Jakarta, 2 November 2011
Some 200 participants are expected to congregate at the Bali International Convention Centre for the ASEAN Connectivity Symposium on 8 to 9 November 2011 in Bali. The Symposium will provide the opportunity to follow the latest developments in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity and provides a platform for ASEAN to dialogue with and engage the key stakeholders in the implementation process.
The ASEAN Connectivity Symposium is one of the flagship outreach activities of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) this year under the chairmanship of Indonesia.
“This Symposium is held at an opportune time since we just crossed the one-year mark of the adoption of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity in October last year. It would be the platform for both public and private sectors to exchange information on possible means of cooperation in the implementation of the Master Plan,” said Ambassador Ngurah Swajaya, current Chair of and Indonesia’s representative to the ACCC.
Upon the adoption of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity by the 17th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi last year, the ACCC is currently implementing 15 priority projects that include among others the completion of the ASEAN Highway Network (AHN), the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL), Feasibility study on the Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) Network and Short Sea Shipping, Operationalisation of all National Single Windows, Easing Visa Requirements for ASEAN Nationals and many more.
In supporting these efforts, several ASEAN Dialogue Partners, other external parties and the private sector have shown strong interest to participate in the implementation of the Master Plan through resources mobilisation and capacity building. Realising that the total amount of resources needed to implement the Master Plan would be significant, therefore partnerships with external partners of ASEAN, including the private sector through many innovative mechanism as stipulated in the Master Plan is essential. This Symposium is expected to elaborate further on this idea.
For this purpose, the ASEAN Finance Ministers had launched the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund with an initial equity contribution of USD 485.2 million. It is expected that the total lending commitment through 2020 will reach up to USD 3.6 billion. This fund will be utilised to leverage on the external funding to support the implementation of the Master Plan.
Mr S. Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community said, “It is important to connect and work together with key stakeholders in order to realise enhanced regional connectivity that will benefit all in ASEAN.”
Mr S. Pushpanathan will be giving a progress report on the Master Plan’s implementation at the Symposium.
The Symposium consists of a main plenary session where speakers from the government and private sectors, academia and research sectors, and international organisations will speak on topics relating to key initiatives in the Master Plan including facilitating intra- and extra-ASEAN trade, connecting mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia and building a people-centered ASEAN. It also features breakout sessions to provide for more focused discussion on topics such as financing the implementation of the Master Plan.
Themed “Enhancing ASEAN Connectivity to Support ASEAN Community 2015″, the Symposium is co-organised by Indonesia with the ASEAN Secretariat and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
“ERIA has been a staunch supporter of ASEAN Connectivity right from the beginning and stands ready to support its implementation. ERIA is grateful for the continued opportunity to be part of the process of translating the Master Plan into reality,” said Mr Daiki Kasugahara, General Manager of ERIA.
Attendance to the Symposium is by invitation only. If you are interested to attend, please email to connectivityseminar2011@gmail.com.
