Desaru: In line with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), as the lead of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) pillar, outlined five priority areas and deliverables during the Special Meeting of the Senior Officials’ Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA) held today in Desaru here.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, MOTAC secretary-general Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman announced that the priority areas and deliverables include arts and culture, health, youth and sports, artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation, green jobs, and climate action. The meeting also focused on the endorsement of the ASCC Strategic Plan, which is set for adoption at the 46th ASEAN Summit in May 2025, and reviewed partial findings of the End-Term Review of the ASCC Blueprint 2025. Additionally, a draft of the Rules of Procedures for the ASCC Secondment Officers was endorsed.

Roslan highlighted the ASCC’s commitment to improving people’s quality of life through cooperative initiatives, aiming for full human development, resilience, and sustainable development across 15 sectors. He emphasized that the ASCC Strategic Plan aims to benefit ASEAN peoples by enhancing cultural preservation, youth and sports development, technological advancement, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth.

Furthermore, Roslan elaborated on four key ASCC programmes under the ministry. These include the ASEAN-UK Symposium on the Development of the ASEAN Creative Economy Sustainability Framework, aimed at fostering discussions on cultural and creative industries (CCIs); the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival (ROUND 2025), a collaborative event with South Korea; the Melaka Declaration on Cultural Heritage Value Creation Workshop; and the Best of ASEAN Performing Arts (BoAPA) 2025.

The event in Desaru was attended by 11 SOCA leaders from ASEAN Member States (AMS) and Timor Leste, participating as an observer country.