People - the center of the response to global challenges

In the speeches at the opening ceremony by Prime Minister of the Italia, Matteo Renzi, leaders of Mongolia, Malaysia, Indonesia, European Commission and Laos as the host of ASEM 9, the importance of increasing cooperation and contributions of ASEM was emphasized before the rapid and unpredictable chages in two continents and all over world.

After the opening ceremony, the leaders conducted the first plenary session on “Promote economic-financial cooperation by deepening Asia-Europe connection”. The conference agreed to continue promoting economic and financial reformation, to promote adoptation of WTO Agreement on trade and strengthen coordinating with the G-20 to boost stable, strong, powerful, balanced and evenly growth. At the second plenary session about “Asia-Europe Partnership in response to global issues in a linked world”, leaders said that the global challenges becoming more acute, especially climate change-the greatest challenge of humanity in the twenty-first century. All challenges were profound impact on many dimensions and to every nation and every continent, hindering efforts to complete the development goals Millennium.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, South Korean President, the German Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Malta were invited to speak at this session. In the speech of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, he emphasized that only in more than a decade of XXI century, mankind coped with tough and complicated global challenges than ever. It was the economic crisis - the most serious financial for over 100 years, double disaster including earthquake, tsunami in Japan then hurricane ravaged the Philippines and now Ebola in Africa - the largest pandemic ever. All challenges intertwined, causing incalculable consequences for economy, society, politic, security..., hindering efforts to maintain peace, stability, economic recovery and people’s lives in all areas.

Therefore, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung proposed to coordinate actions to contribute to the global effort, ASEM should define sustainable development as an important connotation to respond to the global challenges, in which humans are the goal and the center. The top priority now is to contribute to the completion of the development goals and the Millennium and building development agenda after 2015, reaching a new agreement to promote global climate conference in Paris and collaborative disaster risk reduction. Accordingly, ASEM should have thought at global level to develop interdisciplinary approach, innovation and creativity about food, security, energy, water - reality of climate change which are making the challenge become more complex and unpredictable. At the same time, to promote joint efforts on prevention, disaster risk reduction and disaster recovery as soon establish a network of information exchange and cooperation because the two continents Asia and Europe are being sufferred from most natural disasters such as hurricane, sea level rise, droughts, severe floods... Asia-Pacific is suffered about 70% and two thirds of global disaster victims of natural disasters in Asia. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stressed that ASEM should coordinate and efficient synchronize between the activities and initiatives within the framework of the forum as well as other mechanisms, in which, regardless of satisfactory participation in support narrowing development gaps, sub-regional and regional ASEM members, especially the Mekong - Danube cooperation and strengthening the capacity of the developing members. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung appreciated the support of members to three new initiatives of Vietnam in the tenth ASEM Conference on “ASEM Seminar on sustainable management of water resources to ensure food security”, “ASEM youth Week: stronger action to address the challenge of poverty” and “Conference on green skills towards inclusive and sustainable growth”.