Basic Philosophy
Development is by definition a process by which a societal problem is to be solved by implementing a systematic and well-defined change process. An approach of addressing issues and solving problems through development activities is often referred to as carrying out “development intervention”. Outcomes of a development intervention are typically measured by the impacts that it produces in providing solutions to the problem being addressed.
In ASEAN development cooperation, the same basic philosophy is used. Regional development activities carried out under ASEAN cooperation are always aimed at addressing regional problems and issues through development interventions which are best carried out at the regional level. As ASEAN represents the interest of its Member Countries as a group, development intervention carried out at the regional level would naturally have to suit the needs of the group without duplicating efforts that can be better implemented at the national or local levels. In this context a regionality criteria has become very useful in checking if an idea for a regional development intervention is truly regional.
There are two primary criteria that can be used to examine if a given problem is truly regional:
a. The problem or need is regional, and not national by definition: which means that the problem exists above the national level.
An example of a regional problem according to this criteria would be a question of: “How should import tariffs in all Member Countries be adjusted and coordinated as to allow more flow of goods among them taking advantage of the larger market size of all the Countries combined?” More flow of goods in a larger market would make production more efficient and make the region more competitive. But, to achieve it each country cannot act alone or even in pairs, but would have to work together as a group. The solution to the problem would be for all Member Countries to jointly develop regional trade scheme and coordinate the implementation of consistent import tariff structures for the scheme. The development intervention would be to carry out exercises to initiate the chain or sub-chain of processes from the development of the tariff scheme, development of harmonized tariff nomenclature, translation of the scheme into binding agreements, and implementation of the agreement in the field.
b. The problem or need requires regional cooperation in order to bring about a solution.
An example of a regional problem which requires regional cooperation to solve would be a question of: “How to improve the efficiency and use values of the natural resource products from ASEAN countries by eliminating trade of illegally harvested low-priced commodities?” More efficient use of ASEAN’s natural resources would ensure longer-lasting comparative and competitive advantages of the region. The solution to the problem would be for all Member Countries to apply consistent trade regime to prevent the sale of illegally harvested products, and to share the benefit together. The development intervention would be to carry out exercises to initiate the chain or sub-chain of processes from the mutual recognition of the legally harvested products, applying consistent and sharing the cost of enforcements against illegal products, spreading the production and market incentives for trading legal products only.
In the actual project development stage, some regional problems would often come to a surface as a result of the lack of options to solve the problems at national or local levels. Problems such as trans-boundary haze from land fires, or pressures against regional currencies, for example, cannot be effectively dealt but through regional cooperation.
Purpose and Modality
Examples of regional problem provided above demonstrate that by nature the bulk of physical development activities remain at the national level. At the regional level the needs are mostly related to policy and institutional harmonization, and for strengthening the compliance to the harmonized regional policy. Naturally, the bulk of the development resources in the form of funds would be more available for national development activities than for regional programmes. However, the smaller amount of available and required resources does not reflect the lesser importance of regional development programme. In fact, successful development intervention at the regional level can create much bigger impact relative to the financial cost of implementing it.
Because development resources available for addressing problems at the regional level are smaller by availability and needs, their uses need to be carefully planned and thoroughly followed up. In this regard, ASEAN development cooperation can be considered as serving the following two main purposes:
• To address development issues that are truly regional and contribute to ASEAN regional integration, and
• To synergize national development efforts which run parallel to and would accelerate the ASEAN regional integration processes.
The modality by which ASEAN development cooperation activities are designed and implemented basically follows the following principles:
• Regional resources is complementary to national development resources,
• Development objectives are referred to the Hanoi Plan of Actions (HPA) goals particularly those which cross-cut the sectoral plans of actions and priorities, and
• Project activities are always open to innovations and new ideas which would enhance ASEAN regionalism.
Mechanism
As in many development programmes, the ASEAN development cooperation is also implemented through cooperation projects. A project can be seen as an implementing vehicle to carry out development interventions to achieve a set of well-defined goals to attain ASEAN regional development objectives. By looking at specific regional problem and referring to the development objectives in the ASEAN’s plans of action, development cooperation project ideas are expected to mushroom in the three general thrusts of ASEAN programme.
Under the ASEAN cooperation framework and mechanism, development cooperation programmes and projects are typically shaped by the various ASEAN bodies be that sectoral, multi-sectoral, or sub-regional. Other productive sources of project and programme initiatives are the ASEAN Dialogue Partners which had become significant contributors to the overall ASEAN development cooperation. In addition, participations and ideas from concerned and/or relevant general public are always possible using a variety of the entry points including the ASEAN sectoral bodies, the ASEAN National Secretariats in Member Countries, focal points in the Dialogue Partner countries, or through Development Cooperation Programmes which provide dedicated entry points.
Most ASEAN project concepts emerge from the sectoral bodies as a result of joint identification, consultations, deliberations, and planning meetings. Many ASEAN sectoral bodies have had their plans of actions for sometimes in that their programmes and projects are often the direct translations of the plans. In some cases, new emerging priorities requiring immediate actions can also be translated into a new programme.
In cases where development objectives are clearly indicated in the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA), special efforts are acted upon to ensure that cooperation projects are formulated to reach certain goals constituting the objectives. Priority sectors, theme, and development interventions to achieve the HPA are continually updated to ensure that the required projects can be timely formulated and implemented. In view of the complexity in formulating true regional projects, and in navigating the projects in the complex web of ASEAN priorities and decision making mechanism, current development cooperation programmes are mostly shaped as resource (funding) facilities that can be quickly directed to support certain focus areas. These funding facilities (or programmes) serve as mechanisms by which sectoral initiatives and forces are attracted to the focus areas through a priority allocation system to fulfil the HPA priority objectives.
Current Development Cooperation Programmes
To provide a holistic view to the structure of current ASEAN Development Cooperation Programmes, it is important to recognize the generic steps through which a regional cooperation evolves. These generic steps are:
a. General exchanges aimed at enhancing the professional cohesion among ASEAN Members and with the Dialogue Partners,
b. Provision of strategic policy options for ASEAN bodies and Member Countries to accelerate the ASEAN’s greater and deeper integration,
c. Implementation of relatively larger-scale and multi-year activities in the form of programme stream or flagship projects, and
d. Provision of continued support to implement small prototype project to further advance the more progressive initiatives.
At present the above four generic steps have been fully reflected in the ASEAN development cooperation programmes as follows:
a. The general exchanges are supported by the various funding schemes such as the ASEAN Fund, Science and Technology Fund, Cultural Fund, as well as a number of exchange and cooperation funds jointly established by ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners,
b. The provision of policy options is implemented in the three major policy programmes, namely:
c. Programme stream and flagship projects are currently implemented in the two programmes, namely:
d. The provision of continued support for smaller-scale prototype projects is currently being implemented in the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program-Regional Partnership Scheme (AADCP-RPS).
For more information on the current ASEAN Development Programme, please contact:
Linda Santiago Posadas
Senior Assistant Director
Bureau of External Relations and Coordination
The ASEAN Secretariat
Jl. Sisingamangaraja 70 A
Jakarta 12110
INDONESIA
Tel (62-21) 724-3372, 726-2991
Fax (62-21) 739-8234, 724-3504
E-mail: linda@aseansec.org