Bandar Seri Begawan and Jakarta, 1 Aug. – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on Thursday its Dialogue Partners and international agencies to participate in a development cooperation forum for greater ASEAN integration and competitiveness scheduled to take place at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on 15-16 August 2002. 

The Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Development Cooperation Forum (IDCF) will present the first of a series of proposed activities under the “IAI Work Plan for Narrowing the Development Gap within ASEAN: Assisting New Member Countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam).”  The Forum also aims to mobilize resources to carry out these activities.

The Dialogue Partners of ASEAN are in the Brunei capital for this year’s ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).  The eleven Dialogue Partners are Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Nations Development Programme. 

The Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) was conceived by the ASEAN Leaders at their summit in November 2000 in Singapore.  Carrying out the mandate, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting last year adopted the Ha Noi Declaration on Narrowing the Development Gap for Closer ASEAN Integration.

The IAI Work Plan focuses on four critical areas, namely, infrastructure, human resource development, information and communication technology, and regional economic integration. 

Proposed projects under the infrastructure sector of the plan include studies for the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link Project in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV); the Integrated Strategic Regional Development Plans for the Development of the ASEAN Highway Network in the CLMV countries; and Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for CLMV Energy sector.  These activities aim to improve access, efficiency and quality of transport and energy infrastructure networks.

Under human resource development, projects include capacity building for the civil service sector; developing policy framework and programmes in the labour and employment sectors; and improving higher education systems.

In the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, planned activities primarily focus on narrowing the digital divide within ASEAN by implementing the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement.

Regional economic integration will be promoted through building institutional capacity and human resources in such areas as customs, national standards, quality and metrology, and investment.

          ASEAN members include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.