At the 21st ASEAN Summit
ASEAN: One Community, One Destiny was the theme of the recently concluded 21st ASEAN Summit held in Phnom Penh, on November 18, 2012. In keeping with its theme, all member nations reaffirmed their commitment to move towards the ASEAN Community by 2015 and establish a solid foundation for ASEAN to move beyond 2015.
Southeast Asia Infrastructure brings you excerpts from the summit…
Excerpts from the opening remarks of theSummit’s Chair, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, at the opening ceremony of the 21st ASEAN Summit, Phnom Penh, Peace Palace, November 18, 2012…
On the role of ASEAN in meeting global economic challenges…
The 21st ASEAN Summit is taking place at a time when ASEAN is justly proud of its great achievements in cooperation from ongoing efforts over the past 45 years, particularly the recent accomplishments in ASEAN Community building in the three pillars, namely, political security community, economic community and socio-cultural community. Yet, we can also see clearly the challenges that remain, which require us to work in a concerted effort to overcome and address them in a rapidly changing political, security, economic, and social situation at both regional and global levels.
Globally, we continue to face difficult problems including the fragile economic recovery in developed countries, the prolonged debt crisis in Europe, the possible emergence of fiscal cliff crisis in the US, the slowdown of growth in Asia, the ongoing political and social turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, high oil prices, food and energy security, climate change, natural disasters, terrorism as well as transnational crime.
Regionally, although the development gap among ASEAN members has noticeably narrowed over the years, it remains significant. This requires us to redouble our efforts to promote faster growth and improve equitable distribution of the fruits of growth among the member countries. Moreover, we have only slightly more than three years ahead to realise the ASEAN Community by 2015, while daunting tasks remain to be addressed.
There is no doubt that the above challenges can be addressed effectively and efficiently through adoption of a more comprehensive and cooperative approach.
On the need for policy action at the national level for the ASEAN Community by 2015…
First, realising the ASEAN Community by 2015 should remain our top priority. The timely implementation of programmes as well as plans of actions for building the ASEAN Community through the accomplishment of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community Roadmap; a mid-term review of the implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), Work Plan II (2009–2015), and timely implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity are urgent matters that need our clear and sincere guidance.
For achieving this objective, I believe we need to encourage all ASEAN ministers concerned to formulate the necessary policy measures to be implemented before 2015 in key areas including tariff and non-tariff barriers; investment liberalisation; connectivity and transportation; small and medium enterprises development; IAI; mutual recognition arrangements on professional services and labour mobility; institutional building and regulatory reforms; and institutional issues for ASEAN Economic Community building.
A comprehensive mid-term review of the IAI Work Plan II is necessary to take stock of the implementation of activities and set out concrete measures to achieve its objectives and chart its future direction, including promoting implementation of the priority projects which are beneficial to Cambodia, Laos PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the newer members of ASEAN. We should encourage the early implementation of the ASEAN Framework for Equitable Economic Development (AFEED). In this context, we must speed up the preparation of a concrete and rigorous work plan, which spells out concrete activities such as SME development financing, coupled with capacity building initiatives.
On financing challenges for ASEAN connectivity…
Although the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund with a budget of approximately $500 million has been put into operation, this fund cannot fully respond to the enormous needs of ASEAN connectivity. Therefore, I believe that we should task ASEAN finance ministers to take the necessary measures to attract more financing partners, especially the ASEAN plus Three partners, East Asia Summit (plus 8 ) , and multilateral institutions with the objective to increase the Fund’s size, and reduce the costs of financing from the Fund to enable least developed countries in ASEAN to get access to the Fund.
We should continue to exert our efforts in finalising a complete legal framework in line with the ASEAN Charter in order to improve the operational efficiency of ASEAN institutions and processes. The early ratification of the protocol on the ASEAN Charter on Dispute Settlement Mechanisms by member countries will help uphold the “culture of compliance” within ASEAN. In addition, we need to further strengthen coordination among executing agencies to promote resource mobilisation, and incorporate regional agreements into national development programmes and plans of member states.
Excerpts related to infrastructure development from the chairman’s statement at the summit…
On creating a single aviation market
We welcome the signing of the Protocol to implement the 7th Package of Commitments on Air Transport Services and the adoption of the Implementation Framework of the ASEAN Single Aviation Market which will guide the key work of ASEAN in the aviation sector until and beyond 2015, including air transport services liberalisation. We are pleased with the conclusion of the 8th ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) Package. We agree that the current services liberalisation framework under AFAS should be significantly enhanced. We look forward to a report of this activity at the next Summit in 2013.
On the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund
In view of the renewed financial market tensions, we reiterate the need to integrate our financial and capital markets. We welcome the full establishment of the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund (AIF). The AIF strongly demonstrates the strength and commitment of ASEAN towards sustaining growth, facilitating physical connectivity, and narrowing the infrastructure development gap in ASEAN. We also welcome ongoing efforts in the region to address tax-related impediments to integration, competition policies, intellectual property rights, and consumer protection.
Although the AIF with a budget of approximately $500 million has been put into operation, this fund cannot fully respond to the enormous needs of ASEAN connectivity. Therefore, I believe that we should task ASEAN finance ministers to take the necessary measures to attract more financing partners, especially the ASEAN plus Three partners, East Asia Summit (plus 8 ) and multilateral institutions with the objective to increase the Fund’s size, and reduce the costs of financing from the Fund to enable least developed countries in ASEAN to get access to the Fund.
On communications and connectivity
We note the strengthened efforts in the implementation of the ASEAN ICT Master Plan 2015, particularly the implementation of the ASEAN Broadband Corridor Project to promote greater broadband penetration, affordability and universal access; harmonisation of radio frequencies in ASEAN to utilise the benefit of economies of scale and for better interference management, enhanced transparency measures on international roaming charges; and the presentation of the ASEAN ICT Awards to ICT companies to encourage creativity and innovation in the application of ICT. We welcome the adoption of the Mactan Cebu Declaration on “Connected ASEAN: Enabling Aspirations” by the ASEAN telecommunications and information technology ministers, which maps out the priority actions in the implementation of AIM 2015, acknowledging that ICT is an enabler for ASEAN economic and social development and integration.
We welcome the significant progress in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, as a priority to promote economic growth and narrowing development gaps, enhance the competitiveness of ASEAN, and enhance connectivity among ASEAN member states and between member states and the rest of the world. We attach great importance to the expeditious achievement of enhanced connectivity through improved infrastructure development (physical connectivity), effective institutional arrangement (institutional connectivity), and empowered people (people-to-people connectivity) at the regional, subregional, and national levels. These three-pronged strategies would catalyse the realisation of ASEAN Connectivity by 2015. We also stress the importance of enhancing national connectivity as it is an integral part of regional connectivity.
We noted that subregional cooperation arrangements of Brunei Darussalam– Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle, Greater Mekong Subregion, the Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy are in synergy and mutually reinforcing with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. We look forward to the joint initiatives within subregional projects and within ASEAN Connectivity. We call on the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) to intensify its engagement and cooperation with the subregional arrangements. We also appreciate the efforts of the ACCC and the ASEAN Connectivity National Coordinators to realise regional connectivity.
