An overview of the 11 ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) Meeting. Photos bvhttdl.vn

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam has called on ASEAN member countries to boost cooperation in implementing a number of tasks, including the integration of culture into joint-response efforts at national and regional levels.

Speaking at the 11th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) Meeting and the AMCA Meetings with Dialogue Partners, including the ASEAN Plus Three (APT), China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông highly appreciated the meeting's theme during Malaysia's tenure as chair of AMCA.

The Vietnamese culture deputy minister led the Vietnamese delegation to the 11th AMCA meetings held from October 23-25 in Melaka, Malaysia. Timor-Leste was in attendance as observer at the meetings.

He affirmed the key role of culture and arts in promoting sustainable development and strengthening ASEAN solidarity under a 'common roof', working together towards a vision and identity to build ASEAN as a united cultural community in diversity.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông speaks at the 11th AMCA meeting.

In that spirit, he said, Việt Nam appealed for ASEAN countries to cooperate in integrating culture into joint response efforts at the national and regional levels and in orienting the development of digital culture in the context that digital society and digital economy are inevitable trends. They should, he added, focus on developing cultural industries in which ASEAN members have strengths such as cuisine, handicrafts, music and cultural tourism, to form and connect creative spaces among their cities and urban areas.

The theme of the 11th AMCA was 'Bridging Cultures, Building Futures: Unity in Diversity' underlined the pivotal role of culture and the arts in promoting sustainable and inclusive development towards strengthening ASEAN’s solidarity. 

The meeting was preceded by the 20th Meeting of the Senior Officials Responsible for Culture and Arts (SOMCA) on 22 October, followed by the SOMCA meetings with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the Plus Three Countries on October 23. 

The theme of bridging cultures and unity in diversity, aims to reinforce the idea that ASEAN is a region of unparalleled diversities and yet its people remain united and share common values toward realising ASEAN 2045.

SOMCA Malaysia has identified three priority areas. The first is 'Youth', focusing on the future of ASEAN through exchange and cross-cultural initiatives. The second is the 'Creative Economy', emphasising contributions to GDP, employment, cultural and creative industry (CCI) sales, intellectual property and the preservation of cultural assets and the third is 'Digitalisation', which leverages digital tools, platforms and policies to enhance forward and outward-looking cultural safeguarding and innovation.

Representatives from ASEAN countries demonstrate solidarity of cooperation in culture and arts development.

In a joint statement released on October 24, the ASEAN members recognised that similarities and diversity in cultures and creativity are the important sources of innovation for human progress and the essential impetus for development.

It stated: "Given that our rich, diverse, and intertwined cultural resources can serve as a unifying force to promote greater mutual understanding and contribute to social and economic development, the ASEAN Member States looked forward to strengthening the integration of culture in development policies that contributes to the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision." 

The wording also referenced the Vang Vieng Declaration on promoting the small and medium-sized cultural enterprises aligned with the green growth for sustainable development, the ASEAN strategic plan for culture and arts (2016-25) and the development of a new work plan, the interfaces with UK and Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) and the cooperation with dialogue partners and the ASEAN cultural heritage list. VNS

An art performance at the meeting.