Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres holds a press conference shortly after meeting with ASEAN leaders in Vientiane. — Photo Vientiane Times/ANN

VIENTIANE – The Secretary-General of the United Nations referred to ASEAN as a “bridge-builder and messenger for peace” following a dialogue with the bloc’s leaders on Friday.

“We see geopolitical tensions rising, climate chaos battering countries, and deepening inequalities ripping the social contract to shreds. In this dramatic context, ASEAN is a bridge-builder and a messenger for peace,” António Guterres said during a press conference he gave on the same day.

The top UN official addressed reporters after attending the 14th ASEAN-United Nations Summit in Vientiane.

He commended ASEAN for its ongoing constructive role in defusing tensions occurring in various parts of the world by prioritising dialogue and respecting international law.

The ASEAN-UN Summit, which was held under Laos’ chairmanship, reviewed the progress of ASEAN-UN relations and charted a future course to implement the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership in the upcoming years.

The meeting underscored the importance of promoting complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This reflects a shared commitment between ASEAN and the United Nations to enhance ASEAN-UN relations for peace, stability, sustainable development, and adherence to multilateralism.

The UN chief said that to align with the theme of the ASEAN summits, which stresses the need to enhance connectivity, the international community must support UN efforts to ensure that everyone benefits from emerging technology. He also said it was necessary to reform the international financial architecture, adding that the current system fails to provide developing countries with the support or safety net they need.

“The Pact for the Future calls for groundbreaking reforms and urges G20 countries to lead on an SDGs Stimulus of US$500 billion a year, substantially increasing the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, and enabling them to massively scale-up affordable long-term climate and development finance,” he said, adding that this funding is essential for developing countries to implement the Agenda 2030 and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. On climate change issues, he said every country must produce a new national climate action plan that aligns with limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, adding that the G20 group, the biggest emitters, must lead in this.

“Innovative models for collaboration are critical. I welcome the Just Energy Transition Partnerships in Indonesia and Vietnam,” he said.

According to a press release from the Media Centre, during the ASEAN-UN Summit the Lao delegation proposed the development of a new ASEAN-UN Plan of Action for 2026-2030 to advance the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership and support the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, set for adoption in 2025.

The United Nations remains one of ASEAN’s key partners with a history of longstanding cooperation. ASEAN-UN relations were established in 1977 and elevated to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2011. — Vientiane Times/ANN