Jakarta, 7th June, 2023 – The inaugural ASEAN-UAE Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (JSCC) meeting was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, the Republic of Indonesia, to mark the launch of their formal partnership. The establishment of this formal partnership paves the way for stronger ASEAN-UAE cooperation, including the implementation of mutually beneficial projects and programs. The meeting was co-chaired by HE Ahmed Al Sayegh, UAE Minister of State, and HE Michael Tene, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Political Security Community Department. Other attendees included members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, and representatives from ASEAN Observer State, Timor-Leste.
During the ASEAN-UAE JSCC, the two sides adopted the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN-UAE JSCC and discussed several initiatives to progress the ASEAN-UAE Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, which was formally established at the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting held in August 2022 in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
In this regard, the two sides agreed to develop a list of cooperation areas, which will serve as a practical guide to further substantiate the Sectoral Dialogue Partnership with a focus on areas of mutual interest. Participants also exchanged views on developing cooperation in the fields of economic, trade, and investment exchange; energy and sustainability; technology; food security; and culture, among other areas.
Commenting on the ASEAN-UAE JSCC meeting, His Excellency Al Sayegh underlined the UAE’s keenness to expand its cooperation with ASEAN and enhance the bloc’s efforts to support economic integration and growth and political stability throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He added, "The UAE is pleased to be a Sectoral Dialogue Partner to ASEAN and looks forward to building a range of tangible partnerships to support the bloc’s key economic, political, and social goals.”
Further, His Excellency noted that as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner, “The UAE is confident that it can make significant contributions to solving a number of pressing regional and global issues, including with respect to climate change and food and energy security.”
For his part, HE Tene highlighted that the meeting was a momentous occasion, marking the commencement of formal engagement between ASEAN and the UAE with a view to materializing mutually beneficial cooperation in the years to come. His Excellency encouraged the UAE to continue leveraging opportunities in ASEAN in the areas of trade and investment and to engage in cooperative activities in various areas, such as culture, education, and disaster management.
On the occasion of the convening of the ASEAN-UAE JSCC, HE Nguyen Manh Tuan, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Abu Dhabi, underlined that the UAE’s Sectoral Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN represents the most effective approach to promoting cooperation and achieving the joint priorities of both sides. His Excellency underlined his confidence in the continued development and prosperity of the UAE-ASEAN relationship.
ASEAN is a regional grouping that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
