Jakarta. The Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) has urged ASEAN nations to strengthen legal integration in order to get their voices heard in the international community as well as tackle COVID-19.

"In order for this integration to be more stable, credible, and effective, of course, a more binding legal basis is needed," Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkumham), Yasonna Laoly, said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The integration of ASEAN laws would mean that member nations would need to harmonize their domestic laws and regulations, the minister said. This will strengthen the system and rule of law in the ASEAN region as a whole, he remarked.

The minister said he has realized that the integration of the legal instruments of ASEAN member countries presents its own challenges due to differences in legal systems and practices in each country when it comes to adopting international laws.

However, the legal cooperation between ASEAN countries, which has been initiated since the signing of a free trade agreement in 1992, shows that harmonization is not impossible, he added.

"Since the signing of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff / ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, ASEAN member countries have collaborated to fight trans-national crime, money laundering, human-trafficking, drug smuggling, and piracy," Laoly noted.

Cooperation must also be strengthened in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as a global challenge, he stressed.

The leaders of ASEAN countries have joined forces to strengthen the public health emergency sector and post-pandemic recovery plans, he noted.

"This effort requires the collaboration of industry players, the private sector, and stakeholders," he stated.

ASEAN member countries must continue to strengthen their legal and policy frameworks to manage the response to COVID-19, including recovery efforts, he added. (Antaranews)