ASEAN-CANADA

During the year, steps were taken to establish the Joint Planning and Monitoring Committee (JPMC) as a mechanism to undertake joint programming and review of development cooperation projects. The decision to establish the JPMC was made at the Ninth Meeting of the ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), held from 15 to 16 June 1994 in Ottawa following the agreement of the Eighth JCC for ASEAN to be involved in all aspects of programme and project formulation.

The Ninth JCC Meeting decided that the Committee will meet annually or semi- annually, between JCC Meetings. Following the JCC Meeting's decision, the draft TOR was circulated to ASEAN Member Countries prior to the Consultative Meeting between Malaysia and Canada from 18 to 20 October 1994 in Ottawa and has been approved by the ASC.

The TOR includes the following functions for the JPMC : (1) to discuss and recommend priority themes and sectors of emphasis for the ASEAN- Canada development cooperation programme; (2) to review requests and suggestions from both ASEAN and Canada for specific initiatives under the programme ; (3) to identify the project elements and participating Institutions that could form part of the programme; (4) to initiate feasibility ad design activities engaging the appropriate institutions in both Canada and ASEAN; (5) to review and recommend appropriate delivery mechanisms for the projects identified and (6) in cooperation with the Project Steering Committees, to monitor the project implementation and to evaluate overall performance with the objective of carrying forward lessons learned to the programme level.

Three projects were completed during the year under the ASEAN-Canada Regional Training Programme (RTP). The "Telecommunications, Human Resources Management Programme" as conducted for ASEAN telecommunications managers by the Telecommunications Executive Management Institute (TEMIC) of Canada from 13 February to 3 March 1995 in Toronto. The "Job Training in Spectrum Management" was conducted from 11 October to 11 November 1994 to train ASEAN personnel on spectrum engineering and planning, authorization and licensing systems, automated spectrum management systems and monitoring, and inspection and control. The Seminar/Workshop on Standard Methods ' Pressure Driven Membrane Processes was conducted by the Canadian National Research Council in Ottawa from 24 October to 4 November 1994 to acquaint ASEAN researchers in the selection, evaluation and application of standard methods for pressure-driven membrane processes.

At the invitation of Canada as host of the 1995 G-7 Summit, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers attended a Consultation Meeting in Vancouver from 9-11 May 1994 to have an exchange of views on a number of international economic and political issues to be taken up at the G-7 Summit in Halifax in June 1995. The discussions covered the restructuring of the international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, the volatility of capital flows and the exchange rates, sustainable development, and the World Trade Organization, among others. The ASEAN Foreign Minister, stressed that these issues were of major concern not only to ASEAN, but also to the developing world. They emphasized that a deeper understanding by, the G-7 Summit of the needs, interests and concerns of the developing countries is crucial in ensuring economic growth, sustainable development, and political stability and security.