What is the AMM/PMC and who are the participants? ? The ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial Conferences with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and countries from the Asia-Pacific are held annually. This year it is the 42nd AMM. The twenty-six countries and one organization participating at the AMM/PMC consists of the ten ASEAN countries, nine dialogue partners and one organization (U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, India and the European Union) and in addition, seven countries from the Asia-Pacific (Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, DPRK, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). The Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea has been invited as a Special Observer to the Opening Ceremony of the 42nd AMM, and the Timor-Leste Foreign Minister as Special Guest of the Chair.
What is the significance of the 42nd AMM/PMC? ? This Meeting is of special importance as it constitutes the first time that all Dialogue Partners are attending after the ASEAN Charter took effect last year. Over 1200 delegates from participating countries and over 1000 members of Thai and international media are expected to attend.
What are the meetings held during the 42nd AMM? ? There are nineteen scheduled meetings during 17-23 July 2009 in Phuket. The three main forums are as follows: 1) Six meetings among the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers, all of which are chaired by the Thai Foreign Minister; 2) Twelve meetings between the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Dialogue Partners (Post Ministerial Conferences — PMC); 3) 16th ASEAN Regional Forum, which includes the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and those of the Asia-Pacific countries. ? The United States has also requested Thailand, as Chairman, to arrange a meeting with Foreign Ministers from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to discuss issues concerning the Mekong River Basin after the ARF meeting.
What are the major events of the 42nd AMM/PMC? ? On 19 July 2009, meetings at the Foreign Ministers’ level will commence with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting with the High Level Panel (HLP) on the ASEAN Human Rights Body to approve the Terms of Reference so that ASEAN can formally announce the establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Body at the 15th ASEAN Summit to be held in October 2009. The meeting will also consider the Progress Report of the High Level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-Up to the ASEAN Charter. ? On 20 July 2009, the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting will be held with the Thai Prime Minister presiding over the opening ceremony. ? On 21 July 2009, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers will hold three major meetings: 1) Meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission; 2) the 2nd ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC) Meeting 3); and the 4th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting. ? On 22 July 2009, meetings between the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the Dialogue Partners will take place: 1) The ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers Meeting; 2) the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Informal Consultations; and 3) Ten Post Ministerial Conferences. During the PMC+1 with the U.S., the U.S. will sign the instrument of accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. ? On 23 July 2009, the ASEAN Regional Forum will be held, ending with the Closing Ceremony of the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
What are the highlights of the meeting and expected outcome? ? Highlights of the meeting include the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, measures to deal with current regional and global problems, i.e., the economic and financial crisis (by enhancing financial stability in the region under the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) and by increasing the fund from 80,000 USD to 120,000 USD); food and energy security; the environment and disaster management; and prevention and control of pandemic diseases, all of which follow up on the 14th ASEAN Summit in Cha-Am, Hua-Hin. Discussion of these issues will help pave the way towards the 15th ASEAN Summit, which Thailand will also be hosting in October 2009 under the theme ‘Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges’. ? Over twenty documents will be signed or adopted over the course of the 42nd AMM/PMC. The main documents include: o Joint Communique of the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting o ToR of ASEAN Human Rights Body o ASEAN Work Plan on Maintaining and Enhancing ASEAN Centrality o ARF Vision Statement o MoU on ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Programme II o Joint Declaration on ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership o Priorities for Cooperation under the ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th