Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)’s function is crucial in concerted efforts to build a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community, said Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN.

Speaking at the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA that is being held online from September 8-10, Phoak said AIPA parliamentarians are well-placed to reach out to the peoples of ASEAN and act as intermediaries between them and the policymakers.

AIPA, as the region’s lead parliamentary organisation, is well-posed in enhancing the ASEAN’s integration process, he continued.

AIPA plays a critical role in transposing regional commitments to national laws. Similarly, AIPA is pivotal in expediting ratifications of signed ASEAN agreements, aligning domestic laws and regulations with regional priorities while monitoring the implementation of these laws.

This year 2020 was supposed to be an exciting year for ASEAN. While COVID-19 has substantially slowed-down some of activities and events, ASEAN – under Vietnam’s able Chairmanship – has stayed focused in endeavoring our community building process and regional integration journey, according to the Deputy Secretary General.

“Looking back, two learning points are evident. Firstly, COVID-19 has irreversibly transformed the world, and the road to recovery will be a long and consequential journey. Secondly, in an interconnected world, a global crisis requires international cooperation, and no single country can wrestle any crisis alone. Hence, tackling the pandemic demands solidarity and actions across the international community,” he said.

In the same context, he went on, ASEAN will and must continue to remain united in the resolve to make policy and law-making work for the benefit of peoples. ASEAN has to keep markets open, ensure the normal flows of trade and supply chain connectivity, particularly for essential products. Such a demonstration of regional commitment is critical, in light of the pressure to turn inward.

Since March 2020, ASEAN has been taking prompt and decisive actions to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. The successful convening of the 36th ASEAN online Summit in June 2020 was a clear illustration of ASEAN’s solidarity manifested in concrete regional cooperation.

It has, among others, affirmed the need for a regional recovery plan post-COVID-19, that involves collaboration among public agencies, businesses and other stakeholders.

At the last Interface between ASEAN Leaders and AIPA during the 36th ASEAN online Summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as ASEAN Chair, affirmed the compelling need for ASEAN member states to stay united, and to turn challenges into opportunities for sustainable development, Phoak recalled.

PM Phuc urged both ASEAN and AIPA to work together to facilitate the post-COVID 19 recovery, including implementing timely policies and measures to mitigate adverse impacts of the crisis and to rebuild lives, he said./.