Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
APPENDIX A
for ASEAN
Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Plan of Action
Specific Measures
I.
Building a Community of Caring Societies
a)
Implement an “MDG Plus” initiative to
accelerate poverty reduction in ASEAN;
b)
Facilitate universal
access to education for vulnerable groups (youth, women, persons with
disabilities) to obtain the skills and knowledge necessary for gainful
employment and meaningful participation in society;
c)
Strengthen educational networks and institutional collaboration to
improve standards of, and access to, education;
d)
Ensure a better future for children by safeguarding their rights,
ensuring their survival and development, and protecting them from abuse,
neglect and violence;
e)
Create enabling environments to prepare the youth for their future role
as ASEAN citizens equipped with the necessary skills in leadership,
entrepreneurship, and technical and vocational abilities;
f)
Promote the equitable and effective participation of women in all fields
both as agents and beneficiaries of development;
g)
Promote community-based support systems for the elderly to supplement
the role of families as primary caregiver and to build the capacity of health
care professionals to address the needs of the elderly;
h)
Ensure access of persons with disabilities to opportunities and
protection against all forms of discrimination;
i)
Strengthen social welfare mechanisms to make them more responsive to
emerging social issues resulting from globalisation
as well as demographic shifts;
j)
Strengthen regional mechanisms and networks for combating human
trafficking;
k)
Ensure a healthy ASEAN Community living in harmony and safe
environments;
l)
Promote an enabling environment for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and for
the comprehensive treatment, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS
in ASEAN;
m)
Enhance the effectiveness of regional surveillance, preparedness, early
warning, and response to emerging and resurging infectious diseases;
n)
Ensure access to safe, quality and affordable medicines by building
ASEAN capacity and competitiveness in pharmaceuticals as well as traditional
medicines/complementary and alternative medicines;
o)
Promote an enabling environment that allows ASEAN citizens to make
healthy lifestyle choices accessible, affordable and sustainable and consistent
with their views, beliefs, and culture in supportive environments;
p)
Strengthen food security by enhancing stability in food production and
supply and protect the region against fluctuations in production of basic
commodities;
q)
Strengthen food safety systems to ensure the protection of consumers’ health by increasing the level of credibility and competency of
regulatory authorities, and enhancing industry and consumer awareness and
participation in food safety;
r)
Promote activities related to community-based drug prevention aimed at
families, schools and youth through publications, campaigns and training;
s)
Strengthen cooperation with the private sector, in creating a science
and technology community in the region;
t)
Promote applied science and technology in socio-economic activities to
improve social well-being; and
u)
Establish efficient and well-functioning regional mechanisms for
disaster prevention and management, including a coordinated response action
plan in ASEAN and a network of training institutes.
II.
Managing the Social Impact of Economic Integration
a)
Support the efforts of the ASEAN Economic Community to facilitate the
movement of professional and skilled persons, including mutual skills
recognition arrangements for qualification in professional services to realise regional economic integration in ASEAN;
b)
Develop a well-prepared labour force in ASEAN
that would benefit from and cope with the challenges of regional economic
integration;
c)
Establish a
technologically competitive ASEAN, competent in strategic and enabling
technologies, with an adequate pool of technically trained manpower, strong
networks of scientific and technical institutions and centres
of excellence;
d)
Strengthen systems of social protection at the national level and work
towards adoption of appropriate measures at the regional level to provide a
minimum uniform coverage for skilled workers in the region;
e)
Promote sound industrial relations, industrial harmony, high
productivity and social practice through tripartite cooperation;
f)
Secure the benefits of trade liberalisation in
healthcare services in terms of increased availability and better accessibility
to quality and affordable health-related products and services;
g)
Enhance the competitiveness of ASEAN health and related industries;
h)
Strengthen regional training on management of innovation and technology,
and establish a mechanism for its regional certification and accreditation; and
i)
Consider the establishment of centres for
training and research to support the development of human resources and
institutional capacity in regional as well as international cooperation.
III.
Enhancing Environmental Sustainability
a)
Effectively address global environmental concerns by building national
capacities to address issues and commitments to multilateral environmental
agreements through awareness-raising and informed policy choices;
b)
Effectively manage transboundary haze
pollution resulting from land and/or forest fires through concerted national
efforts and intensified regional action and international cooperation in
accordance with the provisions of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary
Haze Pollution (the Haze Agreement), including the operationalisation
of the ASEAN Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution
Control and the ASEAN Haze Fund;
c)
Promote the sustainable use of ASEAN’s coastal and marine environment through the implementation of the ASEAN
criteria for marine waters, and marine heritage and protected areas;
d)
Ensure the conservation of ASEAN’s rich biological diversity through the implementation o the ASEAN
Framework Agreement on Access to, and Equitable Sharing of Genetic and
Biological Resources (expected to be concluded in 2004);
e)
Promote the sustainable management of forest resources, which include
protection of forests in an ecologically sound and integrated manner by
developing and adopting common criteria for sustainable forest management in
ASEAN, and eradicating unsustainable practices and related activities;
f)
Promote the preservation of ASEAN Heritage Parks through coordinated
systems of management;
g)
Promote sustainability of water resources to ensure sufficient water
quantity of acceptable quality to meet the needs of ASEAN in terms of health,
food security and environmental sustainability through among others, the
promotion of integrated river basin management and awareness promotion;
h)
Promote environmental education through formal and non-formal education
systems, capacity building and networking;
i)
Promote environmentally-sound technologies in active partnership with
the business sector through innovative financial mechanisms and labelling schemes;
j)
Promote quality living standards in ASEAN cities/urban areas by
achieving standards for environmental pollution reduction, including ensuring
good ambient air and water quality, and minimum solid waste disposal;
k)
Establish parameters for harmonising
environmental policies, legislation, regulations, standards and databases, and
preparing regular state of the environment reports; and
l)
Pursue joint research in developing alternative fuels in order to
prevent environmental devastation and resource exhaustion.
IV.
Strengthening the Foundations of Regional Social Cohesion
a)
Promote ASEAN awareness with the ultimate goal of fostering an ASEAN
regional identity by promoting interactions and exchanges among artists,
writers, media practitioners, scholars, students, cultural entrepreneurs,
professionals, experts in culture and sports and others;
b)
Promote people-to-people contact, especially among the youth through
youth volunteer programmes and youth camps;
c)
Promote ASEAN languages learning through scholarships and exchange of
linguists;
d)
Coordinate efforts for the documentation, preservation and safeguarding
of national and regional treasures and other properties, antiquities, and works
of historic, archaeological, anthropological and scientific significance;
e)
Enhance ASEAN cooperation in culture and information to formulate and
implement effective and efficient programmes in a
concerted manner in order to promote the rich and vast cultures of ASEAN;
f)
Promote confidence-building at the national and regional levels by
promoting the learning of core values, customs and traditions and integrating
multiple perspectives on civilisations through
regular dialogue mechanisms; and
g)
Promote an image of unity, stability and dynamism of ASEAN by
strengthening contacts with mass media, the international fora
and other channels of communication.