ASEAN-CANADA

The 8th Meeting of the ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was held in Jakarta on 6-8 April 1993. The meeting finalized the draft Successor Agreement on ASEAN-Canada Economic Cooperation. The Agreement, which replaces the expired 1981 Agreement, will be signed during the Post-Ministerial Conferences in Singapore in July 1993. The draft Successor Agreement brings ASEAN and Canada into a new era of partnership based on mutuality of interests and the recognition of the important role that the private sector has to play in promoting ASEAN-Canada cooperation.

At the 8th JCC, ASEAN briefed Canada on AFTA and underlined the fact that it was GATT-consistent and an outward-looking regional trading arrangement. Canada welcomed AFTA and agreed with ASEAN on the need to exchange information on NAFTA and AFTA. Canada ex- pressed strong support of GATT consistent, trade-creating arrangements. Canada acknowledged ASEAN's request for Canadian support of the CEPT Scheme for AFRA in GATT. Canada expressed its readiness to support the development of AFTA and its eventual consideration by GATT.

Substantial progress has been achieved in the area of development cooperation. There are a number of on-going projects in the area of science and technology, agriculture as well as in forestry that are well underway. Projects in solar drying processes, grain and fisheries post harvest technology projects and marine resource science are also being implemented for agro-industry. During the period under review, two project agreements were signed, namely: 1) the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and Canada on the ASEAN Institute of Forest Management signed at the last ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in July 1992, and 2) the Exchange of Letters on the ASEAN- Canada ASEAN Women's Programme signed on 12 March 1993. Canada also contributed the amount of CSIOO,000 for the Third ASEAN Science and Technology Week which was held in Singapore in September 1992.

The Regional Training Programme (RTP) continued to respond effectively to short- and long-ten-n requirements of ASEAN Member Countries. In order to maximize the utilization of funds under the Programme, Canada agrred in principle that the unutilized funds from the long-ten-n component may be shifted to the short-term component. Two new projects were approved under the RTP. namely: Telecommunications Management, and Spectrum Management.

ASEAN and Canada shared the view that development cooperation should be more strategic in nature in order to achieve greater impact on the larger objectives of cooperation in the region. In pursuit of this common objective, Canada will consult closely with ASEAN in the formulation of its regional policy framework for development assistance. Canada identified new priority areas as follows: 1) economic cooperation; 2) policy development and support; 3) environment; and 4) governance and administrative reform.