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FOREIGN
ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) have reached a consensus on the final draft of
the proposed charter that establishes the creation of a
human-rights body, a contentious provision that has been
opposed by
Burma.
The
high-level task force (HLTF) on the Asean charter
formally submitted the final draft of the proposed
charter at the opening of the 40th Asean Ministerial
Meeting (AMM) in
Manila.
Foreign
Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said foreign ministers
during a lunch meeting reached a consensus on several
issues that included the human rights commission. “I am
pleased to announce that among the issues on which there
was a consensus among the Asean foreign ministers is the
inclusion of a provision in the Asean Charter that
mandates the creation of a human-rights body,” said
Romulo in a statement that he read after the foreign
ministers met with the members of the HLTF on Monday.
He
added: “We have instructed the HTLF to include this
provision in the draft Charter.”
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, meanwhile, said
Burma “had a positive attitude toward the creation of
the human- rights body” in the Asean charter.
“At the
ministers level, we have reached a consensus on the
human-rights body. But on other issues in the charter,
the leaders have to decide with the committee of peers.
They will have to decide on their own methods of coming
into decision,” said Yeo in an ambush interview with
reporters at the Philippine International Convention
Center on Monday.
The
final draft of the Asean charter will be submitted for
signing of the Asean leaders during the 13th Asean
Summit in November in Singapore.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers signed on Monday three
major documents that include the Establishment of an
Asean Committee for the Implementation of the
Declaration for Protection and Promotion of Migrant
Workers, and the Guidelines on the Provision of
Emergency Assistance by Asean missions in third-world
countries to nationals of Asean member-countries caught
in conflict situations.
Foreign
Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Esteban Conejos Jr.
said it is important to lay the infrastructure for the
protection of migrant workers as there are 1.6 million
out of the total 3.8 million Filipino workers who are
deployed in the Asean countries.
In his
opening address at the AMM meeting, Romulo emphasized
that Asean has overcome the divisions and hostilities of
the past.
“We have
used regional cooperation to promote growth, development
and integration. We have earned the respect and
recognition of countries and organizations, regionally
and globally,” said Romulo.
He
compared the Asean’s beginnings with the European Union
that was forged out of the ashes of World War II. “We,
in the Asean, forged our regional body in the midst of
the Cold War and the challenges of decolonization. But
may I add, in this respect that we have done so in a
context of far greater diversity in all fields than what
our European friends ever had to manage.”
*****
Asean
ICT to give India, China some Competition
ASEAN
countries have the potential to be major challengers to
India and China for their share of the global offshore
and outsourcing market, according to global information
and communications technology (ICT) research and analyst
firm XMG.
To mark
the Asean’s 40th anniversary, XMG reviewed the region’s
state of providing offshoring and outsourcing services
to the global market.
“The
Asean member-countries have mostly tried to outcompete
each other in the global marketplace,” said XMG’s chief
analyst Lauro Vives.
For the
most part, Asean countries have developed fairly
similar trading capabilities, said Vives. There are,
however, slight differences in their levels of human
capital, regulatory environments and strategic values,
he added. (J. Edep) |
