The first major ASEAN blueprint for closing development gaps in Southeast Asia was endorsed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers at their retreat in Phuket on 21 February.
The Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan was designed to be the principal guide for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) over the next eight years in their national development in four priority areas : infrastructure, human resource development, information and telecommunications technology, and regional economic integration.
The Foreign Ministers of CLMV had endorsed the Work Plan at their meeting in Phuket on 20 February, thus reiterating their political commitments to exert utmost national efforts in bridging the development gaps and integrating into the ASEAN regional economic cooperation schemes. Today their Work Plan received active support from the six older members of ASEAN.
The endorsement of the Work Plan by all the ASEAN Foreign Ministers exemplifies the solidarity and common resolve in ASEAN to act in unison in reducing disparities among its members and enhancing regional economic competitiveness through market integration.
At the 4th ASEAN Informal Summit in Singapore in November 2000, ASEAN Leaders launched the IAI to “prosper thy neighbours” and thereby to “prosper ASEAN.” The Leaders of the six older members of ASEAN recognized the necessity of and pledged active support for the national development of CLMV as well as their integration into ASEAN.
ASEAN Foreign Minister followed this up at the 34th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Ha Noi in July 2001 with the Ha Noi Declaration on Narrowing the Development Gap for Closer ASEAN Integration. The Declaration spelled out commitments to devote special efforts and resources to promote effective cooperation and mutual assistance to narrow the development gaps. In subsequent consultations and in a needs assessment in CLMV, the four development priority areas were identified, namely infrastructure, ICT, HRD and regional economic integration.
Policy Measures and Technical Assistance
A workshop was convened in Phnom Penh on 20-22 November 2001 to draft the Work Plan. Covering the period from 2002 to 2008, the Work Plan consists of policy measures and technical assistance cooperation programmes. They are based on the national priorities of CLMV.
As an example, one important policy measure in infrastructure calls for the formulation of national strategies to implement CLMV’s portions of the ASEAN Highway Infrastructure Development Plan, including the development of the route system and technical design standards for the secondary road networks to support the ASEAN Highway Network in CLMV. The technical assistance component will concentrate on assisting CLMV in their feasibility and engineering studies. Major technical assistance programmes in infrastructure will go to helping CLMV expedite the implementation of the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link Project.
In HRD, one policy measure calls for appropriate legislations or regulations to support all training initiatives. Technical assistance programmes include workshops on HRD planning and management, on HRD needs assessment, formulation of HRD development plans, technical and skill training.
In ICT, one major policy measure calls for the development of an ICT Master Plan and the establishment of a national ICT body to strengthen the legal infrastructure to deal with ICT issues such as e-commerce. About 30 of the 50 policy measures in the Work Plan are in the ICT sector. CLMV need urgent assistance in this sector in order to catch up with their other ASEAN colleagues in the implementation of the e-ASEAN agreement. Signed by ASEAN Leaders in November 2000, the agreement is aimed at liberalization and facilitation of trade, services and investment in the ICT sector and to create the ASEAN information infrastructure for e-commerce, e-government and e-society, etc.
Policy measures in regional economic integration are aimed at enhancing the participation of CLMV in existing ASEAN economic cooperation schemes in trade, investment, customs and standards and conformance.
The CLMV Foreign Ministers yesterday agreed that Cambodia will take the lead in coordinating the implementation of programmes and projects in the area of infrastructure, Laos in HRD, Myanmar in ICT, and Viet Nam in regional economic integration.
Next Step
The next major step in carrying out the Work Plan will come in a workshop in Vientiane on 26-28 March 2002, where specific programmes and projects to achieve the goals set in the IAI Work Plan will be formulated.
The programmes and projects will subsequently be presented at an IAI Development Cooperation Forum to solicit additional assistance of ASEAN Dialogue Partners and donor agencies, on top of resources mobilized by CLMV and those coming from the six older member, for the implementation of the Work Plan.
In implementing the Work Plan, careful attention will be given to ensuring proper coordination with all parties involved in the development cooperation in the Mekong Subregion, particularly in the ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC), the Greater Mekong Subregion (ADB’s GMS) Economic Cooperation, the Mekong River Commission, and ESCAP.
For additional information, please contact :
Mr. Dhannan Sunoto, Director ([email protected]) and Mr. Nguyen M. Cuong, Senior Officer, ([email protected]) Bureau of Programme Coordination and External Relations; ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta
