[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 141 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 141
Supporting ASEAN Centrality in the Indo-Pacific Region.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 30, 2023
Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting ASEAN Centrality in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Whereas, with more than 686,000,000 people, the ten members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) collectively boast the third largest
population in the world and a gross domestic product of
$3,300,000,000,000, and serves to promote economic growth and regional
stability among its members, as well as a rules-based international
order;
Whereas ASEAN is situated in a critical geographic position, straddling the sea
lanes between the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the
east;
Whereas, at the 10th annual U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, President
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., and the ASEAN leaders elevated United States-ASEAN
relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;
Whereas, under this framework, there has been an unprecedented expansion in
United States-ASEAN relations, including the launch of five new high-
level dialogues on health, transportation, gender equality and women's
empowerment, environment and climate, and energy, as well as elevated
engagement on foreign affairs, economics, and defense;
Whereas, in October 2022, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for
Climate joined a senior officials' dialogue on the environment and
climate with ASEAN, during which the two sides decided to establish a
cooperation work plan and to hold a special U.S.-ASEAN Ministerial
Dialogue on the Environment and Climate in 2023;
Whereas President Biden has reaffirmed the strong support of the United States
for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, building
on the historic success of the first-ever U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in
Washington, DC in May 2022;
Whereas the United States is committed to supporting the implementation of the
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific's Maritime Pillar, and the United
States Government has announced $60,000,000 in new regional maritime
initiatives;
Whereas, in 2022, the United States provided over $860,000,000 in assistance
through the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) to ASEAN partners to support the
environment, access to education, strengthened health systems, security
modernization efforts, rule of law, and human rights;
Whereas the Department of Agriculture and the United States International
Development Finance Corporation plan to invest $57,000,000 in new
programs across Southeast Asia to promote food security and ensure
access to safe water, including a new ``Food for School Feeding''
program;
Whereas the United States supports the ASEAN Center for Pandemic Health
Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), including through USAID
assistance and through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
Whereas the United States International Development Finance Corporation will
invest $215,000,000 in loans to Southeast Asian financial institutions,
in order to help low-income women access capital and contribute to
economic growth;
Whereas the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, established in 2020 to expand upon the
Lower Mekong Initiative, promotes sustainable long-term economic
development throughout mainland Southeast Asia and fosters regional
cooperation, integration, and capacity building;
Whereas the strength of U.S.-ASEAN relations is anchored in the friendship
shared by our combined 1,000,000,000 people, and each year the United
States provides more than $70,000,000 to support educational and
cultural exchanges that foster greater understanding;
Whereas more than 650 students, teachers, and scholars participate in Fulbright
exchanges between the United States and ASEAN, and participants from all
10 ASEAN member states take part in the program;
Whereas 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders
Initiative (YSEALI), which offers exchanges, regional workshops, small
grant funding, and other programs to develop ties between the United
States and ASEAN;
Whereas, at the September 2020 ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the United
States announced the new YSEALI Academy at Fulbright University in
Vietnam to expand YSEALI's people-to-people engagement between the
United States and ASEAN;
Whereas seven ASEAN member States link to 23 States and the District of Columbia
through 81 sister city, nine sister state, and 20 sister county
connections; and
Whereas the Peace Corps has programs in five ASEAN member States (Cambodia,
Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), including the inaugural
program in Vietnam launched in 2022 with 10 Peace Corps Trainees to
promote English language learning and literacy in Vietnam's secondary
schools: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) promotes deepening cooperation with ASEAN member states
and the ASEAN Secretariat under our Comprehensive Strategic
Partnership to promote peace, security, and stability in the
Indo-Pacific region;
(2) reaffirms the importance of ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN
Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the
institutional architecture of the Indo-Pacific region;
(3) commemorates the 10th anniversary of YSEALI on December
3, 2023, and supports its expanding programs;
(4) commends the work and mission of the Peace Corps in the
region, including the historic arrival of the first Peace Corps
Volunteers to Vietnam, at the invitation of the Government of
Vietnam;
(5) celebrates the 10th anniversary of our comprehensive
partnership with Vietnam and supports elevating our
relationship to a strategic partnership;
(6) congratulates Indonesia for its successful leadership
as Chair of the G20 and United States-ASEAN country coordinator
in 2022, and extends United States support and best wishes as
it assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023, under the theme
``ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth'';
(7) applauds the steadfast U.S.-Indonesia Strategic
Partnership, Indonesia's leadership on the issue of women and
girls' education in Afghanistan, and Indonesia's dedication to
renewable energy and a transition away from fossil fuels, as
committed to in the Just Energy Transition Partnership
agreement;
(8) reaffirms the importance of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership
and the value of transboundary cooperation across the Mekong
sub-region, and supports a whole-of-government approach in
providing coordinated assistance, including programmatic
support from USAID and the Department of State;
(9) encourages ASEAN, including through the ASEAN Chair and
Office of the Special Envoy, to play an active role beyond the
Five Point Consensus to bring about an end to all forms of
violence in Burma, the release of all those arbitrarily
detained, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout the
country; and
(10) supports the people of Burma in their quest for
democracy, sustainable peace, and genuine ethnic and religious
reconciliation.
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