Transport Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 23-24 November 2004 and bolstered cooperation in the ASEAN transport sector.
Transportation is a strong contributor to solidifying regional economic integration and enhanced cooperation will accelerate the momentum towards realizing the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in his Opening Address to the Tenth ATM said “the integration and efficiency of transportation networks in ASEAN are key factors to translate a full potential of ASEAN into ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA and to provide incentives for the attraction of the ASEAN region to transform it into a shared destination of production and investment towards a successful realization of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)”. The Prime Minister highlighted that ASEAN transport is also critical in linking ASEAN with the neighboring Northeast and South Asian countries, in the concept of “two wings” for the region; with China, Japan and Korea in the northeast and India in the south of Asia. (See 10th ATM Joint Media Statement)
The Ministers adopted the ASEAN Transport Action Plan 2005-2010 designed to strengthen the transport infrastructure and logistics systems to support the single market and production base under the AEC. This six-year Plan stresses on further developing an integrated, harmonized, safe and secure regional transport logistics network and facilitating the development of regional production network, interconnectivity and interoperability among existing and planned infrastructure, modes and logistics to enable seamless cargo transportation.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that 75,000 deaths and 4.7 million injuries on ASEAN roads resulted in an economic loss of US $ 15 billion (2.2 % of GDP) a year. Recognizing the heavy cost of loss from road accidents in ASEAN, the Ministers committed themselves to work together to tackle increasing concern. The Ministers issued the Phnom Penh Ministerial Declaration on ASEAN Road Safety. The Ministers endorsed the ASEAN Regional Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan, which elaborate concerted, comprehensive and coordinated actions towards reducing road accidents. The ADB will continue its institutional and advisory support to the ASEAN road safety programs, projects and activities under Phase II of the ADB-ASEAN Road Safety Project.
The Ministers, in promoting a more liberal and competitive ASEAN aviation market, adopted the Action Plan for ASEAN Air Transport Integration and Liberalization which provides strategic actions to advance the full liberalization of air services in ASEAN. The Ministers also endorsed the Roadmap for Integration of Air Travel Sector, to be formalized at the Tenth ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This roadmap sets out specific and collective actions for greater integration and liberalization of ASEAN air freight and passenger services in line with the 2003 Bali Concord II which aims to achieve integration of the eleven priority sectors, including air travel, by 2010.
The ASEAN Transport Ministers also met their Chinese and Japanese counterparts, to boost collective actions for safe, secure, efficient and integrated transportation system in the region.
At their third yearly dialogue, the ASEAN and Chinese Transport Ministers underscored the full potential of ASEAN-China strategic partnership in transport over the medium to long term in supporting the ASEAN-China free trade area initiative. The Ministers adopted the final draft of the ASEAN-China Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Transport Cooperation, for signature at the sidelines of the ASEAN-China Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR next week. The MOU called for strengthening policy and information exchange and implementing joint projects and activities in the following cooperation areas: (a) Transport Infrastructure Construction; (b) Transport Facilitation; (c) Maritime Safety and Security; (d) Air Transport; (e) Human Resources Development; and (f) Information Exchange. The Ministers agreed to develop more liberal cooperative arrangements to provide greater impetus and dynamism into the international ocean shipping and air transport services between the ASEAN countries and China. The Ministers endorsed several capacity building programs for implementation in 2005. (See 3rd ATM+China Joint Media Statement)
The ASEAN Ministers met their Japanese counterpart in the 2nd such dialogue. They committed themselves to deepen the transport partnership, with the adoption of five new projects in the following specific areas: transport logistics improvement, airport and aviation security, road transport safety, use of alternative fuels for public transport and transport information exchange, bringing a total of 21 joint projects for implementation. This ASEAN-Japan transport partnership played an active role in enhancing human and institutional capability in areas such as transport security and safety, urban transport development and seafarers policy cooperation; transfer of technical know-how and technology for efficient and sustainable transport services; and providing new insights into the understanding of logistics bottlenecks existing within ASEAN and between ASEAN countries and Japan. (See 2nd ATM+Japan Joint Media Statement)
The outcome of this latest meeting of ASEAN Transport Ministers reflected the determination of the ASEAN transport sector to continue its catalytic role in strengthening ASEAN economic integration. ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong said “the various action plans, when fully implemented, will make travel for goods and persons more seamless in ASEAN. The improved connectivity will have a positive impact of the region’s interaction with the bigger neighbors like China and Japan”.
The ASEAN Transport Ministers will again meet in Lao PDR in 2005. ASEAN countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
