Joint Press Statement of the Second Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare, Kuala Lumpur, 26 March 1990

The Second Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare was convened in Kuala Lumpur on 26 March 1990. The Ministerial Meeting was preceded by the Second Meeting of Senior Officials in Kuala Lumpur on 23-24 March 1990.
The Meeting was attended by H.E. Pehin Jawatan Luar Pekerma Raja Dato Seri Paduka Haji Awang Hussain bin Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Mohamed Yusof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports; H.E. Prof. Dr. Haryati Soebadio, Minister of Social Affairs; H.E. Dr. Mita Pardo de Tavera, Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; H.E. Dr. Seet Ai Mee, Minister of State for Community Development and Education; H.E. Sunti Chaiviratana, Deputy Minister of Interior, Ministry of Interior (represented by H.E. Mr. Somboon Prommate, Inspector-General, Ministry of Interior of Thailand); H.E. Dato' Mustaffa Mohammad, Minister of Welfare Services and their respective delegations. H.E. Mr. Rusli Noor, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat was also in attendance.
The Honourable Mr. Abdul Ghafar Baba, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia declared the meeting officially opened. In his Opening Address the Deputy Prime Minister stated that he was pleased to note that in the ASEAN region the emphasis at present is on the developmental role of social welfare in order to harness and maximise human potential and foster self-reliance among the recipient groups.
He expressed the view that as some of the social problems encountered may be of a common concern to Member Countries, there is a need to strengthen regional cooperation among ASEAN Member Countries through the exchange of information on social issues, national policies, strategies, experiences and also through joint research.
He suggested that the Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare should be held more regularly to explore and introduce new areas of cooperation in the field of social welfare.
H.E. Dato' Musfaffa Mohammad, Head of the Malaysian Delegation and H.E. Mita Pardo de Tavera M.E., Head of the Philippine Delegation were unanimously elected Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
The Ministers undertook a review of the implementation of the recommendations of the First Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare, Jakarta 18-19 July 1977. They noted with satisfaction the implementation of these recommendations. The Ministers also noted with satisfaction the various regional measures taken to implement the decisions regarding social welfare matters of the Third Meeting of ASEAN Heads of Governments, Manila 14-15 December 1987. The Ministers called for the intensification of regional cooperation in alleviating urgent social problems; the improvement of the quality of life of urban and rural communities through community and family development programmes; the promotion of sports activities for the disabled; a study on the establishment of a network of information exchange on social welfare policies and programmes; the extension of the participation of non-governmental organisations, local communities and the private sector in the development of social welfare and the establishment of linkages among the national adoption agencies in ASEAN Member Countries.
The Ministers further agreed that regional collaboration in social welfare be further enhanced through more effective implementation mechanisms.
The Ministers expressed their deep appreciation to the Government and the people of Malaysia, particularly the Honourable Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and to the Honourable Mr. Abdul Ghafar Baba, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia for the warm hospitality extended to the delegations and the efficient arrangements made for the Meeting.
The Meeting was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity.