PENANG, 18 December 2024 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to ASEAN, the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund (ACCF) Management Team (AMT) and the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), hosted the ASEAN Project Development Training for Malaysian Government Officials from 16-18 December in Penang, Malaysia.
The training was conducted as part of the implementation of the 4th ASEAN Development Fund (ADF) Work Plan and promotion of ACCF.
Fairuz Rozali, Deputy Director-General of ASEAN External Relations Division of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat welcomed participants from various Malaysian government ministries and agencies, AMT and ASEC, on behalf of the Director-General ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat. He highlighted that the training is an important platform to strengthen Malaysia’s contribution to ASEAN’s community-building goals.
He further shared that China is one of ASEAN’s most active dialogue partners and that both sides are each other’s largest trade partners since 2020. He put forth that the training aims to equip participants with the knowledge to develop impactful projects for the region, and an opportunity for Malaysia to strengthen ASEAN-China cooperation. He concluded by expressing appreciation to ASEC, AMT and the organising committee for their unwavering support, and wished the participants a productive and insightful training programme.
Hou Yanqi, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, through her pre-recorded remarks, thanked Malaysia for its support as this event’s host. She believed that the training will further help the Malaysian government agencies to improve the quality and effectiveness of ACCF project application and implementation. She shared that the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership maintains a strong momentum, and the building of a closer ASEAN-China community has taken new steps forward, with many projects and initiatives being implemented.
She expressed that China will actively support Malaysia in fulfilling its duties as Chair of ASEAN in 2025 with the theme of inclusivity and sustainability, and will continue to support ASEAN centrality and community building. She encouraged Malaysia and other ASEAN Member States to fully utilise the ACCF and optimise its effectiveness.
Furthermore, she welcomed all participants to design and implement more practical projects that align with leader’s initiatives and agreements, consider people-centered approach that support livelihood and youth capacity building projects, and for AMT to continue to organise more trainings to help participants become more familiar with operational procedures.
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Nararya Soeprapto, delivered pre-recorded remarks, expressing his appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, AMT, and ASEC for organising this ASEAN Project Development Training for Malaysia and ACCF Promotion. He emphasised that the workshop plays a crucial role in enhancing the capacities of proponents in Malaysia and aims for the development of results-based ASEAN cooperation projects that will contribute to Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025. Additionally, these projects will help strengthen the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership and contribute to the overall ASEAN community-building efforts.
He stressed the critical importance of regionality in the project proposals that the participants will develop, as ASEAN cooperation projects are designed to address challenges at the regional level. He also emphasised that partnership and collaboration are essential elements of successful projects as they cannot be done in isolation. He encouraged all participants to actively participate in the training and continue collaboration with AMT and ASEC.
A total of 39 Malaysian government officials from 25 line ministries and agencies across the three ASEAN Community Pillars participated in the training, which included presentations, exercises, group works, and panel discussions, led by the technical experts from ASEC and AMT 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 five regional project proposal drafts on: (1) ASEAN-China Awareness Program on Job Scam and Mitigation Strategies; (2) Empowering Government and Industry Players Through Intellectual Property (IP); (3) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Adoption within ASEAN Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME); (4) AI Competency Development for ASEAN Civil Servants; and (5) Development of a Comprehensive Framework for Preservation of Indigenous Medical Knowledge and Practices.
Deputy Director-General Fairuz Rozali closed the training by expressing his deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to its success. He shared that the workshop not only deepened their understanding of project development within ASEAN but also highlighted the significant role external partners can play in funding projects for mutual benefits within the region. He looked forward to seeing impactful projects from Malaysia for ASEAN.
The training culminated with the awarding of certificates to the participants by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, marking their successful completion of the course.
