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Jakarta Post

‘#MultilateralismMatters’ to Canada, ASEAN partner

Southeast Asia remains central to Canada’s prosperity through economic, defense and people-to-people ties. The political, economic and social developments in the region have important consequences for Canada.

Diedrah Kelly (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Fri, August 9, 2019

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‘#MultilateralismMatters’ to Canada, ASEAN partner Officialdom: Diedrah Kelly, Canada’s newly appointed ambassador to ASEAN, presents her credentials to ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi in Jakarta on Tuesday. (Courtesy of ASEAN Secretariat/-)

Multilateralism matters and multilateral cooperation has always been at the core of Canada’s foreign policy.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland joined fellow foreign ministers in a movement called #MultilateralismMatters. Canada believes that global problems cannot be solved by one country alone. From environmental issues to transnational security, we believe that there is an urgent need to ensure that international institutions are fit for the 21st century. Effective and rules-based international organizations are very important for facilitating trade, multilateral dialogue and for finding shared solutions to common challenges. We need to forge relationships that are inclusive and equal, relationships that respect a rules-based international order, human rights, freedom of speech and expression and gender equality.

This is why Canada is a candidate for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2021-2022 term. Multilateralism is one of Canada’s campaign priorities, along with sustainable peace, climate change, economic security and gender equality.

A strong UN is in everyone’s interest, as is an effective UNSC capable of responding to 21st century challenges. Canada wants to help fashion forward-looking approaches to the world’s toughest problems. We want to bring our diverse experience to bear in support of truly global solutions. We hope to contribute to a revitalized rules-based order that is facilitated by effective multilateralism, where the benefits of global cooperation are distributed more broadly, more evenly and more fairly; where commitments are fulfilled; and where the results of multilateral cooperation are experienced by all people.

For the past 42 years, Canada has been a proud Dialogue Partner of ASEAN. Canada’s long-term commitment as a trusted trade partner in Southeast Asia is based on a real appreciation of the importance of the ASEAN-Canada relationship and of the centrality of ASEAN to the region. During my 10 months as Canada’s ambassador to ASEAN, I have seen the importance of multilateral cooperation in this region. My tenure commenced coincidentally with the establishment of the ASEAN Secretariat’s new building, a building with more space, which is reflective of the fact that ASEAN is growing and expanding, and has the potential to play an even more important role in the years ahead. In fact, ASEAN has proven to be a key catalyst in delivering peace, stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia since its establishment in 1967.

Southeast Asia remains central to Canada’s prosperity through economic, defense and people-to-people ties. The political, economic and social developments in the region have important consequences for Canada. We view the Indo-Pacific region, with a strong ASEAN as its core, as vital to Canada. It is also why we have targeted most of our assistance directly to support ASEAN’s own objectives and criteria, including support to promote and protect the rights of women and girls, strengthening women’s entrepreneurship and build resilience in the most disaster-prone region in the world.

Canada’s commitment to regional security is advanced through ASEAN-centered institutions. Canada highly values its membership at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), along with all ten ASEAN Member States and likeminded partners of the region. We see the important role of the ARF in contributing efforts toward preventive diplomacy and confidence-building measures, nurturing the many interests of many parties, in the Indo-Pacific. Canada is currently a cochair at the forum’s intersessional meetings, on disaster relief, where we are able to work along with Laos and China together to provide an effective and efficient disaster relief mechanism and we plan to do more on maritime security. For us, the ARF exhibits the success story of how multilateralism works.

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