Anniversary gathers stakeholders to discuss pressing Asean challenges

Various stakeholders dug deep into the challenges faced by Southeast Asian countries as the region enters the Asean Economic Community in a seminar titled "Global Challenges and Regional Solutions: Engaging Stakeholders".

 

The integration is part of a continued process of community building, Secretary General of Asean Le Luong Minh said.

 

He lauded the conference as a good opportunity to present discussions on how to ensure growth and prosperity.

 

"It will also narrow the development gap and address issues faced within each country that could also affect the region," he said in his opening remarks.

 

The official formation of the Asean Economic Community on 31 December 2015 marked a critical milestone for Southeast Asia, bringing together 10 markets with a population of 600 million people and total GDP of over US$ 2.4 trillion, making it the seventh largest in the world.

 

The conference was held by The Jakarta Post as part of the news outlet's 33rd anniversary celebration on Monday. In the day-long seminar publisher Jusuf Wanandi welcomed participants from all across the region who had gathered in Indonesia's capital.

 

Together with the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, The Jakarta Post convened together stakeholders including business leaders, opinion formers and chief editors of the region's leading media outlets to consider challenges in the single trading area and the role that needs to be played by the stakeholders upon whom these developments will ultimately impact.

 

Meanwhile, former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda urged each member country to also place a priority on political and security measures and not simply the economic agenda. He cited rising tensions in the South China Sea regarding overlapping territorial claims and also nuclear tensions in the neighboring Korean Peninsula as some examples of the region's sensitive issues.

 

"Countries have to be more accepting of placing politics and security on their agenda," Hassan said while addressing the over 300-strong audience in the ballroom of the Dharmawangsa Hotel in Jakarta.

 

There was also a need for reform in overcoming the mental blocks in prioritizing the aforementioned issues, he continued, specifically pointing to the Asean Regional Forum and East Asian Summit as some of the platforms that could address the challenges.

 

Aside from the economic area, the pillars of the Asean Economic Community also encompass political-security as well as socio-cultural areas considering the importance of Asean, former minister of tourism and the creative economy Mari Elka Pangestu said in her opening speech.

 

Moreover, it was also important to raise the quality of human resources in each country to be able to face rising competition, she added.