Regional Partnerships Scheme Program Stream Regional Economic Policy Support Facility

• ฀with฀accelerated฀efforts฀to฀reduce฀the฀ development฀ gap฀ and฀ promote฀ human฀ wellbeing.฀ The฀ meeting฀ also฀ endorsed฀ ASEAN฀ initiatives฀ to฀ promote฀ and฀ protect฀ the฀ rights฀ of฀ migrant฀ workers฀ and฀ to฀ strengthen฀ regional฀ cooperation฀ in฀ natural฀ disaster฀ management฀ and฀ emergency฀ response.฀ It฀ was฀ agreed฀ to฀ share฀ resources฀ to฀ safeguard฀ citizens฀ of฀ ASEAN฀ nations฀ caught฀ in฀ crisis฀ situations฀in฀third฀countries.฀ The฀ AMM฀ thanked฀ ASEAN’s฀ outgoing฀ Secretary฀General,฀HE฀Ong฀Keng฀Yong,฀ for฀ his฀ outstanding฀ contribution฀ to฀ ASEAN฀ in฀ the฀ past฀ four฀ years,฀ and฀ endorsed฀ Thailand’s฀ nomination฀ of฀ Dr.฀ Surin฀ Pitsuwan฀ for฀ appointment฀ as฀ the฀
• Australia Comprehensive Partnership ASEAN’s Aquatic Animal Health Improved • Southeast Asian Foot and Mouth Disease • Control Program Supported Enabling ASEAN Project: Strengthening the
• ASEAN Secretariat Barriers to Integration of ASEAN’s Priority • Sectors Researched AADCP Events: October 07 – January 08
• ASEAN – Australia Development Cooperation Program

  Regional Partnerships Scheme Program Stream Regional Economic Policy Support Facility

  The฀ proposed฀ ASEAN฀ Charter฀ was฀ a฀ major฀focus฀of฀discussion฀when฀Foreign฀ Ministers฀of฀ASEAN฀Member฀Countries฀ met฀ in฀ Manila,฀ the฀ Philippines,฀ for฀ the฀ 40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting฀(AMM)฀ on฀30฀July฀2007.

  The฀ meeting฀ was฀ chaired฀ by฀ the฀ Secretary฀ of฀ Foreign฀ Affairs฀ of฀ the฀ Philippines,฀HE฀Alberto฀G.฀Romulo,฀with฀ an฀ opening฀ address฀ by฀ HE฀ President฀ Gloria฀ Macapagal-Arroyo.฀ President฀ Arroyo฀ highlighted฀ this฀ year’s฀ ASEAN฀ theme฀ of฀ ‘One฀ Caring฀ and฀ Sharing฀ Community’฀and฀the฀importance฀of฀the฀ ASEAN฀Charter฀in฀this฀regard.฀ The฀ ASEAN฀ Charter฀ will฀ give฀ ASEAN฀ legal฀standing฀and฀a฀responsive,฀rules- based฀ structure฀ to฀ support฀ regional฀ integration฀ and฀ ASEAN’s฀ expanding฀ global฀ role.฀ The฀ meeting฀ commended฀ the฀draft฀Charter฀prepared฀by฀the฀High฀ Level฀Task฀ Force฀ and฀ offered฀ guidance฀ on฀ a฀ final฀ format฀ for฀ presentation฀ to฀ the฀ 13th฀ ASEAN฀ Summit฀ in฀ November฀ 2007.฀ Significantly,฀ Foreign฀ Ministers฀ agreed฀ that฀ the฀ Charter฀ should฀ mandate฀ the฀ establishment฀ of฀ an฀ ASEAN฀ commission฀ to฀ promote฀ and฀ protect฀ human฀rights.฀Although฀the฀operational฀ details฀ are฀ yet฀ to฀ be฀ agreed,฀ this฀ was฀ hailed฀ as฀ a฀ valuable฀ breakthrough฀ for฀ ASEAN’s฀ ‘people-centered’฀ vision฀ and฀ strongly-held฀ principles฀ of฀ justice฀ and฀ democracy.฀ At฀the฀12th฀ASEAN฀Summit฀held฀January฀ 2007,฀leaders฀agreed฀to฀bring฀forward฀the฀ deadline฀for฀establishment฀of฀the฀ASEAN฀ Community฀from฀2020฀to฀2015.฀The฀AMM฀ advocated฀ measures฀ to฀ coordinate฀ the฀ three฀ pillars฀ of฀ community-building฀ -฀ economic,฀ security฀ and฀ socio-cultural฀

  new฀ Secretary฀ General,฀ for฀ the฀ period฀ 2008฀to฀2012.฀ Meetings฀ following฀ the฀ AMM฀ included฀ ‘ASEAN฀ Plus฀Three’฀ with฀ China,฀ Japan฀ and฀South฀Korea,฀ASEAN฀Post฀Ministerial฀ Conference฀Plus฀One฀(PMC+1)฀meetings฀ with฀Dialogue฀Partners,฀and฀the฀ASEAN฀ Regional฀Forum.฀ At฀ the฀ PMC+1฀ with฀ Australia,฀ ASEAN฀ Foreign฀ Ministers฀ and฀ the฀ Australian฀ Minister฀ for฀ Foreign฀ Affairs,฀ the฀ Hon.฀ Alexander฀ Downer฀ MP,฀ signed฀ the฀ historic฀ Joint฀ Declaration฀ on฀ the฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ Comprehensive฀ Partnership.฀ Further฀ information฀ about฀ the฀Declaration฀is฀included฀on฀Page฀5.

  aadcp฀news No. 14, September 2007

  ASEAN Foreign Ministers Endorse Landmark Initiatives In this Edition

  Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-

  Foreign฀Ministers฀from฀the฀Association฀of฀Southeast฀Asian฀Nations฀(ASEAN)฀and฀its฀Dialogue฀Partners฀attending฀the฀40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting฀and฀14th฀ASEAN฀Regional฀Forum฀with฀Philippines’฀ President฀HE฀Gloria฀Macapagal-Arroyo฀at฀the฀Malacang฀Palace,฀Manila,฀the฀Philippines.฀Photo:฀Official฀website฀of฀the฀40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting.

  Diseases฀ Significant฀ to฀ Asia-Pacific:฀ Identification฀ Field฀ Guide.฀ This฀ Guide฀

  

Hutchison฀ from฀ AusVet฀ and฀ Mr.฀ Iain฀ East฀ from฀ the฀

Australian฀ Department฀ of฀ Agriculture,฀ Fisheries฀ and฀

Forestry฀at฀the฀Second฀Training฀Course,฀Ho฀Chi฀Minh฀City,฀

Viet฀Nam,฀February฀2007.

  The฀ recently฀ completed฀ RPS฀ project,฀

  Strengthening฀ Aquatic฀ Animal฀ Health฀ Capacity฀ and฀ Biosecurity฀ in฀ASEAN,฀ has฀

  improved฀ ASEAN฀ Member฀ Countries’฀ capacity฀to฀manage฀aquatic฀animal฀health,฀ both฀on฀a฀national฀and฀regional฀basis.฀ The฀goal฀of฀the฀18-month฀project฀was฀to฀ enhance฀the฀capacity฀of฀ASEAN฀Member฀ Countries฀to฀manage฀risks฀to฀biosecurity฀ of฀ fisheries฀ industries฀ by฀ developing฀ harmonised฀approaches฀to฀aquatic฀animal฀ health฀ management฀ and฀ biosecurity฀ and฀ improving฀regional฀capacity฀to฀implement฀ these฀harmonised฀approaches.฀ AusVet฀Animal฀Health฀Services฀partnered฀ with฀the฀Network฀of฀Aquaculture฀Centres฀ for฀ Asia-Pacific฀ (NACA),฀ the฀Thai฀ Aquatic฀ Animal฀Health฀Research฀Institute฀and฀the฀ Australian฀ Department฀ of฀ Agriculture,฀ Fisheries฀and฀Forestry฀(DAFF)฀to฀conduct฀ a฀ series฀ of฀ complementary฀ policy฀ workshops,฀training฀courses฀and฀technical฀ missions฀for฀policy฀makers฀and฀technical฀ staff.฀ Over฀ 130฀ representatives฀ from฀ the฀ 10฀ASEAN฀Member฀Countries฀took฀part฀in฀ the฀various฀activities.

  Two฀ representatives฀ from฀ each฀ ASEAN฀ Member฀ Country฀ participated฀ in฀ week- long฀ training฀ courses฀ in฀ Singapore฀ and฀ Viet฀ Nam฀ to฀ increase฀ their฀ skills฀ in฀ key฀ aspects฀ of฀ modern฀ aquatic฀ animal฀ disease฀control.฀The฀courses฀focused฀on:฀ disease฀ surveillance;฀ disease฀ reporting;฀ risk฀analysis฀to฀reduce฀the฀risk฀of฀disease฀ spreading฀through฀trade;฀and฀contingency฀ planning฀to฀respond฀quickly฀and฀effectively฀ to฀major฀disease฀outbreaks.

  The฀policy฀development฀component฀of฀the฀ project฀ included฀ two฀ policy฀ workshops,฀ held฀ 12฀ months฀ apart,฀ in฀ Thailand฀ and฀ Indonesia,฀ and฀ in-country฀ development฀ of฀ national฀ strategies.฀Technical฀ missions฀ visited฀Cambodia,฀Lao฀PDR,฀Myanmar,฀and฀

  Viet฀ Nam฀ to฀ assist฀ in฀ identifying฀ national฀ needs฀ and฀ developing฀ approaches฀ to฀ address฀the฀countries'฀specific฀needs.฀ In฀May฀2007,฀policy฀workshop฀participants฀ finalised฀ the฀ Draft฀ Recommended฀

  Minimum฀ Operational฀ Requirements฀ for฀ Implementing฀ National฀ Aquatic฀ Animal฀ Health฀ Strategies฀ within฀ ASEAN฀ and฀

  the฀ accompanying฀ Compiled฀ ASEAN฀

  Progress฀ in฀ the฀ Implementation฀ of฀ National฀Aquatic฀Animal฀Health฀Strategies.฀

  These฀ documents฀ will฀ become฀ the฀ basis฀ for฀ ongoing฀ guidance฀ and฀ monitoring฀ by฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Sectoral฀ Working฀ Group฀ on฀ Fisheries฀(ASWGFi)฀of฀Member฀Countries’฀ progress฀ in฀ implementing฀ their฀ national฀ strategies. In฀ August฀ 2007,฀ project฀ partners฀ NACA฀ and฀ DAFF฀ published฀ the฀ Aquatic฀Animal฀

  Regional Partnerships Scheme News ASEAN’s Aquatic Animal Health Improved

  draws฀extensively฀on฀health฀management฀ research฀and฀experience฀in฀Australia฀and฀ other฀ countries฀ in฀ Asia.฀ It฀ references฀ all฀ World฀ Organisation฀ for฀ Animal฀ Health฀ (OIE)-listed฀diseases฀as฀well฀as฀additional฀ diseases฀ relevant฀ to฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ region.฀ The฀Guide฀can฀be฀downloaded฀at:฀http:// www.enaca.org/modules/news/article. php?storyid=1003

Southeast Asian Foot and Mouth Disease Control Program Supported

  Reference฀ Laboratory฀ for฀ the฀ Southeast฀ Asian฀ Foot฀ and฀ Mouth฀ Disease฀ Control฀ Program,฀which฀concluded฀in฀April฀2007.

  ฀ Laboratory฀ diagnosis฀ is฀ essential฀ to฀ correctly฀identify฀foot฀and฀mouth฀disease฀ (FMD)฀ in฀ livestock,฀ trace฀ the฀ possible฀ origin฀of฀the฀outbreak฀and฀assist฀selection฀ of฀an฀effective฀vaccine.฀Effective฀operation฀ of฀ SEAFMD฀ RRL฀ as฀ an฀ ASEAN฀ regional฀ resource฀ of฀ FMD฀ expertise฀ is฀ important฀ for฀ the฀ success฀ of฀ control฀ strategies฀ within฀affected฀ASEAN฀Member฀Countries฀ and฀for฀alleviation฀of฀FMD฀risk฀across฀the฀ region.

  The฀ RPS฀ Project฀ assisted฀ SEAFMD฀ RRL฀ to฀ meet฀ the฀ scientific,฀ biocontainment฀ and฀ quality฀ standards฀ necessary฀ for฀ a฀ regional฀reference฀laboratory.฀Core฀project฀ partners,฀ the฀ CSIRO฀ Australian฀ Animal฀ Health฀ Laboratory฀ (AAHL)฀ and฀ SEAFMD฀ RRL,฀ delivered฀ outputs฀ in฀ laboratory฀ management,฀ technical฀ operation฀ and฀ training,฀as฀follows:

  All฀project฀activities฀were฀complementary฀ to฀ the฀ goals฀ of฀ the฀ SEAFMD฀ Campaign฀ for฀ Regional฀ FMD฀ Control,฀ an฀ initiative฀ of฀ the฀ World฀ Organisation฀ for฀ Animal฀ Health฀(the฀OIE฀or฀Office฀International฀des฀ Epizooties).

  The฀ final฀ output฀ of฀ the฀ project฀ was฀ an฀ application฀ to฀ the฀ OIE฀ for฀ additional฀ support฀ for฀ an฀ ongoing฀ collaborative฀ ‘twinning’฀ process฀ between฀ AAHL฀ and฀ SEAFMD฀RRL.

  This฀would฀strengthen฀the฀case฀for฀formal฀ international฀ recognition฀ through฀ the฀ OIE฀ of฀SEAFMD฀RRL฀as฀a฀reference฀centre฀of฀ FMD฀expertise.

  The฀‘twinning’฀process฀would฀build฀on฀the฀ existing฀long-term฀partnership฀and฀would฀ continue฀ to฀ strengthen฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ cooperation฀ in฀ the฀ successful฀ control฀ of฀ FMD฀within฀ASEAN.

  Training฀Workshop฀ conducted฀ November฀ 22฀ –฀ December฀ 1,฀ 2005฀ at฀ the฀ Southeast฀ Asian฀ Foot฀ and฀ Mouth฀ Disease฀ Regional฀Reference฀Laboratory฀(SEAFMD฀RRL),฀Pakchong,฀Thailand.฀The฀workshop฀was฀facilitated฀by฀CSIRO฀Australian฀ Animal฀Health฀Laboratory฀specialists฀and฀attended฀by฀foot฀and฀mouth฀disease฀(FMD)฀laboratory฀representatives฀from฀ Brunei฀ Darussalam,฀ Cambodia,฀ Indonesia,฀ Lao฀ PDR,฀ Malaysia,฀ Myanmar,฀ the฀ Philippines,฀Thailand฀ and฀Viet฀ Nam.฀ Training฀focused฀on฀FMD฀diagnostic฀techniques฀and฀analysis,฀to฀improve฀sample฀submission฀to฀the฀SEAFMD฀RRL.฀

Keen฀ ASEAN฀ participants฀ with฀ trainers฀ Ms.฀ Jenny฀

  Strengthening฀ the฀ capacity฀ of฀ the฀ Southeast฀Asian฀Foot฀and฀Mouth฀Disease฀ Regional฀Reference฀Laboratory฀(SEAFMD฀ RRL)฀ was฀ the฀ focus฀ of฀ the฀ two-year฀ AADCP-RPS฀ project,฀ Establishment฀ of฀ a฀

• ฀ development฀ of฀ a฀ strategic฀ plan฀ for฀ operation฀of฀the฀SEAFMD฀RRL;
• ฀ conduct฀ of฀ a฀ regional฀ training฀ workshop/training฀ course฀ for฀ representatives฀ from฀ ASEAN฀ FMD฀ testing฀laboratories;
• ฀ formation฀ of฀ LabNet,฀ an฀ ASEAN฀ regional฀฀ network฀ of฀ laboratory฀ expertise;
• ฀ review฀and฀harmonisation฀of฀regional฀ laboratory฀testing฀methods฀for฀FMD;฀
• ฀ provision฀ of฀ assistance฀ for฀ accreditation฀ to฀ quality฀ standard,฀ engineering฀ maintenance฀ and฀ the฀ safe฀ operation฀ of฀ SEAFMD฀ RRL฀ as฀ a฀ secure฀ laboratory฀ for฀ work฀ with฀ FMD;฀and
• ฀ delivery฀ of฀ training฀ modules฀ to฀ laboratory฀staff฀at฀SEAFMD฀RRL.

Program Stream News

  The฀ Program฀ Stream,฀ now฀ in฀ its฀ final฀ year,฀ is฀ functioning฀ at฀ peak฀ activity฀ level.฀ At฀ the฀ 6th฀ Program฀ Coordinating฀ Committee฀ (PCC)฀ Meeting฀ in฀ Jakarta฀ on฀ 12฀ April฀ 2007,฀ PCC฀ members฀ approved฀ extension฀ proposals฀ for฀ seven฀ current฀ Program฀ Stream฀ projects.฀ Extensions฀ have฀ been฀ granted฀ for฀ projects฀ covering฀ skills,฀ e-commerce,฀ standards,฀ customs,฀ animal฀ health,฀ plant฀ health฀ and฀ food฀ safety,฀ with฀ most฀ of฀ these฀ projects฀ now฀ concluding฀late฀2007฀or฀early฀2008.฀These฀ extensions฀total฀more฀than฀$A1.1฀million.฀

  It฀ is฀ expected฀ that฀ extension฀ activities฀ will฀lead฀to฀greater฀capacity฀building฀and฀ sustainability฀ of฀ project฀ outcomes.฀ In฀ addition,฀the฀two฀Round฀4฀projects฀in฀the฀ SME฀Automotive฀sector฀and฀the฀Enabling฀ ASEAN฀ Project฀ continue฀ (refer฀ to฀ article฀ below).

  Mr.฀Mike฀Crooke,฀Monitoring฀and฀Evaluation฀ Specialist,฀and฀Ms.฀Susan฀Majid,฀Program฀ Director,฀conducted฀a฀consultative฀mission฀ meeting฀ with฀ all฀ Australian฀ Implementing฀ Partners฀(AIPs)฀in฀July฀and฀August฀2007,฀in฀ preparation฀ for฀ a฀ collective฀ performance฀ assessment฀ of฀ Program฀ Stream฀ projects฀ during฀ the฀ 7th฀ PCC฀ Meeting฀ scheduled฀ 26-27฀September฀2007.

  This฀ final฀ PCC฀ Meeting฀ involving฀ all฀฀ stakeholders฀ -฀ Coordination฀ Unit฀ staff฀ and฀ Desk฀ Officers฀ from฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Secretariat,฀ASEAN฀Regional฀Focal฀Points,฀ representatives฀ from฀ AusAID฀ Canberra,฀ AIPs฀and฀the฀Cardno฀Acil฀team฀-฀will฀offer฀ the฀opportunity฀to฀discuss฀project฀results฀ and฀the฀implications฀for฀ASEAN.

The Enabling ASEAN Project: Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat

  The฀ Enabling฀ ASEAN฀ Project฀ (EAP)฀ commenced฀ under฀ the฀ AADCP฀ Program฀ Stream฀ in฀ March฀ 2007.฀ It฀ is฀ the฀ first฀ AADCP฀ PS฀ project฀ with฀ a฀ specific฀ focus฀ on฀ institutional฀ strengthening฀ of฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Secretariat฀ (ASEC).฀ With฀ the฀ expected฀ establishment฀ of฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Charter฀ in฀ November฀ 2007,฀ the฀ project’s฀ timing฀ is฀ significant.฀ Member฀ Countries’฀expectations฀of฀the฀Secretariat฀ will฀ continue฀ to฀ grow,฀ and฀ ASEC฀ must฀ ensure฀it฀has฀the฀capacity฀to฀meet฀these฀ expectations.

  The฀ project฀ has฀ two฀ areas฀ of฀ focus:฀ strengthening฀operations,฀and฀enhancing฀ internal฀management฀systems.฀ Operations฀refers฀to฀ASEC’s฀core฀functions฀ including฀ servicing฀ meetings,฀ providing฀ technical฀ and฀ policy฀ advice฀ to฀ ASEAN฀ Member฀ Countries,฀ and฀ supporting฀ ASEAN฀cooperation฀activities.฀Operations฀ Adviser฀Mr.฀Gary฀Ellem฀will฀work฀within฀the฀ Secretariat฀for฀the฀project’s฀duration.฀He฀is฀ using฀two฀approaches฀in฀his฀work:฀general฀ coaching;฀and฀issue-specific฀support. General฀ coaching฀ primarily฀ involves฀ mentoring฀ a฀ group฀ of฀ 12฀ Technical฀ Officers฀ selected฀ by฀ the฀ Secretary฀ General฀ of฀ ASEAN.฀The฀ group฀ members฀ are฀ participating฀ in฀ a฀ series฀ of฀ skills฀ development฀ workshops฀ and฀ have฀ access฀to฀one-on-one฀coaching฀from฀the฀ Operations฀ Adviser.฀The฀ group฀ members฀ will฀assist฀in฀the฀enhancement฀of฀various฀ Secretariat฀procedures฀and,฀over฀time,฀will฀ play฀ a฀ role฀ in฀ institutionalising฀ improved฀ practices฀across฀the฀organisation. Issue-specific฀ support฀ involves฀ working฀ with฀ staff฀ at฀ various฀ levels฀ on฀ individual฀ operational฀matters.฀This฀support฀will฀help฀ to฀ produce฀ good฀ operational฀ outcomes฀ for฀the฀Secretariat฀in฀the฀short-term,฀and,฀ just฀ as฀ importantly,฀ do฀ so฀ in฀ a฀ way฀ that฀ models฀ good฀ management฀ practices฀ for฀ the฀ future.฀ To฀ date,฀ the฀ Operations฀ Adviser฀ has฀ focused฀ on฀ two฀ main฀ issues:฀ strengthening฀ the฀ coordination฀ mechanisms฀ within฀ ASEAN’s฀ Socio-

  Cultural฀ Community;฀ and฀ assisting฀ in฀ the฀ development฀ of฀ a฀ new฀ strategy฀ for฀ ‘narrowing฀the฀development฀gap’฀between฀ ASEAN’s฀original฀and฀newer฀members,฀in฀ particular฀in฀the฀lead-up฀to฀and฀during฀the฀ Second฀ Initiative฀ for฀ ASEAN฀ Integration฀ Development฀ Cooperation฀ Forum฀ (2nd฀

  IDCF)฀ held฀ in฀ Hanoi,฀Viet฀ Nam,฀ on฀ 12-13฀ June฀2007.

  As฀ the฀ project฀ proceeds,฀ the฀ Operations฀ Adviser฀ will฀ increasingly฀ be฀ involved฀ in฀ institutionalising฀ new฀ practices฀ and฀ encouraging฀ discussion฀ within฀ the฀ Secretariat฀about฀‘ways฀of฀doing฀business’.฀ The฀principal฀focus฀in฀this฀area฀has฀been฀ on฀ human฀ resource฀ management.฀ The฀ ability฀to฀attract฀and฀retain฀quality฀staff฀is฀ essential฀for฀the฀Secretariat.฀The฀project’s฀ Human฀ Resources฀ Management฀ Adviser฀ has฀been฀working฀with฀ASEC’s฀Personnel฀ and฀Training฀ Unit฀ to฀ develop฀ several฀ new฀ policies฀ and฀ procedures.฀The฀ project฀ will฀ continue฀ to฀ work฀ with฀ ASEC฀ to฀ roll฀ out฀ and฀ institutionalise฀ the฀ new฀ procedures฀ over฀the฀coming฀months.฀The฀project฀has฀ also฀ helped฀ ASEC฀ to฀ develop฀ an฀ Interim฀ Workforce฀Capability฀Plan฀which฀will฀help฀ the฀ Secretariat฀ to฀ ensure฀ it฀ is฀ recruiting฀ the฀right฀types฀of฀staff฀at฀the฀right฀levels.

  The฀ ‘hands-on’฀ nature฀ of฀ the฀ assistance฀ provided฀by฀EAP฀is฀different฀from฀much฀of฀ the฀support฀ASEC฀has฀previously฀received,฀ which฀has฀tended฀to฀focus฀on฀training.฀The฀ value฀ of฀ a฀ broader฀ approach฀ to฀ capacity฀ building฀ is฀ being฀ recognised฀ by฀ ASEC฀ staff฀ and฀ as฀ a฀ result฀ the฀ project฀ is฀ now฀ starting฀to฀gain฀valuable฀momentum.

  Program Stream Update

  

The฀ launch฀ of฀ the฀ Enabling฀ ASEAN฀ Project’s฀ Core฀

Coaching฀ Group.฀ (L-R):฀ Mr.฀ Gary฀ Ellem฀ (Operations฀

Adviser);฀ Ms.฀ Jean฀ Gordon฀ (Human฀ Resources฀

Management฀ Adviser);฀ Dr.฀ Soeung฀ Rathchavy฀ (ASEAN฀

Deputy฀Secretary฀General);฀Dr.฀Anish฀Kumar฀Roy฀(Director,฀

Office฀ of฀ Coordination,฀ Bureau฀ for฀ External฀ Relations฀

and฀ Coordination,฀ ASEC);฀ and฀ Mr.฀ Barry฀ Greville-Eyres฀

(Project฀Director). The฀headquarters฀of฀ASEAN฀in฀Jakarta,฀Indonesia.

  REPSF investigates Barriers to Integration of ASEAN’s Priority Sectors Regional Economic Policy Support Facility News

  To฀ support฀ the฀ creation฀ of฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Economic฀ Community,฀ which฀ shall฀ establish฀ the฀ region฀ as฀ a฀ single฀ market฀ and฀ production฀ base,฀ REPSF฀ undertook฀ Research฀ Study฀ 06/001฀ ‘An฀ Investigation฀

  into฀the฀Measures฀Affecting฀the฀Integration฀ of฀ ASEAN’s฀ Priority฀ Sectors’.฀ This฀

  involved฀ a฀ review฀ of฀ trade,฀ tariff฀ and฀ non-tariff฀ measures;฀ in-depth฀ studies฀ of฀ the฀ electronics,฀ textiles฀ and฀ apparel,฀ and฀ logistics฀ sectors;฀ and฀ a฀ region-wide฀ business฀survey.฀ ACNielsen,฀ an฀ independent฀ research฀ company,฀ interviewed฀ 931฀ companies฀ across฀12฀priority฀sectors฀based฀in฀the฀10฀ ASEAN฀Member฀Countries.฀Survey฀results฀ suggest฀that฀tariff฀and฀non-tariff฀measures฀ are฀ perceived฀ to฀ be฀ an฀ important฀ factor฀ affecting฀a฀firm’s฀operation,฀as฀well฀as฀their฀ ability฀to฀import/export฀and฀to฀expand฀into฀ new฀markets.฀Business฀managers฀in฀both฀ goods฀and฀services฀businesses฀identified฀ bureaucratic฀ business฀ laws,฀ regulations,฀ and฀administrative฀procedures฀as฀the฀key฀ priority฀ for฀ reform.฀ While฀ issues฀ affect฀ member฀ countries฀ and฀ industries฀ to฀ varying฀ degrees,฀ in฀ general,฀ barriers฀ to฀ trade฀ in฀ customs฀ clearance฀ affect฀ the฀ greatest฀ number฀ of฀ goods฀ businesses฀ (45฀ per฀ cent),฀ while฀ other฀ trade฀ control฀ measures฀ (such฀ as฀ quotas฀ and฀ technical฀ product฀specifications)฀affect฀36฀per฀cent฀ of฀ goods฀ businesses.฀ Barriers฀ to฀ trade฀ in฀ services,฀ such฀ as฀ business฀ licensing,฀ affect฀36฀per฀cent฀of฀services฀businesses.฀ While฀ barriers฀ to฀ trade฀ in฀ services฀ affect฀ a฀ smaller฀ number฀ of฀ businesses฀ across฀ the฀ region,฀ where฀ they฀ do฀ exist,฀ private฀ sector฀entities฀identify฀services฀barriers฀as฀ having฀a฀more฀serious฀effect฀on฀trade฀than฀ barriers฀to฀trade฀in฀goods.฀ The฀ Logistics฀ Institute-Asia฀ Pacific฀ also฀ interviewed฀ various฀ stakeholders฀ in฀ the฀ logistics฀supply฀chain฀including฀shippers,฀ carriers,฀ freight฀ forwarding฀ associations,฀ and฀ logistics฀ service฀ providers.฀ Survey฀ results฀suggest฀that฀customs฀procedures฀ and฀ inspections฀ are฀ the฀ greatest฀ impediments฀ to฀ free฀ trade฀ followed฀ by฀ land฀transportation฀regulations.฀The฀same฀ study฀ identified฀ the฀ degree฀ of฀ ‘logistics฀ friendliness’฀ in฀ ASEAN,฀ defined฀ as฀ ‘possessing฀ the฀ least฀ barriers฀ to฀ free฀ trade฀ and฀ for฀ the฀ conduct฀ of฀ business’.฀ Based฀ on฀ the฀ Institute’s฀ measurement฀ scale,฀ the฀ majority฀ of฀ member฀ countries฀ are฀classified฀as฀being,฀at฀best,฀average฀in฀ ‘logistics฀friendliness’.

  In฀ the฀ case฀ of฀ the฀ textiles฀ and฀ apparel฀ sector,฀Dr.฀William฀E.฀James,฀Mr.฀Peter฀J.฀ Minor,฀ and฀ Mr.฀ Kakada฀ Dourng฀ surveyed฀ industry฀ associations฀ and฀ firms฀ along฀ the฀ value฀ chain฀ and฀ found฀ that฀ non-tariff฀ measures฀inhibit฀efficient฀development฀of฀ production฀networks฀by฀raising฀the฀costs฀of฀ outward฀processing฀arrangements฀(OPA),฀ in฀some฀cases฀prohibitively.฀Customs฀and฀ tax฀ administration;฀ investment฀ approvals฀ and฀restrictions;฀and฀increasingly฀complex฀ trade฀ rules฀ were฀ found฀ to฀ restrict฀ intra- ASEAN฀ trade.฀ Inconsistent฀ tax/subsidy฀ policies฀ and฀ lingering฀ protectionism฀ aimed฀at฀preserving฀domestic฀markets฀for฀ inefficient฀ producers฀ were฀ also฀ identified฀ as฀‘culprits’฀in฀raising฀trade฀costs. Despite฀these฀problems,฀the฀outlook฀for฀the฀ industry฀ is฀ bright,฀ provided฀ governments฀ and฀ the฀ private฀ sector฀ act฀ in฀ concert฀ to฀ maximise฀the฀competitive฀strengths฀of฀the฀ region.฀Textile฀capacities฀have฀undergone฀ expansion฀ and฀ modernisation฀ though฀ more฀ remains฀ to฀ be฀ done.฀ ASEAN฀ lacks฀ some฀raw฀materials,฀but฀has฀capacities฀in฀ production฀of฀yarn฀and฀fabric฀in฀the฀larger฀ supplier฀ countries฀ such฀ as฀ Indonesia,฀ Thailand,฀ Malaysia฀ and฀ Viet฀ Nam.฀ The฀ smaller฀ countries฀ too฀ are฀ proving฀ adept฀ at฀ ‘moving฀ up’฀ the฀ apparel฀ value฀ chain,฀ avoiding฀ direct฀ competition฀ at฀ the฀ low฀ end฀of฀the฀market฀with฀suppliers฀in฀China.฀ Key฀ policy฀ recommendations฀ include฀ the฀ establishment฀of฀a฀green฀lane฀in฀customs฀ and฀application฀of฀a฀zero฀Common฀Effective฀ Preferential฀ Tariff฀ (CEPT)฀ on฀ all฀ inputs฀ related฀ to฀ textiles฀ and฀ apparel.฀ Creation฀ of฀ a฀ region-wide฀ textile฀ community฀ extending฀ to฀ neighbouring฀ countries฀ will฀ also฀ enable฀ ASEAN฀ suppliers฀ to฀ remain฀ globally฀ competitive฀ in฀ the฀ face฀ of฀ the฀ proliferation฀ of฀ potentially฀ discriminatory฀ bilateral฀trade฀deals.฀ This฀Investigation฀is฀an฀important฀step฀in฀ identifying฀ and฀ developing฀ a฀ baseline฀ for฀ barriers฀ to฀ free฀ trade฀ within฀ ASEAN.฀The฀ techniques฀ and฀ results฀ of฀ these฀ studies฀ can฀ be฀ used฀ as฀ inputs฀ into฀ programs฀ to฀ rationalise฀ the฀ complex฀ tapestry฀ of฀ domestic฀ and฀ regional฀ regulations฀ and฀ standards,฀ a฀ move฀ that฀ will฀ be฀ both฀ beneficial฀ to฀ and฀ appreciated฀ by฀ the฀ business฀community.

  As฀ the฀ Report฀ notes,฀ ASEAN฀ is฀ in฀ a฀ ‘two-step฀race’.฀One฀step฀is฀taking฀away฀ the฀ barriers฀ between฀ countries฀ that฀ governments฀ have฀ themselves฀ imposed.฀ The฀ other฀ step฀ is฀ building฀ the฀ business฀ and฀ policy฀ environment฀ within฀ ASEAN฀ Member฀Countries฀to฀promote฀investment฀ and฀ production฀ growth฀ and฀ intra-ASEAN฀ flows.

  The฀ key฀ findings฀ and฀ recommendations฀ based฀ on฀ the฀ various฀ components฀ of฀ 06/001฀ were฀ presented฀ at฀ the฀ Third฀ Meeting฀ of฀ the฀ ASEAN฀ Senior฀ Economic฀ Officials฀ of฀ the฀ Thirty-Eight฀ ASEAN฀ Economic฀Ministers฀Meeting฀(SEOM฀3/38)฀ in฀Chiang฀Mai,฀Thailand,฀on฀22฀May฀2007฀ by฀ the฀ overall฀ team฀ leader,฀ Professor฀ Christopher฀ Findlay,฀ from฀ the฀ Centre฀ for฀ International฀Economic฀Studies,฀University฀ of฀Adelaide.

  A฀garment฀factory฀worker฀in฀Cambodia.฀Photo:฀Economic฀Institute฀of฀Cambodia฀(EIC).

  aadcp฀profile

Australia and ASEAN Announce Comprehensive Partnership

  Over฀ 33฀ years฀ ago,฀ Australia฀ became฀ ASEAN’s฀first฀Dialogue฀Partner.฀Since฀then,฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ relations฀ have฀ grown฀ and฀flourished,฀with฀active฀cooperation฀in฀ many฀fields฀where฀the฀partners฀recognise฀ shared฀interests.฀ To฀ mark฀ the฀ breadth฀ and฀ maturity฀ of฀ the฀relationship฀and฀provide฀a฀framework฀ for฀ Australia’s฀ future฀ engagement฀ with฀ ASEAN,฀the฀Australian฀Minister฀for฀Foreign฀ Affairs,฀ the฀ Hon.฀ Alexander฀ Downer฀ MP,฀ and฀ASEAN฀Foreign฀Ministers฀signed฀the฀ Joint฀Declaration฀on฀the฀ASEAN-Australia฀ Comprehensive฀Partnership฀in฀the฀margins฀ of฀ the฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ Post฀ Ministerial฀ Conference฀in฀Manila,฀the฀Philippines,฀on฀ 1฀August฀2007.฀ The฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ Comprehensive฀ Partnership฀ has฀ been฀ described฀ as฀ ‘action-oriented,฀ forward-looking฀ and฀ encompassing฀ political฀ and฀ security฀ cooperation,฀ economic฀ cooperation,฀ socio-cultural฀ cooperation฀ and฀ development฀cooperation฀at฀regional฀and฀

  Australian฀ Foreign฀ Minister,฀ the฀ Hon.฀ Alexander฀ Downer฀ MP฀ (left)฀ and฀ Philippines฀ Foreign฀ Affairs฀ Secretary฀ Dr.฀ Alberto฀ Romulo฀ (far฀ right)฀ give฀ a฀ copy฀ of฀ the฀ Joint฀ Declaration฀ on฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ Comprehensive฀ Partnership฀ to฀ ASEAN฀

  international฀levels’.

  Secretary฀General฀HE฀Ong฀Keng฀Yong฀after฀the฀ASEAN-Australia฀Post฀Ministerial฀Conference฀Plus฀One฀Meeting฀held฀1฀ August฀2007.฀Photo:฀Official฀website฀of฀the฀40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting.

  It฀ signals฀ Australia’s฀ and฀ ASEAN’s฀ intention฀ to฀ enhance฀ cooperation฀ very฀ wide฀ range฀ of฀ cooperation฀ that฀ is฀ International฀ Terrorism,฀ Australia’s฀ in฀ support฀ of฀ deeper฀ economic฀ taking฀ place฀ and฀ will฀ continue฀ to฀ grow฀ accession฀ to฀ the฀ Treaty฀ of฀ Amity฀ and฀ integration,฀ environmental฀ conservation,฀ under฀ the฀ Partnership฀ -฀ demonstrates฀ Cooperation฀ in฀ Southeast฀ Asia,฀ and฀ the฀ communicable฀ and฀ emerging฀ infectious฀ Australia’s฀long-term฀commitment฀to฀ties฀ ASEAN-Australia-New฀Zealand฀Free฀Trade฀ with฀ ASEAN.฀ Mr.฀ Downer฀ said฀ he฀ was฀ Agreement.฀฀ diseases฀ and฀ disaster฀ preparedness฀ and฀ emergency฀ response.฀ The฀ agreement฀ confident฀ that฀ continued฀ cooperation฀ also฀ promotes฀ enhanced฀ cooperation฀ would฀lead฀to฀increased฀regional฀stability฀ The฀ Declaration฀ also฀ notes฀ that฀ ASEAN฀ and฀prosperity. and฀ Australia฀ share฀ common฀ values฀ of฀ in฀ combatting฀ transnational฀ crimes,฀ including฀ terrorism฀ and฀ drug฀ trafficking.฀ justice,฀ democracy,฀ social฀ equality,฀ good฀ Australian฀ and฀ ASEAN฀ officials฀ will฀ soon฀ The฀ Declaration฀ notes฀ some฀ major฀ governance฀and฀human฀rights,฀considered฀ conclude฀discussions฀on฀a฀Plan฀of฀Action฀ cooperative฀achievements.฀These฀include฀ an฀ essential฀ basis฀ for฀ lasting฀ stability฀ the฀ Joint฀ Declaration฀ of฀ the฀ Leaders฀ at฀ and฀ progress.฀ It฀ expresses฀ Australia’s฀ to฀implement฀the฀Partnership. the฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ and฀ New฀ Zealand฀ strong฀support฀for฀the฀establishment฀of฀a฀

  In฀ announcing฀ signature฀ of฀ the฀ Joint฀ Commemorative฀ Summit฀ in฀ November฀ broad-based฀ASEAN฀Community฀and฀for฀ 2004,฀ the฀ ASEAN-Australia฀ Joint฀ reducing฀ the฀ development฀ gap฀ between฀

  Declaration,฀ Mr.฀ Downer฀ said฀ that฀ the฀ Comprehensive฀ Partnership฀ -฀ and฀ the฀ Declaration฀ for฀ Cooperation฀ to฀ Combat฀ ASEAN฀Member฀Countries.

  

Foreign฀Ministers฀from฀the฀Association฀of฀Southeast฀Asian฀Nations฀(ASEAN)฀and฀its฀Dialogue฀Partners฀pose฀for฀a฀group฀photo฀outside฀the฀Philippine฀International฀Convention฀Center฀at฀

the฀conclusion฀of฀the฀40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting฀and฀the฀14th฀ASEAN฀Regional฀Forum฀in฀Manila฀on฀August฀2,฀2007.฀They฀are฀(first฀row,฀from฀left)฀Thailand's฀Nitya฀Pibulsonggram,฀

East฀Timor's฀Adaljiza฀Magno,฀the฀United฀States'฀John฀Negroponte,฀Vietnam's฀Le฀Cong฀Phung,฀Singapore's฀George฀Yeo,฀Philippines'฀Alberto฀G.฀Romulo,฀Australia's฀Alexander฀Downer,฀

Bangladesh's฀Iftekhar฀Ahmed฀Chowdhury,฀Brunei's฀Prince฀Mohamed฀Bolkiah,฀Cambodia's฀Hor฀Namhong,฀Canada's฀Leonard฀J.฀Edwards,฀China's฀Yang฀Jiechi;฀(second฀row,฀from฀left)฀

Russia's฀ Sergey฀ Lavrov,฀ Papua฀ New฀ Guinea's฀ Christopher฀ Mero,฀ Pakistan's฀ Khurshid฀ Mahmud฀ Kauri,฀ New฀ Zealand's฀Winston฀ Peters,฀ Myanmar's฀ U฀ Nyan฀Win,฀ Mongolia's฀Tsolmon฀

Tserendash,฀Malaysia's฀Syed฀Hamid฀Albar,฀Lao's฀Thongloun฀Sisoulith,฀South฀Korea's฀Song฀Min-soon,฀Japan's฀Taro฀Aso,฀Indonesia's฀Nur฀Hassan฀Wirajuda,฀India's฀Shri฀Pranab฀Mukhererjee,฀

European฀Union's฀Javier฀Solana,฀North฀Korea's฀Pak฀Ui฀Chun฀and฀ASEAN฀Secretary฀General฀Ong฀Keng฀Yong.฀Photo:฀Official฀website฀of฀the฀40th฀ASEAN฀Ministerial฀Meeting.

• •฀ 28฀November:฀ The฀11th฀Meeting฀

  of฀the฀Joint฀Selection฀and฀Review฀

  Panel฀ for฀ the฀ RPS฀ program,฀

  Indonesia

  • ฀November:฀ Policy฀ Stakeholder฀

  Workshop฀ for฀ PS฀ project,฀

• ฀December:฀ Planning฀ and฀ Design฀ Workshop฀ for฀ PS฀ project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀
• ฀ 8-12฀October:฀ Implementation฀of฀ Standard฀ Operating฀ Procedures฀ Workshop฀ for฀ RPS฀ project,฀
• ฀December฀ 2007/January฀ 2008:฀ Dissemination฀ Workshop฀ for฀ REPSF฀ study,฀ East฀ Asian฀ Free฀
• ฀ October:฀ Training฀Course฀for฀PS฀ project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀

• • ฀November:฀ Training฀ Course,฀ PS฀

  project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀

• ฀October:฀ Regional฀ ASEAN฀ Customs฀ Valuation฀ Guide฀ Training฀Meeting฀for฀PS฀project,฀

• • ฀November:฀ Pest฀ List฀

  Development฀ Evaluation฀ for฀ PS฀

  project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀

• ฀ 10฀ January:฀ ASEAN฀ GAP฀ Regional฀Awareness฀Seminar฀for฀ RPS฀project,฀Harmonisation฀and฀
• ฀October:฀ I m p l e m e n t a t i o n฀ Review฀for฀PS฀project,฀Enhanced฀
• ฀ 11-13฀ January:฀ ASEAN฀ GAP฀ Planning฀ and฀ Benchmarking฀ Workshop฀ for฀ RPS฀ project,฀ Harmonisation฀ and฀

• •฀ December:฀ Workshop฀ No.฀ 2฀ on฀

  Competency-based฀ Curriculum฀

  Development฀ for฀ PS฀ project,฀

• ฀October:฀ Mentoring฀ Visit฀ No.฀ 4฀ for฀ PS฀ Project,฀ Strengthening฀

• • ฀December:฀ Training฀ Course฀ PS฀

  project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀

• ฀ 20-25฀ November:฀ Management฀ of฀ International฀ Good฀ Agricultural฀ Practices฀ (GAP)฀ Programs฀ Workshop฀ for฀ RPS฀ project,฀ Harmonisation฀ and฀

• • ฀December:฀ Project฀Coordinating฀

  Group฀ (PCG)฀ Meeting฀ for฀ PS฀

  project,฀ Strengthening฀ ASEAN฀

  Implementation฀ of฀ASEAN฀ GAP฀ Standards,฀Brunei฀Darussalam Event฀details฀are฀subject฀to฀change.

  Implementation฀of฀ASEAN฀Good฀ Agricultural฀ Practices฀ (GAP)฀ Standards,฀Brunei฀Darussalam

  January฀2008

  Trade฀ Agreements฀ in฀ Services:฀ Facilitating฀Free฀Flow฀of฀Services฀ in฀ASEAN,฀Lao฀PDR

  Plant฀ Health฀ Capacity,฀ Country฀ location฀not฀confirmed

  

Plant฀ Health฀ Capacity,฀ Country฀

location฀not฀confirmed

  

Standards฀ and฀ Conformity฀

Assessment฀Systems,฀Viet฀Nam

  

Enhancing฀ Skills฀ Recognition฀

Systems฀in฀ASEAN,฀Indonesia

  December฀2007

  

Plant฀ Health฀ Capacity,฀ Country฀

location฀not฀confirmed

  

Standards฀ and฀ Conformity฀

Assessment฀Systems,฀Myanmar

  

Enhancing฀ Skills฀ Recognition฀

Systems฀in฀ASEAN,฀Indonesia

  November฀2007

  Implementation฀ of฀ASEAN฀ GAP฀ Standards,฀Australia

  ASEAN฀ Plant฀ Health฀ Capacity,฀ Country฀location฀not฀confirmed

  Customs฀ Capacity฀ Building฀ in฀ ASEAN,฀Thailand

  Enhanced฀ Customs฀ Capacity฀ Building฀in฀ASEAN,฀Indonesia

  Standards฀ and฀ Conformity฀ Assessment฀Systems,฀Cambodia

  Operationalise฀ Guidelines฀ on฀ Responsible฀ Movement฀ of฀ Live฀ Food฀Finfish,฀Thailand

  October฀2007

  70A฀Jl.฀Sisingamangaraja Jakarta฀12110฀INDONESIA Tel.฀+62฀21฀722-0643,฀726-2991฀(ext.฀463) Fax฀+62฀21฀722-9028 Email:฀monette@aseansec.org Sarah฀Black Project฀Manager MDI฀International Level฀27,฀150฀Lonsdale฀Street฀ Melbourne฀Vic฀3000฀AUSTRALIA Tel฀+61฀3฀8676฀6800 Fax฀+61฀3฀8676฀6888 Email:฀sarahb@mdi-international.com.au aadcp฀events

  Regional฀Economic฀Policy฀Support฀ Facility฀(REPSF) Dr฀Ramonette฀Serafica Team฀Leader/Research฀Manager The฀ASEAN฀Secretariat,฀Ground฀Floor

  70A฀Jl.฀Sisingamangaraja฀฀ Jakarta฀12110฀INDONESIA Tel.฀+62฀21฀724฀3372,฀726฀2991฀(ext.฀152) Fax฀+62฀21฀7278฀7252 Email:฀iwan@aseansec.org Heather฀Graham Program฀Manager Cardno฀Acil฀Pty฀Ltd 854฀Glenferrie฀Road Hawthorn฀Vic฀3122฀AUSTRALIA Tel฀+61฀3฀9819฀2877฀ Fax฀+61฀3฀9819฀4216 Email:฀heather.graham@cardno.com ฀

  Program฀Stream฀(PS) Dr฀Iwan฀Gunawan Program฀Coordinator The฀ASEAN฀Secretariat,฀Second฀Floor฀

  70A฀Jl.฀Sisingamangaraja฀฀ Jakarta฀12110฀INDONESIA Tel.฀+62฀21฀724-3372,฀726-2991฀(ext.฀150) Fax฀+62฀21฀7278-7252 Email:฀m.balamiento@aseansec.org Melissa฀Wells/Charlotte฀Bisley Project฀Manager Cardno฀Acil฀Pty฀Ltd 854฀Glenferrie฀Road Hawthorn฀Vic฀3122฀AUSTRALIA Tel.฀+61฀3฀9819฀2877฀ Fax฀+61฀3฀9819฀4216 Email:฀melissa.wells@cardno.com

  Regional฀Partnerships Scheme฀(RPS) Maria฀Eloida฀Cruz฀Balamiento Project฀Coordinator฀ The฀ASEAN฀Secretariat,฀Second฀Floor฀

  For฀further฀information฀go฀to฀ www.aadcp.org