MALANG, 6 November 2024 – The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) and the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund (ACCF) Management Team (AMT), hosted the ASEAN Project Development Training for Indonesian government officials from 4-6 November in Malang, Indonesia.
The training was part of the implementation of the 4th ASEAN Development Fund (ADF) Work Plan and aimed to promote ACCF.
Ambassador Hou Yanqi from the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, shared that China values and supports ACCF’s greater role as an important funding channel for ASEAN-China Cooperation. She expressed hope that ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, will fully utilised the fund to facilitate exchanges and collaboration. She wished that when applying and implementing ACCF projects, the areas of competence be aligned closely with initiatives proposed by ASEAN and China leaders and special attention be given to themes on ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 upgrade, smart agriculture, digital ecosystem, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, digital economy, AI, blue economy and clean energy.
She also encouraged leveraging the extended ASEAN-China Year of People to People Exchanges (2024 to 2025) to propose more project proposals in the areas of culture, education, health, youth, sports, tourism, and media; implement more projects which are both good and visible for people’s well-being and can exemplify the depth and vitality of ASEAN-China cooperation; make better use of the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Programme (ACYLSP) to enhance capacity building of officials and youth in ASEAN countries; and for AMT to continue to work closely with ASEC and the host government to organise more training sessions to improve cooperation efficiency through ACCF.
Ambassador M.I. Derry Aman, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN, expressed his appreciation to the participants from central and regional governments representing various sectoral bodies across the three ASEAN community pillars. He encouraged them to actively contribute to the training programme by sharing experiences, ideas, skills, and knowledge. He also thanked the Mission of China to ASEAN, AMT and ASEC for their assistance in making the training programme possible.
He underscored that Indonesia has the right momentum to align and synergise efforts at both national and regional levels, as well as to optimise the undertakings at regional level, which is ASEAN, to support the 2045 Indonesia Golden Vision. One of the means to gain and optimise benefits of Indonesia’s active involvement and investment in ASEAN is by leveraging ASEAN platforms and mechanisms, including those established with ASEAN External Partners.
He stressed that Indonesia should further optimise the utilisation of the ACCF, particularly to promote people-to-people exchanges, as reflected in the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Deepening Cooperation in People-to-People Exchanges, adopted during the 27th ASEAN-China Summit this year, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges which has been extended from 2024 to 2025. Finally, he conveyed to the participants that while Indonesia aims to increase the number of ASEAN cooperation project proposals, it is equally important to consider the impact of these projects on the people, and that quantity should not trump quality.
A total of 51 Indonesian government officials from 24 line ministries and agencies across the three ASEAN Community Pillars participated in the three-day training. Through presentations, exercises, group works, and panel discussions, participants were trained by the technical experts from ASEC on developing regional project proposals and managing ASEAN cooperation projects using a results-based management approach.
At the end of the training, participants developed and presented six regional project proposal drafts on: (1) Learning Modules and Learning Materials on ASEAN for Diplomatic Training For ASEAN Member States to Improve Mutual Understanding on ASEAN Matters for ASEAN Diplomats; (2) Capacity Building for Disaster Management; (3) Capacity Building for AMS on China’s Import Procedure; (4) ASEAN Regional Workshop on Fresh Food Safety Standard; (5) Promoting the ASEAN – China Traditional Sports and Games in Modern Era; and (6) Enhanced Women’s Participation in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation.
Participants took the opportunity to discuss coordination arrangements with Permanent Mission of Indonesia to ASEAN and ASEC, learn more about ACCF mechanisms, and consult on their proposed project ideas with the ACCF Management Team.
The training concluded with the awarding of certificates signed by Amb. M.I. Derry Aman, Amb. Hou Yanqi and Nararya Soeprapto, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, marking the participants successful completion of the course.
