PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday called for the revival of the youth exchange program among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan.
He also looked forward to the implementation of the Cultural Heritage Digital Archives Project from 2023 to 2025 and the ASEAN Corner in universities to provide more access to information and promote better awareness about the region.
The President, during the “Heart to Heart Partners across Generations” forum held to commemorate the 50th Commemorative ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Summit in Tokyo, said he sees a brighter future of the successful partnership between the regional group and Japan for the past 50 years and its continuity in the future.
Marcos said a lot has been done in the past 50 years and “I believe the future can even be brighter.”
He thanked Japan and acknowledged its commitment and steadfast support for the numerous initiatives promoting friendship and camaraderie among the peoples of ASEAN and Japan such as the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Program, which serves as a key component in building lifelong bonds of friendship and mutual understanding among young peoples in ASEAN and Japan; the “Sports for Tomorrow” program, which does not only promote sports awareness among ASEAN youth but also urged inclusivity in sports by supporting participation of women and persons with special needs; and the WA Project designed to enhance cultural understanding to facilitate cooperation among the citizens of ASEAN and Japan.
“We look forward to the implementation of the 2023-2025 ASEAN Cultural Heritage Digital Archives (ACHDA) Project and the ASEAN Corner in Universities supported by the Japanese-ASEAN Integrated Fund (JAIF). These projects will promote public access to this digital archive, establish information centers on ASEAN topics in AMS libraries, and enhance ASEAN awareness and the realization of the narrative of ASEAN identity,” the President said.
The ACHDA is a digital archive of the ASEAN region’s cultural heritage which enables remote access to previously restricted heritage assets, allowing a wider audience to experience and learn about them, while the ASEAN Corner aims to establish information centers in the libraries of higher education institutions the regional group’s member states to provide accurate, relevant, and timely information about the member nations and their developments.
The ASEAN Corner, apart from establishing libraries in 10 universities, or one each from the member nations, is also expected to be developed into a virtual library that can be accessed through the university website.
The President highlighted the importance of partnership among ASEAN and Japan which he said will not only allow two-way cultural and people-to-people exchanges but also promote mutual understanding and cooperation between ASEAN and Japan.
Marcos said Japan has proven to be the ASEAN’s trusted, constant and reliable partner in maritime security and cooperation as well as humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) within the region.
He said the Philippines is looking forward to co-chairing with Japan the ADMM Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security for 2024 to 2027 and advancing partnerships on climate change, marine environmental protection, HADR, maritime security, military medicine, counterterrorism, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian mine action, and more recently, cybersecurity.
“The 50 years of harmonious relationship between ASEAN and Japan is a testament of friendship, trust, and shared concerns — we are the building blocks of peace and stability in our region. We look forward to ASEAN and Japan’s continued partnership beyond the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation,” he added, especially in light of the “continued violations of international laws in the geopolitical environment.”
The President had called for unity and collective action amid the intercontinental ballistic missile tests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, unilateral actions in the East and South China Seas and the worsening violence in Myanmar, emphasizing these actions “threaten peace and stability” in the region.
