18th ASEAN ministerial meet begins in Laos with focus on connectivity, resilience

VIENTIANE — Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, and the ASEAN Ministers responsible for combating transnational crime on Wednesday participated in the 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in Vientiane, Laos, along with Timor-Leste as an Observer.

The meeting themed ‘ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’ chaired by Lao PDR, involved discussions on recent and emerging trends in transnational crime, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action (PoA) in Combating Transnational Crime for the period 2016-2025, informed ASEAN on X.

Secretary Gen Kao while delivering opening remarks at the meeting expressed his readiness to work closely with ASEAN Member States to intensify their efforts to shape ASEAN’s collective agenda to combat both current and emerging transnational crime.

“Lao PDR’s stewardship of the ongoing review of priority areas of cooperation will also play a pivotal role in addressing and shaping the future of our collective efforts against transnational crime”, he said.

The Secretary-General further stated, “We are now in the final year of implementing our ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025. At the same time, the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and four new Strategic Plans that we are working on right now across our three pillars, including ASEAN Connectivity, are gradually taking shape and will be ready for adoption next year under Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN.”

“Within the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), transnational crime remains a crucial focus of our Strategic Plan in the coming decades. This emphasis underscores the need for the AMMTC and its subsidiary mechanisms to take a more active and proactive role in leading the implementation of our future strategic plan”, he added.

The meeting also resulted in the adoption of a Declaration, a Joint Statement, and other guiding documents. Additionally, the 18th AMMTC welcomed Malaysia as the incoming AMMTC Chair in 2025.