TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), led by Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, initiated the establishment of the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum (ACF) under the Philippines' ASEAN chairship this year.
In a statement on Friday, as quoted by ANTARA, the PCG confirmed that the terms of reference for the ACF's mandate, scope, organizational structure, and future direction were established at the 5th ACF High-Level Meeting on May 3-4.
"The meeting likewise adopted a joint declaration in support of the establishment and institutional recognition of the ACF and agreed for the Philippines, as the current ASEAN Chair, to transmit the ACF concept paper and joint declaration to the ASEAN Summit on behalf of the ASEAN member states," the PCG statement said.
At the 48th ASEAN Summit last May, the ACF acknowledged the joint statement of Southeast Asian leaders, which endorsed the declaration on maritime cooperation to advance the ACF's work.
"The progress achieved during the 5th ACF-HLM reflects the shared commitment of ASEAN member states towards a safe, secure, and rules-based maritime order in the region," said the PCG.
Furthermore, the delegates at the meeting agreed to establish the ACF as an entity under the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) prior to its official formation within the ASEAN framework.
"The meeting further reaffirmed the importance of strengthening practical maritime cooperation among ASEAN Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies through dialogue, information sharing, capacity-building initiatives, and operational coordination in addressing evolving maritime challenges in the region," the Philippine agency said.
In the same meeting, each delegation also proposed future ACF activities as well as support initiatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Korea-ASEAN Maritime Security Academy project of the Korea Coast Guard.
The 5th ACF High-Level Meeting was attended by delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.
Read: Timor Leste President Lauds Benefits from Full ASEAN Membership
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