His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam attended the 17th East Asia Summit held at the Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel, Kingdom of Cambodia. Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen. At the Summit, His Majesty in his titah highlights that East Asia Summit, EAS, as a premier Leaders-led forum – has promoted peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Therefore, the EAS must remain strategically relevant and practical for constructive dialogue and multilateral cooperation. As mental health issues have the potential to further hinder socio-economic progress and overall wellbeing of the peoples, His Majesty stresses the need for all parties to continue working closely in sharing policy and practical expertise to help alleviate the burden. As a follow-up to the East Asia Summit Leaders’ Statement on Mental Health Cooperation which was adopted last year, His Majesty also calls for the need for respective officials to look into developing an action plan to encourage regional and international cooperation on mental health.
Meanwhile ASEAN, His Majesty shares, is working on establishing a Centre for Climate Change in Brunei Darussalam to ensure the region is better prepared by mitigating its impact on food security and transitioning to renewable energy. In this regard, technical and scientific expertise from partners to assist the Centre in developing policies to address cross-cutting issues better are welcomed.
At the Summit, His Excellency Charles Michel, President of the European Council and His Excellency Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO briefed on food and energy security. Meanwhile, His Excellency Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN also reported on the key developments of the East Asia Summit including cooperation in addressing global health issues, advancing towards a sustainable energy future, greater collaboration on regional and global trade, as well as maritime cooperation. Meanwhile, EAS Leaders expressed their shared concern over global security challenges and furthermore called for the peaceful resolution of conflicts to be achieved through dialogue as well as upholding commitment to multilateralism. Leaders also hoped for greater regional economic integration and enhanced EAS cooperation in digitalisation and sustainable energy.
Source: Radio Television Brunei