“Now is the moment for Asia, and ASEAN [Association of South-east Asian Nations] in particular, to step into a truly global role,” Ban said on the occasion of the ASEAN summit in Bali, Indonesia.

“To the assembled leaders, I said the world needs your help, your leadership. The world needs Asia to fully engage on the great challenges of our day.”

The UN chief welcomed the Joint Declaration on a Comprehensive Partnership between the UN and ASEAN signed on Nov 19, 2011 in Bali, saying it builds on a strong foundation and introduces new avenues of cooperation, including mechanisms for more regularized communication and common action.

**The Number One Imperative**

“We should be able to discuss the widest range of issues, including those that are difficult and most sensitive,” he said in his address to the ASEAN summit.

Ban also said that sustainable development is the “number one imperative” of the partnership between the UN and ASEAN, noting that Asia understands the interconnection between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health and food and nutrition security.

**Women and Children**

On Nov. 18, the UN secretary-general urged business leaders in the Asia and Pacific region to support the United Nations-led global effort to improve the health of women and children to create healthier communities across the world.

“When mothers are healthy, children are healthy,” he said, addressing the Business Summit of private sector leaders from member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bali.

“When children and mothers are healthy, then communities and nations cannot but be healthy. Then whole world will be healthy. I really count on the leadership of ASEAN business leaders.”Governments have to set the stage for effective health care, to be sure. But the private sector and civil society can help deliver it”.

**“Every Woman Every Child”**

Ban briefed on the “Every Woman Every Child”, a global effort launched last year to mobilize and intensify global action to save the lives of 16 million women and children and improve the lives of millions more.

“Governments, business organizations, civil society organizations, committed more than $40 billion in support immediately. I believe it was possible because it is a moral imperative. The health of women and children matter, to all of us personally and fundamentally.”

Ban also urged more businesses in the Asia-Pacific region to join the UN Global Compact, an initiative that seeks to foster socially responsible business practices.

**The 9th Largest Economy on Earth**

ASEAN was established in 1967 is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia. It currently groups 10 member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

This Association of Southeast Asian Nations covers a land area of 4.46 million km² or 3 percent % of the total land area of Earth, with a population of approximately 600 million people, 8.8% of the world population.

The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land counterpart. In 2010, its combined nominal GDP had grown to US$1.8 trillion. If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the ninth largest economy in the world.

*Source: [www.un.org](http://www.un.org/apps/news/printnews.asp?nid=40450)
*ASEAN: [www.aseansec.org](http://www.aseansec.org)

2011 [Human Wrongs Watch](http://human-wrongs-watch.net/)