PUTRAJAYA, May 25 — Malaysia has successfully convened the 11th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (11th AMMSWD) and related meetings which were held in a hybrid mode from May 22 to 25.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM), in a statement today, said the meetings, chaired by Malaysia, were attended by all Asean member states, including Timor-Leste with observer status, as well as the Asean Training Centre for Social Work (ATCSW) for the first time.
KPWKM said the 11th AMMSWD, themed Accelerating the Implementation of Asean’s Commitments for Gender Equality through Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion, envisaged Asean as an inclusive community promoting a high quality of life with equitable access to opportunities for all, as well as protecting the rights of women and the community.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri chaired the 11th AMMSWD and the 7th Asean Plus Three AMMSWD (7th AMMSWD+3) meetings today.
KPWKM said Nancy at the meetings highlighted the need for Asean strategic partners to accelerate cohesive efforts in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) focusing on an integrated gender perspective in countries’ development plans, strengthening the family institution and improving social welfare.
She also highlighted the issue of ageing and older persons as Malaysia is expected to become an ageing nation where 15 per cent of Malaysia’s population will comprise those aged 60 and above as stated under the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing: Empowering Older Persons in Asean.
“The four-day meeting translated the theme into a reality through an enhanced synergy between government and NGOs as well as Asean and its Plus Three partners and affirmative Asean’s commitment in addressing gender mainstreaming and social inclusion issues,” said KPWKM.
— Bernama
