JAKARTA, 29 November 2023 – The High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) held two direct interfaces to engage with representatives of the academic community and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and gather their insights on the development of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Post-2025 agenda.

The interfaces, held in two separate occasions, brought together members of the HLTF-EI, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN, representatives from Southeast Asian think tanks, universities, and various non-governmental organisations. The discussions focused on best practices and lessons learned from ASEAN’s ongoing economic integration efforts, as well as aspirations for the AEC in the post-2025 environment.

Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for AEC Satvinder Singh expressed gratitude for participation of representatives of think-tanks, universities and diverse CSOs. He acknowledged the academia’s technical expertise, coupled with CSOs experiences in engaging with grassroots communities across the region and convinced that their inputs will ensure the region’s economy stays relevant and forward-looking in shaping its future post-2025 agenda and priorities.

At the interfaces, Netty Muharni, Chair of the Working Group on AEC Post-2025, highlighted the importance of recommendations from the academic community and CSOs in helping to shape the future trajectory of ASEAN’s economic integration. She further stipulated that, “the involvement of the [academic community and CSOs] introduces diversity in our policy-making process, enriching our comprehension of strategic priorities that ASEAN should advance in the post-2025 environment.”

The series of HLTF-EI’s stakeholders engagement to facilitate the development of AEC Post-2025 Agenda has commenced since September 2023 with the convening of the direct interface with the business communities. Beyond these direct interfaces, stakeholders are encouraged to share their views and aspirations through the Public Survey for AEC Post-2025 Agenda launched earlier this month.

The HLTF-EI also plans to conduct more interfaces with broader external stakeholders next year. These engagement processes are aimed to ensure that the AEC’s post-2025 agenda is forward-looking, action-oriented, sustainable, enterprising, adaptable, nimble, and inclusive by 2045.