[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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