34th Meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council in Malaysia
The Vice Prime Minister and Minister Coordinator for Social Affairs, Mariano Assanami Sabino, represented the IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste at the 34th Meeting of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC), held in Selangor, Malaysia, from October 5th to 10th.
The meeting, which brought together ministers and representatives from ASEAN Member States, aimed to discuss the strategic guidelines of the Socio-Cultural Community, analyzing key cross-cutting initiatives and initiate the implementation of the new ASCC Strategic Plan. The meeting was chaired by Malaysia's Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and current Chair of the ASCC Council, Tiong King Sing. Timor-Leste participated as an observer.
During the opening session, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn praised Malaysia's leadership in organizing the event and highlighted the importance of strengthening institutions and cooperation mechanisms among the three pillars of ASEAN — political and security, economic, and socio-cultural — to realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. He also emphasized the essential role of all stakeholders, including civil society, in developing innovative approaches that respond to the evolving needs of the region's populations.
The ASCC Council approved, in principle, five final documents and fourteen additional documents for further consideration by ASEAN leaders at the 47th Summit, to be held later this month.
In parallel with the meeting, the ASCC 2025 High-Level Forum was held, accompanied by an Arts and Crafts Fair, at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, which provided a platform for dialogue and sharing between artists, creative entrepreneurs and policy makers from the region. The event, which included exhibitions, demonstrations and business meetings, celebrated the cultural diversity of ASEAN and reinforced the role of cultural diplomacy and the creative economy as drivers of resilience, innovation and sustainable development.
In his speech, Minister Tiong King Sing emphasized that the Forum marks the beginning of the implementation of the ASCC's new Strategic Plan and reflects the theme of Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship — ‘Inclusiveness and Sustainability’ — in line with ASEAN's ‘Our Shared Future’ vision for 2045.
The High-Level Forum addressed critical trends that are transforming the lives of people in the region, including technological and digital transformation, climate change, artificial intelligence, and demographic transitions. Participants emphasized that empowering young people and investing in climate action will remain priorities in the post-2025 period, with people at the center of public policy.
Timor-Leste's participation reinforces its growing involvement in ASEAN activities, at a time when the country is preparing for full membership of the organization later this month, demonstrating its national commitment to contributing to a more inclusive, dynamic and sustainable regional community. END
