The Outcome of the ASEAN Director-General Preparatory Meeting

On 18 July 2009 at 9.00-14.00 hrs., Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, Director-General of ASEAN-Thailand chaired the ASEAN Directors-General Preparatory Meeting which aimed at discussing issues related to the preparation for the 42^nd  ASEAN Ministerial Meeting(AMM)/Post Ministerial Conference(PMC)/ 16^th ASEAN Regional Forum to be held during 20-23 July 2009 in Phuket.

The Meeting considered the tentative programme, draft provisional agenda, outcome documents of all the related Meetings as well as the preparation for the 15^th ASEAN Summit. ASEAN Directors-General had extensive discussions on the draft provisional agenda, deliverables as well as the draft Joint Communiqué of the 42^nd AMM, which would be circulated for Foreign Ministers’ approval at the end of the AMM plenary session.  The 42^nd AMM would have an exchange of views on regional and international issues, ASEAN community building, ASEAN external relations and other matters, for instance, EU’s accession to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC)
                       
The Meeting took note of Thailand’s proposal to host the 15^th ASEAN Summit and the Related Summits during 23-25 October 2009. Thailand intended to focus on empowering ASEAN peoples to be better prepared for the ASEAN Community in 2015. Great emphasis would be placed on cooperation in the field of education and human resources development. The Leaders would also issue the Statement on ASEAN+3 Cooperation on Food Security and Bio-Energy Development and the Statement on EAS Disaster Management.

Thailand also informed the Meeting about the Preparation for the 2^nd ASEAN Directors-General Informal Consultations with the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to be held later on that day. The 1^st Informal Consultations were held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta in May 2009.

Furthermore, the Meeting noted that the ASEAN Secretary-General would launch a book titled “Rising to the Challenge of Cyclone Nargis: ASEAN’s Experience in Humanitarian Assistance on 20 July after the AMM press conference.