ASEAN 26th Summit to focus on realization of ASEAN Community

The ASEAN Summit this year will focus on the priority measures and initiatives for the realization of ASEAN Community in 2015 and will ensure the integration process to continue progressively beyond 2015, ASEAN Secretariat said on Monday.

The Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) met at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on Monday for the opening of the 26th ASEAN Summit.

In light of the anticipated official launch of regional integration this year, the establishment of ASEAN Community by December 2015 will be on top of the leaders' agenda for this summit. In addition, they are expected to discuss the ASEAN Community's Post-2015 Vision which is being formulated in consultation with various stakeholders in the region.

"One of the key outcome documents expected to be adopted in the summit is the 'Kuala Lumpur Declaration on a People-Oriented, People-Centerd ASEAN,'" said ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh. "Taking inspiration from Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship theme this year -- 'Our People, Our Vision, Our Community' -- this document will spell out ASEAN's specific commitments on the political, economic and socio-cultural pillars that will help create sustainable development in the region," Minh said.

On the first day of the summit, ASEAN leaders are scheduled to meet with various sectors including legislators representing the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. They will also meet with business leaders through an interface with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and youth representatives from the 10 member states.

From Kuala Lumpur, the ASEAN leaders will fly to Langkawi for their Retreat of the summit where they will deliberate on key issues of importance to the region. The leaders are expected to press for continued ASEAN leadership and centrality through networks and mechanisms to maintain peace and security in the region. Another important agenda at the Retreat is the impact of the financial crisis and economic slowdown in the region and the leaders are set to guide ASEAN's response.

As a region that is most susceptible to natural disasters, a key outcome expected of this high-level meeting is the ASEAN leaders' consensus on institutionalizing the resilience of ASEAN and its peoples to disasters and climate change. This is seen as another step further in concretizing the "ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change 2014" adopted by the leaders at the 25th ASEAN Summit in Nay Pyi Taw.

Against the landscape of critical events happening around the globe, the leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues relevant to ASEAN. In this Summit, the leaders are expected to adopt the "Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates" as one of ASEAN's contributions to global peace and security. This declaration will solidify ASEAN's recognition of and adherence to moderation as a tool for bridging differences and resolving disputes.

ASEAN was established in 1967 by the five founding nations, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Later, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia joined making up what is now the 10 member states. The summit is the Association's highest policy-making body and the chairmanship is rotated alphabetically among the member states every year. Enditem