEANForeign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings, which take place inPhnom Penh from July 29 to August 5.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is scheduled to presideover the opening ceremony of the 55th AMM and receive a joint courtesy call bythe foreign ministers and the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
The related meetings include the Meeting of the SoutheastAsia Nuclear Weapon Free-zone Commission, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’Interface Meeting with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human RightsRepresentatives, the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences with ASEAN’s DialoguePartners, the 23rd ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 12th EastAsia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum./.
Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) highlighted the need to maintain unity and promote a central role amid a complicated geopolitical context at a virtual meeting on June 8.
The inaugural ASEAN-UK Senior Officials’ Meeting (AUKSOM) was held in London on July 6, the first official engagement of both sides’ Senior Officials since ASEAN and the UK established full dialogue partnership in August, 2021.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened a meeting in New York on July 7 to seek measures to speed up the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthen their partnership.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India held their 9th Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes (SOMTC) in a virtual form on July 20, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry.
The Roadmap on the ASEAN Higher Education Space 2025 and its two-year implementation plan were launched at the 15th SHARE Policy Dialogue in Hanoi on July 27.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
ASEAN senior officials pose for a group photo at their meeting. (Photo: VNA) 
