| James Kon |
CHILDREN form a significant sector in any society and are the main beneficiaries of the integration and community building process in ASEAN. However, they are also the most vulnerable sector of the society that face the greatest risks to manifestations of socio-economic problems, deviant behaviours and violence, said Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin.
“Therefore, we must always continue to safeguard the welfare of children by addressing the external risks they face. There must be more that can be done to reduce children’s vulnerabilities by inculcating a more resilient character in them so as to prepare them and help them cope better as our future leaders of tomorrow,” the minister noted, while delivering a speech as the guest of honour at the official opening ceremony of 5th ASEAN Children’s Forum hosted by Brunei Darussalam.
The ceremony which took place at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports was also attended by members of Legislative Council Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari, Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Awang Haji Abdul Rahman, Yang Berhormat Nik Hafimi binti Abdul Haadii as well as United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam Marianne Clark-Hattingh and member of the famous Korean boyband Super Junior in his capacity as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Choi Si-won.
“With the theme ‘Our Children, Our Future, Our ASEAN’, the forum will put our children at the centre stage and serve as a platform for learning and sharing, interacting with each other, listening to their voices, guiding them through all the thinking processes and coaching them on how to make recommendations based on the facts and figures presented to them,” the minister said.
“We have chosen the ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society as a subject matter for deliberation during the forum. Through the forum, we hope to implement the declaration by addressing four focus areas, namely, peace, respect for all, care for the environment and healthy lifestyle. We want our children to be aware of these issues and how it can affect their lives,” he added.
The minister hoped that the recommendations from the forum would provide variable inputs for policy direction and strategy formulation in all ASEAN member states. Brunei Darussalam, in particular, would enrich and provide added value to the new National Action Plan on Children.
He shared that the objectives as well as the focus of the forum are in line with what Brunei Darussalam is currently undertaking under the purview of the National Council of Social Issues which has identified children as one of the 13 social issues to be addressed through a ‘Whole of Nation’ integrated approach.
The minister emphasised, “We need to instill a mindset change at every level of the society that a preventive approach if far more effective than a reactive one. In order to execute this more effectively, we need to start early by inculcating good values at a young age, such as what we’re trying to instil through preventive education in this forum and shape a future leader with an empowerment to achieve and a mission for success. This is our vision of a new ASEAN child.”
He also urged all stakeholders in ASEAN member states “to leverage on our current networks of cooperation and existing institutional mechanisms to intensify all preventive efforts and come up with a coordinated approach to adopt the culture of prevention as a natural lifestyle for ASEAN”.
The highlight of the ceremony was a story-telling performance titled Pulau Labi Labi by Awangku Muhammad Aqil Nurfail bin Pengiran Hasnul Bahrin and Waiz Amani Aminuddin, the winners of the ASEAN Folklore Story Telling Competition 2018.
The minister then presented certificates of appreciation to Marianne Clark-Hattingh and Choi Si-won as well as the sponsors of the event and non-government organisations attending the forum.
The three-day forum is attended by 73 participants representing ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) as well as children aged 12 to 17.