Minister Agung Laksono Kicks Of ASCC Council Meeting

Semarang (Antara Bali) - Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono officially opened the ASEAN Social Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting here on Monday.

"The ASCC Council Meeting is to discuss various issues  such as infections, handicapped people, HIV/AIDS, and the results will be presented to the ASEAN Summit in Bali," Agung said.

Developing ASEAN was not just developing a nation but a whole region to make it stronger in facing other regional groupings in in  defense, political and economic terms, he said.

The two-day ministerial level meeting would also discuss social and cultural issues relevant to the efforts to form an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The meeting is being attended by among others Malaysian Information, Communication and Culture Minister Dato' Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, Brunei Darussalam Culture, Youth and Sport Minister  Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair Bin Haji Abdullah, Cambodian Senior Minister for  Development  Sun Chanthol, and Philippine Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman.

Indonesia was presented at the meeting by Minister Agung Laksono, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, and National Development Planning Minister/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Armida Alisjahbana.

Prior to the ministerial-level meeting, a Senior Officials Committee for ASCC (SOCA) meeting was held on October 7 and 8, 2011.

The SOCA meeting discussed s among other things discussed  eradication of HIV/AIDS ,  increasing the role and participation of  the disabled,  formation of a regional disaster management center, and a commitment to overcome climate change problems in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

It also  discussed a number of agreements in the  social and cultural fields, such as cooperation in the field of natural disasters through the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center).(*)