The Conference has reaffirmed the commitment to the vision of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint 2025 to lift the quality of life of its peoples through cooperative activities that are people-oriented, people-centred, environmentally friendly, and geared towards the promotion of sustainable development to face new and emerging challenges in the ASEAN region;

As well as the Conference has recalled the important role of the education sector in realizing the aspirations of the Cha-Am Hua Hin Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation on Education to Achieve an ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community 2009, the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Higher Education 2015, as well as the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Education for Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) 2016;

At the Conference, the Leaders of ASCC has emphasized that the crucial role of inclusive, equitable and quality education as well as the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all in realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and stressed that the strategic value of partnership by bringing together national governments, international communities, civil societies, the private sectors and other actors in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the documents, Declarations of 3 main pillars Politic – Security, Economy and Socio-Culture, Socio-Cultural pillars has 9 documents, Declaration submitted to the 35th ASEAN Summit. It showed the huge effort to promote the priority of the Community on many fields, towards the sustainable development to face to the new emergent challenges in ASEAN region.

At the end of the Conference, the Ministers/ the Head of Delegations issued the Common Declaration and agreed with the detail of the Report of ASCC Council which will be submit to the High level Leaders for considering and passing at the 35th ASEAN Summit.

In the speech at the Conference, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung highly appreciated the results of the ASEAN Socio- Cultural Community in 2019. The Minister affirmed that the year of 2020 is the pivotal year of ASEAN when all professional units will implement the work of assessment of the result of the activities of previous period and prepare for the development of the working plan in the next period, towards reaching the ASEAN 2025’s Vision. Accordingly, following the efforts of the Community and Thailand in 2019, Vietnam expects to work closely with the ASEAN Secretariat and member countries to implement activities and develop the Preliminary Assessment Report for the implementation of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Master Plan till 2025; enhance discussions on human resource development. Vietnam will also direct the priorities to the development of social work and social services for vulnerable groups, enhance cultural exchanges, and protect the environment through the promotion of voluntary activities for environment, building healthy lifestyles for the people and strengthening communication about the Community to people and businesses.