MANILA — World leaders from all over the world have gathered in the Philippines to celebrate the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte presides the last ASEAN summit of the year.
As usual, the ASEAN summit was held to strengthen the ties between all its members and partners. Dialogue partners included Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, China’s Premier Li Keqiang, European Council’s President Donald Tusk, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Other dialogue partners include Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In, United States’ President Donald Trump, and the United Nation’s Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Bilateral talks between the Philippines and Japan, India, and Russia also transpired respectively.
All partners, including the ASEAN members, have been welcomed to the country with open arms, including a red carpet entrance accompanied by a Filipino-themed performances, complete with music and costumes.
Some of the highlights of the ASEAN summit that will affect the BPO industry in the country include:
- The ASEAN consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers
- ASEAN Declaration to Prevent and Combat Cybercrime
- Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in ASEAN
Among their press releases included the launching of the Investment Report 2017 and ASEAN at 50: A Historic Milestone for FDI and MNEs in ASEAN. The closing ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits included the Philippines passing on the ASEAN Chairmanship to the Republic of Singapore.
