Hanoi,
Vietnam, August 30, 2012-Senator Edgardo J. Angara keynoted today the 5th
Biennial International Conference of the Korean Studies Association of
Southeast Asia (KoSASA) at the Hotel Intercontinental in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In
his address, Angara underscored the importance of global cooperation in
promoting prosperity, economic equity, and peace.
He
said that continued cooperation at the bilateral, regional, and international
levels is necessary for the global community to respond to challenges like
disasters and financial crises.
"Global
cooperation will be crucial in helping developing nations realize their
economic potential—and accordingly alleviate the inequalities arising from
globalization. As recent events have shown, a single country's
fate is inextricably linked and intertwined with the rest of the world’s. The mistakes of
one can have haunting effects, far and wide."
Angara
proposed four areas of collaboration: climate change mitigation and adaptation,
the use of biotechnology to address food and water scarcity, managing the
social and economic impact of a greying population, and intensifying
socio-economic cooperation to ensure that everyone benefits from progress.
"We
ought to work for a future built by a community of nations unified by a
shared purpose and bound by mutual trust. We must remember that what one
country can do well alone, nations united in cooperation can do better
together.
"In
this era of globalization, we must look beyond our own countries and collectively
aspire for inclusive prosperity, lasting peace, and provision of opportunities
for the fulfillment of individual potential."
Angara
cited the strong partnership of Korea and the Philippines as a model for growth
and development partnership.
"Our
partnership is one of the best examples of how one country invests in the
progress of another based on shared goals," he said to an audience
composed of academics and decision-makers from all over Asia.
Angara
said Korea supports many of the Philippines' projects on agriculture, ICT,
education, health, governance, infrastructure development, energy, environment,
and disaster relief.
The
Philippines is also one of Korea's top aid recipients. From 2006 to 2010,
Korea's ODA to the country totaled US$287 Million. Last year, the ODA ceiling
for the Philippines was raised from US$300 Million to US$500 Million.
The
Conference is organized by the Korea Development Institute and the Korea
Research Institute at University of New South Wales, and hosted by the University
of Social Sciences and Humanities-Hanoi, and the Korean Studies Association of
Southeast Asia (KoSASA).
Angara
is also on a tour of Southeast Asia to promote regional cooperation in
anti-corruption among parliamentarians through the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians
Against Corruption (SEAPAC) in anticipation of the 2013 GOPAC Manila
Conference. (Rikka Sotto w/ Shielo Mendoza)
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