The ASEAN-AIPA Interface, which takes place during the ASEAN Summit, serves as a crucial platform for dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN Leaders and Member Parliaments of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). Initiated at the 14th ASEAN Summit in Cha-am, Thailand, in 2009, the Interface meeting has been convened annually, with the exception of the 22nd ASEAN Summit in 2013.
The Interface meeting provides an opportunity for ASEAN Leaders to exchange views with AIPA Member Parliaments on various issues and challenges facing the region as well as the strategies to address them. It is also deemed as a platform to acknowledge AIPA’s effective role in supporting ASEAN to achieve its goals and objectives.
Traditionally, prior to the AIPA-ASEAN Interface, the Member Parliaments of AIPA and their delegation hold a preparatory meeting to review the preliminary draft of the AIPA message prepared by the AIPA Secretariat and Host Country, and finalize the contents of the draft message.
In this regard, the President of AIPA will be the one delivered the AIPA Message to the ASEAN Leaders at the Interface meeting.
The draft message, historically, underscores AIPA's perspectives on the vital role of cooperation and collaboration between ASEAN and AIPA in achieving the shared goals , including regional integration, community building, and promoting peace and stability.
It is also an instrument that underlines concrete measures to enhance ASEAN and AIPA's effectiveness, such as creating an oversight committee to fast-track AIPA resolutions and appointing a core group of AIPA parliamentarians to act as a think tank for consultation.
Furthermore, the draft message is an affirmation of commitments to overcome the challenges facing the region such as terrorism, maritime security, and the need to combat illegal activities like fishing and wildlife trafficking.
Moreover, as inclusive participation is key to a peaceful and stable region, the messages underscore the importance of greater public participation in the community-building process, the harmonization of legal frameworks, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.