CALOOCAN CITY, Aug. 11 (PIA) -- The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) over the weekend joined the celebrations of the 53rd founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and pushed for the robust and enduring cooperation of the Member States in building resilience and working towards recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The ACB reaffirms its commitment to the Region’s principles and vision through its continued support to the AMS [ASEAN Member States] in advancing the Region’s biodiversity agenda in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate and long-term consequences,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim told the PIA-NCR.
Lim emphasized the urgency of building more robust health systems and economic structures and integrating biodiversity concerns into health and socio-economic programmes amid the ongoing global health crisis.
“Clearly, ensuring intersectoral cohesion will not only guarantee the sustainable use of our rich biological resources, but will also redound to our well-being and survival and contribute to national and regional economic recovery, as well,” she said.
The official shared that the ACB, through the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme, a flagship initiative of the ASEAN, is mobilising necessary support to help maintain the quality of biodiversity attractions in AHPs during this crisis in preparation for the gradual re-opening of tourism.
The ACB executive director likewise commended Viet Nam’s leadership of the ASEAN, particularly in advancing cooperation on environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
Last month, Viet Nam, led by Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency and Viet Nam Environment Administration, initiated a national consultation workshop on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to flesh out inputs and insights on realigning their national biodiversity goals with the global targets.
“This initiative is valuable as the ASEAN lends a strong voice to the development of the landmark biodiversity framework so that it may reflect the context and challenges that the ASEAN is facing in reversing biodiversity loss, tackling outbreaks such as COVID-19, and responding to the climate emergency,” she said.
An online celebration was held to commemorate ASEAN’s foundation. Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and Viet Nam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh graced the ceremony organised by the ASEAN Secretariat.
In the Philippines where the ACB is headquartered, the Department of Foreign Affairs held a virtual ASEAN flag-raising ceremony. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. talked about the ASEAN’s response in building back through support for micro, small and medium enterprises, which account for most jobs in the region.
“Commemorations invite reflection and reconsideration. Here’s a chance to recalibrate programs and activities in the face of new threats and challenges, and the extreme likelihood of their regionally destructive recurrence,” Locsin said. (PIA NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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