AIPA-42: Increasing international cooperation to win COVID-19

Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah delivers a speech at the event (Source: VNA)

Given increasing COVID-19 challenges facing the world and the region, heads of delegations to the ongoing 42nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-42) highlighted the importance of international cooperation and commended timely measures conducted by governments of regional nations in response to the pandemic.

Raising their opinions at the AIPA-42’s first plenary session on August 23 afternoon, they called on countries in the region to strengthen their cooperation in information sharing, research, and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatment drugs, and medical supplies; and to give more power to their governments for more active, flexible, and effective response to the epidemic.

For the post-pandemic recovery, they urged an early ratification of transregional free trade agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement between ASEAN and its five partner nations.

Regarding digital connectivity improvement, they said regional countries must move towards digital governance and digital rules to ensure inclusive digitalisation and multilateral cooperation.

In the process of digitisation, AIPA member parliaments must ensure that digital inclusion helps to achieve the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 toward innovation and resilience, they said.

They also called for cooperation among ASEAN parliaments to boost innovation, complete legal frameworks, lift barriers, and create conditions for regional governments to improve digital connectivity, ensure fair digitalisation, and build a comprehensive, safe, and inclusive digital infrastructure.

The promotion of public-private cooperation and enhancement of digital capacity are also necessary, they added.

Also at the session, many mentioned solving the East Sea and Myanmar issues through a process of comprehensive dialogue and cooperation, building trust, and upholding international law in contribution to maintaining peace, security and sustainable stability in the region.

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and his Singaporean counterpart Tan Chuan-Jin underscored the importance of sustaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea as well as tackling disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)./.