02 Dec 2016
02-Dec-2016
Source: ASEAN Secretariat News
Chairmanship of CPR passes on to the Philippines
JAKARTA, 2 December 2016 – After wrapping up a productive year of meetings and activities, Ambassador Latsamy Keomany, Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN, handed over yesterday the chairmanship of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) to Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN, in a ceremony witnessed by Secretary-General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh in Jakarta. The Philippines will be ASEAN Chair for 2017.
Under Lao PDR’s chairmanship, the CPR focused its work on translating relevant action lines in the three ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025 into concrete actions and on continued implementation of the Recommendations of the High Level Task Force on Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and Reviewing the ASEAN Organs. The CPR has also been proactively engaging its dialogue and other external partners in Jakarta to further deepen and strengthen relations with them.
In her remarks, Ambassador Buensuceso highlighted the thematic priorities and some of the outcome documents for the Philippine chairmanship in 2017 under the theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.” Noting the big tasks at hand, she expressed hoped to continue the work and sustain the gains achieved by previous CPR chairs with the support of the CPR and the ASEAN Secretariat.
2017 is slated to be another historic moment for the region as ASEAN will celebrate its 50th Anniversary and also mark anniversaries of dialogue relations with the US, Canada, EU, India and ASEAN Plus Three.
In his remarks at the ceremony, SG Minh commended the accomplishments of Lao Chairmanship in relation to its eight priorities. He encouraged the CPR to effectively monitor the implementation of relevant actions under the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III as well as the High Level Task Force on Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and Reviewing the ASEAN Organs. Highlighting the key role of the CPR in ASEAN’s external relations, SG Minh called on the CPR to further deepen ASEAN’s external relations in the year ahead.
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