Rapid development of ASCC committee

The longstanding issue of active aging all over ASEAN countries is a problem the ASSC

committee aims to tackle. The committee, together, came up with a council agenda to handle resource allocation first, which includes infrastructure, funding, active ageing programmes, and healthcare services.

Initial frustration

During the beginning of the committee session, a large number of frameworks were surfaced by the different ministers aimed to resolving the problem of infrastructure in ASEAN. “So far, the majority, if not all, of the different frameworks proposed potentially contain overlapping points.” The minister of Singapore stated.

She has expressed her hopes for the countries to cooperate and produce one main framework for the best interest of ASEAN.

However, without the cooperation of all countries to condense the multiple frameworks, the committee may struggle to move forward towards the ultimate goal of active aging. The different frameworks proposed consist of, but are not limited to, RICE by Cambodia, ASEAN-EU Collaborative Framework for Elderly Well-being, GCC-ASEAN Silver Skills Exchange Program, CCF by Timor Leste and Malaysia, ACFAA by Malaysia, Panda by China, FORK by Thailand, OSFH by the United States, and RED by Vietnam.

With over 9 proposed frameworks, all with the same goal of targeting resource allocation, the committee is unable to come to a consensus.

Compromising

Every minister bringing their perspective and national views on how to tackle the issue leads to differing priorities and beneficiaries. However, being open to different perspectives and raw ideas that may have been raised by the other ministers will allow for a wider range of views to improve on their initial frameworks.

If all ministers are adamant on their framework and ideas, a final decision would be impossible. Unifying different frameworks is the way to work towards success. Cooperation in the committee between ministers can prevent any sort of conflict or misunderstanding and reach a final consensus.

Ministers may perceive their own framework as the best and the most efficient, however, after hearing out on other ministers’ thoughts and views, they may come to realize that improvement is necessary.

Final Conclusion

After much debate, the ministers of ASEAN and certain funding members had come to an

agreement, consolidating all frameworks and ideas into one singular framework.

The member countries consist of Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, and Malaysia and South Korea.

The unified framework combines six different frameworks into one, keeping all key points

without the unnecessary confusion. “In the best interest of ASEAN, we recommend having a single framework, with its specifications on infrastructure, active aging, and health care.” The Minister of Singapore reports. The key proposals for infrastructure focus on repurposing existing, old buildings into Inexpensive housing for the elderly and multi-purpose care centers.

The need for innovative, elderly friendly infrastructure has also been brought up. The minister of Korea offered to donate or co-develop AI crosswalk systems. Korean engineers too offered to train ASEAN engineers to localize software and sensors to ensure the safety of elderly. Adding on, under active ageing, the GCC-ASEAN Silver Skills Exchange Programme (SSEP) has been brought up by the Minister of the Gulf Cooperation Council. A flagship initiative that provides ASEAN youth with structured eldercare training in GCC countries by equipping them with global-standard skills in geriatrics.

Also, the key proposal for healthcare was to ensure that ASEAN's health workers were equipped with enough training in elderly care, chronic disease management, and tech-based support.

As such, the minister of India has plans to build one health care center in each town or district, especially rural areas that lack health care services.

With these efforts to increase the healthcare system it would lead to even more convenience for the elders who are keen on going for medical services, especially those mobility-impaired or disabled elders. Collaborating with ministers with similar approaches would greatly benefit and enhance the quality and effectiveness of the frameworks since they will be able to improve on their framework.

Written by Tiana Wong, Jezelle Beh, and Rachel Teng Jin Ying