ASEAN-UNICEF Symposium to Highlight Strategies, Opportunities to Improve Lives Across Region

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Senior officials from the ASEAN Member States and regional experts will this week look at how to boost progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the ASEAN-UNICEF Symposium on “Leaving No One Behind”, in commemoration of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary. The event, hosted by the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security on Sept 28-29 in Bangkok, will highlight the importance of investing in data and improving public finances to secure future prosperities for all, UNICEF said in a statement issued here Wednesday. “Thailand is proud to host this event, 50 years after ASEAN was established in Bangkok,” said Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Police General Adul Sangsingkeo. “Since then we have seen rapid growth in ASEAN countries. This meeting will help chart a course to ensure that the member states continue to develop further while no one is left behind.” ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh said promoting complementarities between the ASEAN Vision 2025 and the SDGs is high on the agenda of ASEAN. “The building of a people-centred and people-oriented ASEAN Community, with a focus on children, leverages on and complements the 17 goals of the SDGs while the achievement of the SDGs reinforces regional integration process in ASEAN.” As the vast majority of investments in social services for children and their families in ASEAN member states are funded by national governments, it is indeed crucial to overseeing how these funds are prioritised to support those most in need in realising the SDGs and the ASEAN Vision 2025, it said. On the same note, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Deputy Director Wivina Belmonte noted that investing in children and young people is central to achieving all aspects of sustainable development and ASEAN 2025. “This vision for a better future can only be achieved if we carefully measure our progress by investing time and resources into collecting quality data, to contribute to better policy choices. “A UNICEF study released earlier this year showed that, for over half of child-related SDG indicators, availability of data is either limited or poor. It’s not that data isn’t being collected, it’s that the universal nature of the SDGs and Vision 2025 calls for disaggregated data to make sure that in leaving no one behind, all children are counted and that all children count.” During the event, UNICEF will be guiding interactive discussions on how investing in children and families can yield high returns both for individuals and for societies. UNICEF will also highlight the need to continue investing in data in supporting the realisation of the goals, it added. -- BERNAMA