Today, the Asean Secretariat celebrated the 57th Asean Day in its Jakarta headquarters. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia officiated the event with the Secretary-General of Asean Dr Kao Kim Hourn, in front of the Jakarta’s diplomatic community.
This year’s anniversary carried the theme “Connected & Resilient Community” in line with the theme of Lao PDR’s Asean Chairmanship 2024 - Asean: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.
Early in the programme, the Secretary-General Dr Kao highlighted that’’ the past 57 years of Asean have shown us the successes of multilateralism. It also shows that growing inclusivity and equal participation from all stakeholders will lead to economic advancement, social protection, and longer-lasting peace for our region.’’
He encouraged the people of Asean to contribute to a whole-of-community approach. ‘’As Asean looks forward to its next five decades as an outward-looking organisation that values multilateralism, it will continue collaborating with all stakeholders to address its shared challenges and bring about more opportunities for all. I am optimistic that we will move forward stronger together by working together,’’ Dr Kao remarked.
In her keynote address, Minister Retno expressed that ‘’the People of Asean should always be at the centre of the work of Asean. As a community, commitment to promote and protect human rights is a must. And Asean human rights mechanisms must be able to keep up with evolving human rights challenges, including to response to the increasing number of trafficking in persons in our region.’’
In his video message representing Lao PDR as Chair of Asean 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith, said that, ’’Over almost six decades, Asean has withstood the test of times and has obtained gradual achievements in intra-Asean cooperation as well as in deepening Asean’s external relations, thus contributing to the strengthening of the Asean Community.’’
The celebration also included the launch of a collaborative batik project by the Coordinating Economy Ministry of Indonesia, which celebrates the shared cultural heritage to further promote the region’s creative economy, especially for the micro, small, medium-sized and women-led enterprises in Asean. The batik will be displayed in a prominent location within the Asean Headquarters/Asean Secretariat premise.
The celebration was broadcasted LIVE through Asean’s social media platforms for audience across the region and beyond to join in the celebrations. The ceremony showcased performances from Asean musicians – Amora Lemos, a rising young Indonesian singer, acoustic band from LSPR Communication and Business, and a student choir from Sekolah HighScope Indonesia TB Simatupang. Sanggar Tari Svadara Indonesia performed the Cham Pa Meuang Lao, a traditional Laotian dance honoring its national flowers and official symbol of Laos, representing the current Asean Chair. One of the highlights of the programme includes a special video in honouring Minister Marsudi’s decade of commitment to the Asean region.
Following the morning ceremony, the Asean Secretariat held an Open House, which included a food festival showcasing culinary delicacies from the Asean region and Asean’s dialogue partners. In parallel, there were exhibitions of Asean’s Centres and Entities, and scholarship opportunities for university students. A speed networking session took place in the afternoon between select university students and Women Ambassadors from Asean Member States and its dialogue partners.
During the Open House, Asean Foundation, in collaboration with TikTok, launched the “Asean LIVE Creator for Change Programme’’. This initiative aims to empower 20 young content creators across ten Asean Member States over the course of one year. Participants will receive comprehensive training on TikTok Live techniques and Asean awareness, enabling them to produce engaging content that educates, motivates, and inspires audiences on various socio-cultural issues.
Meanwhile, more than 300 MSMEs from across Asean participated in capacity building activities delivered virtually and in-person related to e-commerce in collaboration with key players in the region: Seeking Breakthrough Solutions to Promote Cross-Border E-Commerce in the Asean Region (with TikTok), Elevating Selling Experiences and Creating Growth Together with MSMEs (with Shopee), and Go Global: Cross-border E-commerce Opportunities in the US for Asean Businesses (with Amazon).
These are part of the on-going fifth Asean Online Sale Day (AOSD) activities to commemorate the 57th Asean Day hosted by the AOSD Task Force from 8 to 10 August, connecting consumers to regional e-commerce. To provide a platform for policy discussion, a Roundtable on “E-Commerce in Asean: Perspectives, Prospects, and Policy Options” moderated by the Asean Business Advisory Council with presentations from the World Economic Forum, Amazon and Shopee was held.
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