Member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have developed a set of key recommendations to advance ASEAN connectivity for presentation to the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC).
The recommendations were the result of the two-day ASEAN Connectivity Symposium held on November 8 and 9, 2011 in Bali, Indonesia, where regional officials discussed key issues surrounding the three dimensions of ASEAN connectivity—physical, institutional and people-to-people—as well as the aspect of financing the plan.
The four major recommendations arrived at during the conference were the following:
1. Enhance capacities for developing bankable proposals for physical infrastructure projects
2. Encourage awareness of inherent values among the peoples of ASEAN
3. Provide affordable access to ICT and its infrastructure
4. Develop a pipeline of ready projects to facilitate the mobilization of resources
In her keynote address, Prof. Armida S. Alisjahbana, Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia and Head of National Development Planning Agency, raised two main points.
The first is to consider the different characteristics and varying levels of development of ASEAN countries when implementing the connectivity plan. The second is to give all stakeholders a sense of ownership and a participatory role so they can benefit from the region’s growth.
“Our stakeholders are everyone from the peoples of ASEAN to friends of ASEAN. ASEAN Connectivity should become a common phrase in every home, school, company, community centre, embassy, etc.,” said S. Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community.
He added that businesses which bank on ASEAN as a well-connected region will stand to benefit. “Besides being a growing infrastructure development market, ASEAN is positioning itself as a single production base and is fast becoming a single consumer market.”
