STATEMENT

BY H.E. AMBASSADOR LE LUONG MINH

Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations

on Behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

at the Debate of the Security Council

 on “Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional and Subregional Organizations in Maintaining International Peace and Security”

New York, 13 January 2010

 

Mr. President,

  I have the honor to speak on behalf of the ten Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam on strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security.   We congratulate China on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for January 2010 and thank you and the Chinese Delegation for having taken the initiative of convening the open debate of the Council today to allow continued discussion of this very important issue. As they are suffering from the consequences of the tragic earth quake, our hearts go to the people of Haiti  and to all  United Nations and other international staff serving in the country, including those with MINUSTAH. We wish them speedy recovery.

Mr. President,

In our ever more complex and interconnected world of today, which is marked by an unprecedented level of interdependence and in which peace and cooperation for development remain the dominant trend, cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations is  crucial and beneficial, not only to the safeguarding of peace and security but also to development. In such a world, there is a great need to foster a stronger partnership between the United Nations and regional organizations in responding to the challenges arising from both traditional and non-traditional security issues. At the 2005 World Summit, Heads of State and Government expressed their resolve   to expand consultation and cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations through formalized agreements and, as appropriate, the involvement of regional organizations in the work of the Security Council. In October 2005, the Security Council adopted its first resolution on regional organizations expressing its determination to take appropriate steps to promote cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations. Since then, the Security Council has been engaging in activities aimed at stepping up such cooperation culminating in the adoption of resolution 1809 (2008), which while focusing on specific measures to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union expresses its determination to take effective measures to further enhance the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations in accordance with Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter. ASEAN shares the need to take stock of all the discussions and activities in this aspect to ponder on developing an effective mechanism that facilitates the fullest contribution of regional organizations to the work of the United Nations, including the appropriate capacity-building assistance to regional organizations in the performance of their roles.

Mr. President,

To further strengthen the cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, ASEAN is convinced of the following:

First, cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security should leverage on the complimentary capacities and comparative advantages of all organizations, making full use of their experience, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and statutes of regional organizations. Indeed, regional organizations can play an important role in promoting and maintaining peace and security in their respective regions, through, inter alias, regional dispute settlement mechanisms. Within ASEAN, for instance, we have the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia as such a framework. Such regional dispute settlement arrangements should be complemented by political, financial and physical support from the international community, as appropriate.

      Second, regional initiatives are flourishing in every part of the world. Launched at different scales and covering different fields, depending on their regional particularities and needs, such initiatives encourage dialogues and consultations, reduce misunderstanding and create channels for cooperative projects. International organizations, including UN agencies, should work with these initiatives, strengthen their regional capabilities and encourage mutual learning.

Third, enhancing information exchange, delineating clear areas of responsibility and respecting local ownership in any arrangement for cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations and ensuring their full implementation are also important conditions for fostering effective partnerships.

Mr. President,

As an important mechanism for strengthening peace, friendship and cooperation in South East Asia, ASEAN has attached great importance to fostering its institutional framework. A historic milestone was reached in the evolution of ASEAN when the ASEAN Charter entered into force in December 2008. Besides giving ASEAN a legal personality, the Charter will enhance its institutional accountability and decision making mechanism, and transform ASEAN into a more effective, cohesive and rules-based organization. ASEAN is striving to become, by 2015, a Community, which will have three main pillars, namely political-security, economic and socio-cultural. At the ASEAN Summit in early 2009, ASEAN Leaders adopted a Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015, which consists of blueprints for realizing the goals and targets of all three pillars.

 The ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) contributes to promoting peace and security in the wider Asia-Pacific region. The APSC seeks to enhance peace and security through effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanism, and peacekeeping activities. In this context, it is pertinent to have systematic cooperation between ASEAN and its Member States, and the UN system. In the face of strategic gaps in international support to peacebuilding, enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional actors to draw on each others’ comparative advantages is key.

ASEAN has worked actively to foster good relationships with other countries and groupings through developing dialogue partnerships with the latter. Within the Asia-Pacific region, ASEAN is at the center of various important regional organizations such as the ASEAN+3 process, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, all of which serve to promote a region of peace and stability. In particular, the ASEAN Regional Forum is the primary forum in enhancing political and security dialogue and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The recently adopted ARF Vision Statement 2020 envisions the ARF developing partnership and networks of cooperation with various security organizations and forums as well as with international organizations in order to create synergies between them.

ASEAN was granted an observer status in the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2006. The two organizations have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation which provides an important framework to further enhance ASEAN-UN relations and cooperation, and to allow ASEAN to make greater contributions to the work of the United Nations as well as to the promotion of peace, stability and development in the world. 

Mr. President,

As proudly proclaimed in its Charter, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional organization committed to international cooperation for peace, security, stability, justice and development. With our deep gratitude for all the assistance, partnership and cooperation rendered to ASEAN over the years, all of us in ASEAN share the determination to work with each other, with other countries and organizations like the Unite Nations to solve the many problems presently faced by the world and advance the cause of international peace, security and development.

I thank you, Mr. President!