ASEAN Centrality A Key Cornerstone For Regional Diplomacy, Jeffrey Sachs
A special dialogue titled 'ASEAN amidst the Shifting Global Order' was hosted by Sunway University founder and chancellor Tan Sri Dato' Seri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah KBE AO ahead of the 46 th ASEAN Summit and was attended by esteemed guests such as Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming, Subang Jaya state assembly person Michelle Ng, as well as ambassadors, high commissioners, senior bankers and corporate leaders.
Renowned economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the Sir Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor in Sustainable Development at Sunway University and President of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN), engaged in a dynamic discussion moderated by Sunway University pro-chancellor Professor Dato' Sri Dr. Idris Jala, on ASEAN's strategic direction and Malaysia's chairmanship.
Sachs, who has advised three UN Secretaries-General including His Excellency António Guterres, outlined the importance of preserving ASEAN centrality as a cornerstone of regional diplomacy, enabling Southeast Asia to shape cooperation and security amidst major power rivalries.
During his keynote address, Sachs also underscored ASEAN's pivotal role as a regional bloc in navigating geopolitical uncertainties, highlighting the urgency of regional cooperation in areas such as climate action, economic resilience and multilateral diplomacy. He called on leaders to harness ASEAN's collective strength to foster peace, sustainability and long-term prosperity.
'ASEAN needs to do two basic things: one is to strengthen the relations within the ASEAN group, and the second is to strengthen ASEAN's relations as a group with other partners. In this week's summit, China will be a major partner, and the GCC, the Gulf Cooperation Council, will be a major partner. So, these are two major economic partnerships for ASEAN. I think a lot of deals will come forward from the diplomacy that's underway in the next few days,' said Sachs.
In his welcoming remarks, Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah said: 'The challenges that stand before us are immense and formidable, but our shared aspirations in ASEAN for a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future is a source of hope and positivity in these times of turmoil and turbulence. I am a firm believer in the proposition that the world works best when it works together.'
'From a relatively young age, I adopted my conviction that every individual must have a higher purpose in life. For me, that higher calling is a commitment to give back to society in a meaningful and impactful manner and nation-building through quality education and knowledge sharing.
Today's presentation by Professor Sachs is a prime example of our mission to bring cutting-edge research and world-class expertise to Malaysia and the wider Asian region,' added Cheah. Related
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Since ASEAN adopted the 5PC in 2021, the junta has never honoured it. First and foremost, the consensus calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar. This step has never been implemented by the junta. Instead of ending military rule, the regime has rained bombs on its citizens and blocked essential supplies, including healthcare facilities, not to mention the continued atrocities like arson and massacres. Over the past four years, more than 6,000 civilians have been killed by the military, including children, prompting the UN early this year to say that the junta had ramped up its violence against civilians to a level that was unprecedented in the four years since the generals launched their coup. Rather than taking the junta's total disregard for its plan as a blatant insult, ASEAN's leadership doggedly clings to the 5PC as its "main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar," writes Hpone Myat in anti-establishment news portal The Irrawaddy. 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