International Convention Centre, Brunei Darussalam
10 October 2013

Before the 23rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits officially came to a close, President Benigno S. Aquino III and his fellow leaders met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the 5th ASEAN-U.N. Summit.

In the meeting, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the United Nations is proud to be a partner of ASEAN. He encouraged more engagement and dynamism in the relations between the two since it is in the threshold of a new era with the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

He cited four areas where the regional bloc and the U.N. can cooperate further so as to achieve tangible results. These are regional connectivity; sustainable development with emphasis in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as imperative in realizing the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015; harmonious relationship among nations; and, peace and security.

The Secretary-General also stressed closer collaboration on climate change and disaster management since ASEAN is very much prone to natural calamities. Relative to this, he invited all the leaders to participate in the Climate Summit Meeting that he will convene on September 2014 alongside the United Nations General Assembly.

Moreover, he acknowledged several achievements in the region including the historic Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro that was signed between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which was facilitated by Malaysia.

The U.N. Secretary-General likewise expressed his plans to establish a liaison office in Jakarta.

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