Seminar and Exhibition to Celebrate 25 Years of ASEAN Integration Initiative

The 25th anniversary of IAI is an opportunity for us to work towards building a cohesive, inclusive and resilient ASEAN Community for all member countries.

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN Integration Initiative.

On August 11, at the ASEAN Secretariat headquarters, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN and Head of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Working Group, chaired a seminar and exhibition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration, marking an important milestone in the journey to narrow the development gap in the region.

Adopted by ASEAN leaders in 2000, IAI is a key cooperation mechanism to narrow the development gap within ASEAN and enhance the region’s competitiveness. IAI supports the full integration of the new ASEAN member countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam (CLMV) and Timor-Leste, which was recognized as an IAI beneficiary country last year.

The photo exhibition “25 Years of Integration” re-enacts important milestones since IAI was launched at the 4th Informal ASEAN Summit in 2000. The exhibition highlights typical images and documents throughout the four IAI Work Plans implemented, with a total of 862 projects worth more than 170 million USD.

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn speaks at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn emphasized: “IAI has become a key mechanism in narrowing the development gap among member countries, supporting CLMV countries to fully implement common commitments and fully participate in the ASEAN integration process and Community building”.

Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong spoke at the event,

Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong affirmed: “The 25th anniversary of IAI is an opportunity for us to reaffirm our determination to strengthen cooperation, narrow the development gap, and work towards building a cohesive, inclusive and self-reliant ASEAN Community for all member countries.”

Also at the opening ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to ASEAN Kiya Masahiko emphasized the importance of IAI in supporting less developed ASEAN member countries, helping them integrate more deeply into the region.

ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe acknowledged IAI’s remarkable achievements, including more than 860 projects implemented, training of more than 51,000 officials across the region, and reducing the GDP per capita gap from 3.4 times in 2000 to 2.0 times in 2020. He also appreciated the progress in CLMV countries in macroeconomic stability, infrastructure development, and economic legal reform.

The exhibition highlights typical images and documents throughout the four IAI Work Plans that have been implemented.

At session 1 of the seminar, delegates focused on discussing ASEAN's approach to IAI after 2025. Beneficiary countries shared their needs for human resource development, improving project implementation efficiency, as well as challenges in resource mobilization and coordination.

Delegates emphasized the importance of linking IAI with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Priority areas mentioned by ASAN countries include digital transformation, capacity building, infrastructure development, responding to new challenges, promoting sub-regional cooperation, innovative financial mechanisms and enhancing climate resilience.

Session 2 of the discussion is a forum for ASEAN partners to share priorities and capabilities to support IAI in the coming time. Delegates emphasized the need to link IAI initiatives and projects with ASEAN's development priorities, and are ready to accompany in emerging areas such as digital economy, green growth and climate change response.

Discussions focused on the challenges of resource mobilization, the need for flexible and innovative financing mechanisms, and the potential for partnerships with the private sector and philanthropic foundations. Recommendations included diversifying funding sources, improving project approval processes, engaging the private sector more strongly, and ensuring that initiatives are aligned with member countries’ national development strategies.

Concluding the event, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for Economic Community Satvinder Singh stressed that the region's overall competitiveness depends on the ability to support all ASEAN members, affirming: "In ASEAN, when one country advances, all advance together."

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/toa-dam-va-trien-lam-ky-niem-25-nam-sang-kien-hoi-nhap-asean-324297.html