ASEAN Strengthens the Cooperation on Social Protection for Children

VIENTIANE, LAOS (11-22 November 2019) – ASEAN had strengthened the cooperation on Social Protection for Children. This was delivered on the Social Welfare and Development meeting on Vientiane, Laos.

The RI Ministry of Social Affairs was been represented by the Indonesia Focal Point for SOMSWD, Director General of Social Rehabilitation for Children, and Head of International Cooperation from Planning Bureau attended the 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting for Social Welfare and Development with the other 4 meetings (The 14th GO-NGO Forum, the 15th SOMSWD, the 14th SOMSWD Plus Three, the 6th AMMSWD Plus Three) which been done back-to-back in Vientiane, Laos on 18 – 22 November on 2019.

On this opportunity, the Focal Point of SOMSWD, Dr. Marjuki, represented the Social Affairs Minister, handed over the chairman of the 9th AMMSWD towards the Industry and Social Welfare Minister of Laos.

The Ministry of Industry and Social Welfare of Laos became the host of all the meeting events which took a theme of “Strengthening Social Protection on Vulnerable Children in ASEAN”. On the meetings, all of the minister and stakeholders from 10 countries of ASEAN re-affirmed on the importance of cooperation between stakeholders on restoring the social welfare development system which stood on children protection with prioritized the common interest and mobilized the resource on protecting all the children, especially for those who were in vulnerable and marginalized condition. The meeting was also pointed out on the paradigm change of children protection from charity-based to right-based as the main strategy on fixing the children protection policy in the national and regional level.

Then, the Ministers and stakeholders from ASEAN and also from 3 countries which was China, Japan and Korea also paid attention to every SOMSWD initiatives in regional level, such as the Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Finalization of Regional Action Plan to Implement the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Aging and ASEAN Social Protection Results Framework, also the document adoption of ASEAN Declaration on the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Abuse and Exploitation in ASEAN Member States,  the ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration and the Joint Statement on Reaffirmation of Commitment to Advancing the Rights of the Child in ASEAN on the 35th ASEAN Summit of 2019.

The 14th ASEAN GO-NGO Forum, which been done along with the AMMSWD, was being held to improve the ASEAN’s appreciation and understanding on promotion of children’s right protection through the vulnerable scope. The forum identified on the challenges and chances in the Regional Framework and Action Plan to Implement the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection in the children protection context, the children participation and empowerment, also to propose the practical recommendation for strengthening the social protection for children which lived in vulnerable condition.

Next, the 11th AMMSWD would be held in Malaysia on 2022, meanwhile the 15th SOMSWD was planned to be held in Manila on 2020.