The event drew the participation of Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, members of the Governing Board and Advisory Board of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), Ambassadors and pundits from ASEAN member countries.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Dung stressed that, the ASEAN-UN relations have become a role model for cooperation between the UN and regional organizations over the last four decades.

Both ASEAN and the UN have been active partners for peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world, Dung said.

The positive progress in implementation of the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action 2016-2020, including the organization of this series of Track 1.5 workshops, shows the sides’ commitment to further enhancing political and security cooperation, including in conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy.

Dung underlined that ASEAN member countries have demonstrated collective efforts and joint actions to strengthen cooperation for peace, conflict management and conflict resolution through the establishment of the AIPR.

As the region continues to face growing uncertainties, ASEAN needs to be more responsive to challenges affecting regional peace and security. In this process, collaboration and support from the UN to ASEAN and the AIPR is of critical importance, according to Dung.

With Viet Nam and Indonesia sitting in the UNSC in 2020, Dung expressed his belief that ASEAN could do more in the next two years to synergize ASEAN’s regional efforts with the global cause led by the UN to ensure that regional peace and security are secured and sustained amid fast-changing and complex developments.

In addition, as the ASEAN Chair in 2020, Viet Nam is committed to doing its utmost in this regard, Dung affirmed./.