MALAYSIA TO UNVEIL INCLUSIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES FOR ASEAN CHAIRMANSHIP 2025

From Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad

VIENTIANE (Laos),  Nov 26 (Bernama) -- As Malaysia gears up to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, the nation is preparing a comprehensive line-up of initiatives focused on inclusivity and sustainability, two themes central to its vision for the region.

Director of the ASEAN Connectivity Division under the Office of the Secretary-General at the ASEAN Secretariat Lim Chze Cheen shared Malaysia's commitment to these two priorities at the 8th ASEAN Media Forum (AMF) in Vientiane on Monday, where he presented the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025.

“Malaysia's theme for the ASEAN chairmanship is Inclusivity and Sustainability," said Lim, a Malaysian based in Jakarta.

“In our sector, we work closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Housing, and I think they have expressed a strong interest, particularly with housing.

"They have already lined up a number of activities during Malaysia's chairmanship, particularly on issues related to inclusivity, sustainability, connectivity, and resilience.

“So do stay tuned for the announcement of some of these things in January or February next year,” he said.

Malaysia will formally assume the ASEAN Chairmanship on Jan 1, 2025 with the theme  “Inclusivity and Sustainability” and host over 300 ASEAN-related meetings, programmes and summits in 2025.

The 8th AMF held under Laos’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2024 theme “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience” served as a platform to highlight the crucial role of the media in advancing  ASEAN’s regional integration.

Organised by the ASEAN Secretariat and supported by the German Federal Government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the forum drew over 30 media leaders from ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste  to exchange views and perspectives on timely geopolitical challenges confronting ASEAN.

-- BERNAMA