The ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology capped their first informal meeting on 8 April 2000 in Genting Highlands, Malaysia by signing an agreement to raise $10 million U.S. dollars among member countries to seed projects in science and technology. Called the ASEAN Science Fund, it will be a catalyst for further commitments by ASEAN’s dialogue partners, collaborators and donors.

The strengthening of the ASEAN Science Fund is part of the package of programmatic and structural measures approved by the Ministers to strengthen S&T cooperation in the region and develop ASEAN’s technological capabilities. These measures support ASEAN’s drive to achieve the goal of technological competitiveness as enunciated in ASEAN Vision 2020, especially in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century.

The meeting was held in an informal atmosphere, as it was essentially a brainstorming session of the ASEAN Ministers to assess the current situation in science and technology cooperation in the region, discuss directions and goals for the new century and map out the required strategy to attain those goals, taking into consideration the ASEAN Vision 2020 and the Hanoi Plan of Action.

In the area of science and technology, ASEAN Vision 2020 declares the goal of “a technologically competitive ASEAN, competent in strategic and enabling technologies, with an adequate pool of technologically qualified and trained manpower, and strong networks of scientific and technological institutions and centres of excellence.” The Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) is the first in a series of action plans building up to the attainment of the goals of the ASEAN Vision 2020. The HPA outlines specific courses of action for implementation, over a six-year period from 1999 to 2004, in identified priority programme areas.

The Ministers linked their strategies to current global developments and the situation in ASEAN. H.E. Dato Law Hieng Ding, Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Environment and chairman of the meeting, explained it thus, “Globally, economies are being increasingly dominated by information, scientific knowledge and technological advancement. Countries that expect to compete successfully in world markets must therefore focus on strengthening their knowledge base and building their technological capabilities. They need to make the S&T investments required to generate the capital, build the infrastructure, create the market conditions, and establish the social organisation required for the attainment of global competitiveness. Because these investments could be enormous, small developing nations with limited resources like the ASEAN member countries need to work together on joint strategies and approaches to optimise benefits from their available resources.”

The Ministers asserted the importance of science and technology in building a strong foundation for the knowledge economy of the 21st century. They anticipate that the science and technology sector will assume greater responsibilities and provide leadership in propelling ASEAN to be a world player in a knowledge economy. As such, they agreed to integrate their work programmes closer to ensure that ASEAN stay ahead of the competitive environment.

As a long-term goal, the Ministers reviewed the concept of an ASEAN Science and Technology Community for Innovation, Competitiveness and Knowledge (ASTICK) to support and enhance regional integration, and requested the senior officials of science and technology to develop more detailed programmes to realise the ASTICK. ASTICK will adopt mechanisms to establish closer public and private partnerships in science and technology activities, reduce R&D barriers, promote joint planning, development and financing of specialised R&D facilities and innovation centres in the region, and facilitate mobility of S&T personnel to enhance research, development and innovation activities of the region’s scientists and technologists.

In the short- and medium-term, the Ministers agreed that one way of optimising benefits from the region’s limited resources is to build upon the national programmes of the member countries. The strategy is to identify the commonalities in the various national S&T programmes, and develop concrete regional programmes that could be quickly launched and implemented. Some of these short-term programmes could be in the area of human resource development.

More specifically, to address the urgent problem of S&T human resource development in the region, the Ministers called for fast-track implementation of training programmes to develop the technical skills required by the various economic sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and services. They defined a strategy to pool the resources of the member countries by selecting the strongest education and training centres in the member countries to take the lead in developing the appropriate training programmes and offer their services to the entire region. Programmes to facilitate exchange visits of scientists and technologists whereby they could share their expertise could also be undertaken. Holding an ASEAN Science Congress, with the participation of invited Nobel laureates is another way to bring together the region’s best scientific talent and promote their networking.

The Ministers also pushed for intensification of cooperation activities that use information technology as an enabling tool for various applications that meet social and economic needs of the region. For example, cooperation in the area of bioinformatics which merges biotechnology with information technology could be pursued more intensively. As a first step, the Ministers agreed to explore the possibility of actively linking their respective offices through appropriate websites using the Internet. The Ministers also agreed to intensify the development of the ASEAN Science and Technology Information Network (ASTNET) as a component of e-ASEAN, so that the full potential of the Internet could be harnessed for facilitating ASEAN cooperation in science and technology.

The Ministers recognised that science and technology is inherently a global enterprise and is therefore a natural platform for international cooperation. They urged the development of a strategy of pinpoint targeting of the expertise of ASEAN’s partners in science and technology.

Organisational adjustments such as the adoption of more flexible structures and more efficient mechanisms for the implementation of regional science and technology programmes and cooperation with third parties such as ASEAN dialogue partners were also examined by the Ministers. Such re-structuring measures were viewed by the Ministers as an integral part of the overall strategy for regional science and technology cooperation to be more attuned to the pace of the private sector, and more responsive to rapid changes in the global scene.

While they emphasised the important role of science and technology as the backbone for the region’s global competitiveness, the Ministers did not overlook the social responsibility of the science and technology sector, especially in the face of continuing underdevelopment of many rural areas in the member countries. Thus, they urged the development of programmes that will address social concerns which may have solutions based on the appropriate application of science and technology. They cited as example the application of information and communications technologies that can boost rural development by bringing to remote villages the opportunities for distance education and access to information.

The Ministers also highlighted the need to improve public awareness of the importance of science and technology, to make the people aware of the role that science and technology plays in their daily lives. They also recognised that in the knowledge-based society of the 21st century, a distinct sign of development would be the pervasive and integrated presence of science and technology in the life and work of all the people. Thus, a culture of innovation and invention must be developed not only among scientists and technologists but even among the general public.

The Meeting took on added significance as it was the first meeting of Ministers after ASEAN expanded its membership to 10 countries. Cambodia, as the newest member of ASEAN received a warm welcome into the circle of science and technology leaders of the region.

The names of Ministers and officials who attended the informal meeting are provided in the attached list. To provide effective follow-up action, the Ministers agreed to meet once a year, alternating informal and formal meetings. The next meeting of the ASEAN Ministers will be in Brunei Darussalam in 2001, in conjunction with the Sixth ASEAN Science and Technology Week.

H.E. Mr. Nhep Bunchin
Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, Cambodia

H.E. Prof. Dr. Sulaeman Kamil
Assistant Minister for Institutional Affairs, Ministry of State for Research and Technology, Indonesia

H.E. Prof. Dr. Souli Nanthavong
Minister to Prime Minister’s Office, In charge of Science, Technology and Environment, Lao PDR

H.E. Dato Law Hieng Ding
Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Malaysia

H.E. Brig. Gen. Thu Ra Aung Ko
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Myanmar

H.E. Dr. Filemon A. Uriarte, Jr.
Secretary of Science and Technology, the Philippines

H.E. Mr. Lim Swee Say
Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Singapore

H.E. Dr. Arthit Ourairat
Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Thailand

H.E. Dr. Chu Tuan Nha
Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Viet Nam