MANILA, 29 April 2017 – Today, the Heads of States/Governments of ASEAN Member States signed the “ASEAN Declaration on the Role of Civil Service as A Catalyst for Achieving AC Vision 2025″ on the occasion of the 30thASEAN Summit in Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines said that this declaration “highlights the critical role the civil service plays in ASEAN Community building.”The declaration recognises the significance of the civil service as the backbone of good governance and a catalyst for enhanced cross-sector and cross-pillar cooperation in building the ASEAN Community. The civil service plays a pivotal role in providing vital public services to the peoples of ASEAN and driving national and social development which are important in ensuring that the people feel the benefits and relevance of ASEAN to their lives.
The Philippine Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala highlighted that “the Declaration, which supports the first thematic priority of a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN under the Philippine Chairmanship of ASEAN 2017, places premium on the role of the civil service as a driver of national and regional development towards the achievement of ASEAN goals and aspirations for a politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible Community.”
Initiatives towards the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency, effectiveness, participatory approach, responsiveness, transparency and accountability of civil service would also contribute to the attainment of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals by ASEAN Member States. The declaration tasked the civil service institutes of ASEAN Member States through the ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) to develop mechanisms that ensure adoption of good governance principles towards building government institutions that are resilient.
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