Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

21 October 2020

Secretary-General,

Honorable Ministers,

ASEAN Secretary-General Dato¡¯ Lim Jock Hoi,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, His Excellency Pham Binh Minh, for hosting this meeting and for the opportunity to address the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The pandemic has impacted all our lives. Today we meet virtually rather than in person. The normal bustling halls of the United Nations Headquarters were quieter for High Level week this year as delegations met virtually and leaders sent in video messages. But the message from world leaders was clear: International cooperation and effective multilateral action is essential to confront the pandemic.

For many of our people the pandemic has been devastating. Economies have crashed. Healthcare systems have been squeezed.? Education has been halted.

In this regard, I take note of the remarkable efforts being taken being taken by ASEAN member states to control the spread of the disease and facilitate discussions between Member States on responses and recovery plans.?

Excellencies,

The cooperation between the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and ASEAN, which began in the early 1970s with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ assisting ASEAN with its regional cooperation and integration efforts, has now diversified into political and security issues, economic cooperation, socio-cultural cooperation and cross-sectoral cooperation.

I very much welcome the strengthening of this relationship, and the work between the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretariat and the ASEAN Secretariat to implement our comprehensive partnership goals.

The General Assembly most recently recognized the role of ASEAN in Resolution 71/317, which I fully endorse.

Cooperation between multilateral bodies, such as ASEAN and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, is crucial to ensure we share our knowledge, experience and proposals so the policies we implement are effective and impactful.?

With this in mind, I warmly welcome ASEAN¡¯s continued support to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ peacekeeping missions around the world. I would like to particularly highlight the active participation of women peacekeepers from your countries This collaboration has strengthen our work in post-conflict peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

Excellencies,

The development and implementation of the Joint Strategic Plan on Disaster Management from 2016-2020 and the ASEAN-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment and Climate Change Action Plan 2016-2020, are also worth highlighting. They demonstrate the breadth and depth of practical cooperation between our organizations with real world impacts.

During my Presidency, I look forward to working together to support the Comprehensive Partnership between ASEAN and the United Nations, and I will work to ensure no one is left behind, especially the most vulnerable.

I Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity and I wish you all the best in your endeavors today.