Joint Statement of the Thirty-Second ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting

1. The 32nd ASCC Council Meeting was held on 26 September 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, under the ASEAN Chairmanship of the Lao PDR

2. The Meeting commended the Lao PDR for its 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship with the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience,” which underscores ASEAN commitment to intensify ASEAN cooperation under the three community pillars; promote infrastructure connectivity, narrow the development gap, promote greater economic integration and people-to-people exchanges; and further strengthen ASEAN’s relations with external partners, while maintaining ASEAN’s relevance and ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture. The Meeting looked forward to the realisation of the ‘Enhancing Connectivity’ priority areas: (i) Integrating and Connecting Economies, (ii) Forging an Inclusive and Sustainable Future, (iii) Transforming for the Digital Future, and (iv) Culture and Arts: Promoting the Role of ASEAN Culture and the Arts for Inclusion and Sustainability; as well as the ‘Enhancing Resilience’ priority areas: (i) Development of the Strategic Plans to implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, (ii) Enhancing ASEAN Centrality, (iii) Promoting Environmental Cooperation: Climate Change Resilience, (iv) Women and Children: Promoting the Role of Women and Children Towards the Transformation of Behaviourism in ASEAN, and (v) Health: Transforming ASEAN Health Development Resilience in a New Context.