Brunei's help to ASEAN in capacity building noted

BRUNEI Darussalam have done quite a lot to help other ASEAN member states such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam (CMLV) with trainings and capacity building programmes, in a bid to narrow the development gap among countries in the regional grouping, said the deputy secretary-general of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community yesterday.



Citing an example, Dr Lim Hong Hin, told journalists on the sidelines of the ASEAN Economic Community Symposium held at the ASEAN Secretariat Building in Jakarta that Brunei has agreed to support the attachment programme for officials from the CMLV countries to the ASEAN Secretariat. The Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam have funded the attachment programme for officials of the CMLV countries at the ASEAN Secretariat, he added.

Dr Lim said that they (officials) could actually learn on how things (at the ASEAN Secretariat) were done, adding that the attachment programme could also provide them to get to know first-hand on what were the obligation that each of CLMV country need to undertake as a member of ASEAN.

Beside providing assistance in the form of attachment programme, Brunei has also been sending its officers to CMLV countries to train the people in various areas, in which they can share their own experiences.

Dr Lim said that ASEAN Secretariat and an Australian consultancy company have started a study on identifying the development gaps among the 10 ASEAN member states.

The project, which was started in May this year, is funded by Australian AID.

This programme is expected to provide some indicators and recommendations which can be used as tools to make progress in the effort to narrow the development gap among the member states.

It is hoped that the study will be completed by the end of this year, he said, adding that the results will be made public.

With regards to the ASEAN Economic Community Symposium, Dr Lim urged the private sector to engage actively in realising the ASEAN Economy Community, which he described as a market-driven process.

Since the ASEAN Economy Community is a market-driven process, we have to make sure that the markets are well-informed and consulted of our initiatives, he said in his welcoming remarks.

"In the same manner that we should continue to involve other stakeholders in the integration process more. This requires more efforts, particularly at the country level, to communicate how the ASEAN Economy Community works, which will also help to offer greater transparency of the process and secure greater buy-in from the population," he added.

The one-day symposium was attended by government officials, business community and academics to examine the progress of ASEAN economic integration.

A keynote address was delivered by Iman Pambagyo, Director-General of International Trade Cooperation at Indonesia Ministry of Trade. Several panelists from government agencies and private companies delivered their views and presentation on various topics such as ASEAN Open Sky, ASEAN Single Window, ASEAN investment area and finance integration.

The Brunei Times