ASEAN-UNDP

UNDP continued to provide technical assistance in the area of capacity-building and institutional development. Under the ASEAN-UNDP Sub-regional Programme for the Fifth Cycle (ASP-5) covering the period 1992-1996, US$ 5.8 million has been allocated to assist ASEAN in five areas namely (1) liberalization and promotion. of trade and investment including implementation of AFTA ; (2) technology; (3) trade and the environment; (4) human resource development and (5) capacity building in the ASEAN Secretariat. The five sub-programmes were signed by the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the UNDP Resident Representative on 1 July 1994.

The Sub-Programme on Human Development as designed to enable the ASEAN Member Countries to anticipate and prepare appropriate sustainable human development policies and programmes to cope with the socioeconomic changes arising from the implementation of AFTA. This includes areas such as women in development, drugs, AlDs and labour. Under this Sub-Programme, the ASEAN Secretariat, with the assistance of a consuItant, has developed a Reporting mechanism to capture the status of each Member Country's implementation of the Declaraton of the Advancement of Women in the ASEAN region. The Guidelines for the implementation of the Delaration on the Advancement of Women in the ASEAN region was approved at the 12th Meeting of the ASEAN Women's Programme (AWP) held in Singapore in April 1993. The reporting mechanism and the training materials have been finalised for the relevant workshops in June 1995.

Under this Sub-programme, two consultants have also been recruited to prepare a draft five-year work programme for implementing coIlaborative study and research programmes among ASEAN universities in the areas of science, technology, environment, AFTA, human resource development, ASEAN studies, women, AlDs, drugs and children. The draft five-year work programme as discussed in the ASEAN University Networking Experts Group Meeting 'n Bangkok from 20 to 21 April 1995. The final version was later submitted to the Third Meeting of ASCOE in May 1995.

The Sub-programme on Capacity Building was formulated to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of ASEAN's institutional arrangements for cooperation programmes. This will be achieved by consolidating and enhancing its institutional framework and strengthening the capacity of the ASEAN Secretariat to plan and manage ASEAN cooperation programmes. The major outputs expected under this Sub-programme are : a detailed system for ASEAN cooperation programmes including an ASEAN cooperation programme manual, a financial handbook and related software, a management information system, upgraded office automation and improvement of the library facilities.

The Sub-programme on Trade and Investment was designed to promote and strengthen sub-regional economic cooperation, in particular the landmark decisions taken at the Fourth ASEAN Summit Meeting in Singapore to establish AFTA and to implement the CEPT Scheme. The expected outputs of this sub- programme are the standardization and simplification of intra-ASEAN trade transactions, the enhancement of the efficiency and effectiveness in implementing CEPT and the development of strategies/ plans to strengthen selected industries and to promote investment,. Among the activities are : (1) a Reference Manual for an ASEAN Harmonization of Tariff Nomenclature for Product Classification; (2) a report on the existing NTBs in intra- ASEAN Trade; (3) industry studies and (4) a report on the trends and flows of FDI and intra-ASEAN investments in selected industries in ASEAN.

The Sub-programme on Trade and Environment aims to lay the foundation for reconciling trade and environmental policies in the ASEAN region. To attain this objective, the Sub-programme will conduct workshops, surveys and studies. Already workshops for familiarization on the linkages between trade and environment have been carried out in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. As part of the collaboration between the ASEAN Secretariat and UNCTAD, the latter has provided a comprehensive database on the information on the use of trade and environmental measures in international agreements.

The objective of the Sub-programme on Science and Technology is to intensify ASEAN cooperation in science and technology, human development, technology transfer and commercialization and information dissemination which will contribute to increasing economic, and environmental benefit to the ASEAN region. The implementation of this sub- programme has been divided into two parts. The first part, the Operational Plan of Action on Science and Technology has been completed and presented to the 30th COST Meeting held in September 1994 in Chiangmai. The revised draft was discussed in the Experts Group Meeting held from 2 to 3 February 1995 in Manila. The second part, the Financing Scheme for the Operationalization of the 1994 ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology has been discussed at the Experts Group Meeting in Manila.

UNDP confirmed that there remained an unallocated balance of US 500,000 against the ASIAN Sub-programmme which could be utilized for new activities in the fields of industry and the environment. UNDP has also confirmed the availability of US$ 150,000 to enable the ASEAN Secretariat to obtain the services of experts to formulate a project document on the smooth entry of the CLV (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) into ASEAN, An additional US$ 100,000 has also been made available by UNDP to assist the ASEAN Secretariat in the formulation of the ASEAN Vision Statement.