ASEAN, Australia Agree On More Cooperation Projects

ASEAN, AUSTRALIA AGREE ON MORE COOPERATION PROJECTS JAKARTA, May 24 (Antara)- The 12th Joint Planning and Review Committee Meeting agreed on the inclusion of several new projects under the Rolling Prioritization Plan of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program Phase II (AADCP II) held recently at the ASEAN Secretariat. During the meeting, the committee reviewed the implementation of the AADCP II and discussed further enhancement of program implementation and cooperation, the ASEAN Secretariat said on its website, Thursday. The AADCP II Program Management Team reported that 59 of a total of 80 projects have been completed under the rolling prioritisation plan covering the period of July 2017 to June 2018. The committee also approved the 2017-2018 rolling prioritisation plan, including programming of around US$6 million to support six recently approved projects. These include a feasibility study for ASEAN multilateral power trade and a project of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) to assess post-harvest losses, loss reduction technologies and practices. Ambassador Min Lwin, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to ASEAN and Country Coordinator of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations, and Jane Duke, Ambassador of Australia to ASEAN, co-chaired the meeting. AADCP II will deliver up to AU$57 million between 2008 and 2019, supporting a range of projects and activities in support of the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together¿ particularly the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and IAI Work Plan III. The cooperation program plays a significant role in the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership, and supports a number of initiatives arising from the ASEAN ¿ Australia Special Summit held in Sydney earlier this year, including `Establishing the Initial Rolling Priority Pipeline of Potential ASEAN Infrastructure Projects¿ and the `ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy¿, both under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. AADCP II works across a range of sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, investment, services, tourism, consumer protection and financial integration. It supports ASEAN sectoral bodies through research and policy advice, as well as implementation of priority actions in key thematic areas of the ASEAN Economic Community. The cooperation program also supports the strengthening of ASEAN Secretariat institutional capacity.