Mr.

Nong Sakal, Director-General of ASEAN-Cambodia at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, gave a lecture at the United Nations University (UNU) Headquarters in Tokyo on 22 November 2012.
The lecture, entitled Recent Developments in ASEAN: Achievements & the ASEAN Chairs Perspective, was held in the wake of the combined ASEAN Summit/East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (18 to 20 November 2012). That summit was hosted by Cambodia, which held the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2012. Mr. Nong had been closely involved in the preparation of the summit, particularly with regard to political and security issues. In his lecture, Mr. Nong outlined the history and achievements of ASEAN (the Association of SouthEast Asian nations) from its founding in 1967 to the present day, with particular focus on the accomplishments of Cambodia during its Chairmanship in 2012. One result of the recent summit in Phnom Penh was the adoption of Drug-Free ASEAN 2015, a declaration that commits all ASEAN member states to eradicate drug use by 2015. On the economic front, an important development was the adoption of the Phnom Penh Agenda on Community Building 2015, which reaffirms the commitment of member states to establish an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. Also adopted at the summit was the Phnom Penh Declaration on ASEAN: One Community, One Destiny, in which ASEAN countries agreed to strive towards the continued integrity and prosperity of Southeast Asia with an eye to keeping it peaceful, stable and secure. Following the lecture, Mr. Nong engaged with the audience in a question-and-answer session. Particular interest was expressed in the ongoing territorial issue in the South China Sea, where a number of ASEAN member states have overlapping claims with China. Mr. Nong stressed the desire of Cambodia to see the issue dealt with through friendliness; he also emphasized that the conflict cannot be settled in a short period of time. Members of the audience also raised the issue of the widely differing cultures, religions and languages that make up the mosaic of the ASEAN people, emphasizing that bringing the peoples of ASEAN together would be more difficult than in the European Union. Mr. Nong, however, argued that despite the differences in cultures the ASEAN peoples share prosperity as a common goal. Mr. Nong Sakals lecture was part of UNUs Ambassador Lecture Series, a forum that provides an opportunity for UNU students, fellows and interns to directly engage with government officials on political, economic, and social issues.

As Myanmar continues preparations to assume the role of chair of ASEAN for the first time in 2014, a U.S.-supported event brought Government officials together with senior officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia and Indonesia, and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, to present Myanmar with an opportunity to learn from past ASEAN chairs.

During his opening remarks, H.E. U Thant Kyaw, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs said that, The Government greatly appreciates receiving the benefits of the experiences of previous chairs from our esteemed colleagues from Cambodia and Indonesia, as well as the ASEAN Secretariat. We look forward to building on the momentum they have created in the last few years as we take on the leadership of ASEAN next year. The purpose of the workshop was to assist the Government in its preparations by examining remaining agenda items in implementing the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community, the lessons learned and the best practices in ASEAN Chairmanship, and managing the preparations of Chairmanship. Discussions during the workshop included a focus on carrying out ASEANs initiatives in the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration, and the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity. Apart from implementing the Roadmap, the Chair has a key role to play in promoting ASEAN centrality, and leads ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations and cooperation with external partners in the evolving regional architecture, said H.E. U Nyan Lynn, Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Political-Security Community. ASEANs dialogue and cooperation frameworks include the ASEAN Plus One, the ASEAN Plus Three, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus, and the East Asia Summit. The event concluded with discussion on ways to assist the Government build its capacity as it prepares to take on the role of ASEAN Chair, and a review of the assistance so far provided by ASEAN Member States, ASEAN's Dialogue Partners, and other entities. Assumption of the ASEAN Chair in 2014 marks a great opportunity for Myanmar and the region," said U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN David L. Carden during the opening of the workshop. "As Myanmar continues to make strides in its internal reform processes and increases its linkages to the world beyond its borders, it will look first to its ASEAN neighbours who have consistently offered support and encouragement. In the coming years I have every confidence Myanmar will be a leading contributor to ASEAN integration." The Workshop on the Leadership of ASEAN in 2014 was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar and the ASEAN Secretariat in collaboration with the U.S. Government-funded ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility.