Asean foreign ministers to meet in Boracay

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. will host his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the foreign ministers’ retreat in Boracay on Tuesday.

It would be the ASEAN foreign ministers’ first meeting under the Philippine chairmanship, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said over the weekend.

Expected to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat are the foreign ministers and senior officials of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Also attending the retreat, to be preceded by the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting, is the secretary general of the regional bloc.

The DFA said the retreat would discuss the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and international and regional issues of common concern among member-states.

Last week, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights ( AICHR) convened its first meeting under the Philippine chairmanship in Boracay.

The meeting, chaired by Philippine representative to AICHR Leo HerreraLim, tackled various activities that the commission will hold this year, including a debate and the launch of the regional action plan on mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities.

The AICHR also discussed its priority programs this year, such as the Sustainable Development Goals; access to education, judiciary and human rights; and right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

“The meeting was also updated on the development of several ongoing thematic studies, which are expected to be launched this year, namely on legal aid, the right to education and on women affected by natural disasters,” the DFA said.