Meeting of Sub-Regional Organizations


The ASEAN Secretariat hosted the Second ConsuItative Meeting among Executive Heads of Sub-regional Organizations in Asia and the Pacific on 27- 28 January 1995. The first meeting, which was held in Bangkok in 1994, was initiated and held under the auspices of the UN- ESCAP. The Meeting aims to provide regular opportunity for informal discussions among heads of subregional organizations to exchange views on issues of mutual interest. The Meeting also serves to explore areas for possible cooperation and collaboration t the interregional level.

The Jakarta Meeting was chaired by Dato' Ajit Singh, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and attended by Mr. Shamsad Ahmad, Secretary-General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Mr. Yadab Kant Silwal, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Mr. Ati George Sokomanu, Secretary-General of South Pac'fic Commission (SPC), Mr. leremia Tabai, Secretay-General of the South Pacific Forum Secretariat, and Ms. Seiko Takahashi, Acting Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

The Meeting supported the recommendations contained in the Report of the Experts Group Meeting on Inter- subregional Cooperation in Trade and Investment which was held in Bangkok in September 1994. The Experts Group was convened following the decision of the First ConsuItative Meeting to identify possible areas for cooperation in trade and investment. The subregional organizations identified their different priorities and requested ESCAP to undertake in-depth studies on these areas. The Meeting also discussed the Report of the Panel of Eminent Persons on Human Resource Development which met in Bangkok in November 1994 and agreed that ESCAP would draft a framework of cooperation among subregional organizations based on the Report as well as on the programmes and priority needs earlier submitted by these organizations to ESCAP.

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Iran and the Secretary-General of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Secretary-General of ASEAN visited the ECO headquarters in Tehran from 10-13 April 1995. The purpose of the visit was to explore the possibility of establishing regular contacts between ASEAN and the ECO at the level of the two Secretariats. The meeting between the Secretaries-General of ASEAN and ECO provided an opportunity for each side to exchange information on the activities and priorities of their respective organizations. They also agreed to make a joint request to ESCAP to assist in undertaking a study on promoting trade and investments between the two regions. FinaIly, they agreed to continue consultations on the possibility of developing cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, transportation and communication, energy, human resource development, tourism and narcotics control.

South Pacific Forum (SPF)

ASEAN and the South Pacific Forum sustained the regular contacts between the Secretaries-General of the two organizations which began in 1992. At the request of the SPF, the Forum Secretariat sent Dr. Julie Delforce, Economic Adviser to the Secretary-General of the Forum Secretariat, to the ASEAN Secretariat from 23 January to 3 February 1995 for a short-term attachment with a view to learning ASEAN processes and mechanisms which have relevance to the activities and priorities of the South Pacific Forum.