- Jakarta Ready to Host ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre, ASEAN Secretariat, 28 January 2011
- ASEAN Advances Arrangements for One-Stop Online Trade System, ASEAN Secretariat, 25 January 2011
- Jakarta Proud to be Diplomatic Capital of ASEAN, Says Governor of Jakarta, ASEAN Secretariat, 21 January 2011
- ASEAN Explore Tools to Address Climate Change, ASEAN Secretariat, 21 January 2011
- ASEAN Continues Focus on Sustainable Forest Management, ASEAN Secretariat, 20 January 2011
- ASEC Supports Peace, Strengthens Tie with Thai's Peace Building Council, ASEAN Secretariat, 18 January 2011
- Cuba Interested to Grow with ASEAN, ASEAN Secretariat, 14 January 2011
- Secretary-General of ASEAN Welcomes Delegation from the German Bundestag, ASEAN Secretariat, 14 January 2011
- New Publications on Environment Promote ASEAN Heritage Parks and Biodiversity, ASEAN Secretariat, 13 January 2011
- ASEAN to Step Up Cross-Sectoral Cooperation towards MDGs, ASEAN Secretariat, 13 January 2011
Jakarta Ready to Host ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre
ASEAN Secretariat, 28 January 2011
Indonesia looks forward to hosting the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). The message was conveyed yesterday by the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, H.R. Agung Laksono, from Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (Agency for the Assessment and Application Technology), in Jakarta, the future premise of the Centre.
AHA Centre will be the regional hub for information and knowledge for disaster management. It will also serve as the centre point for mobilisation of resources to disaster affected areas, act as the coordination engine to ensure ASEAN's fast and collective response to disasters within the ASEAN region and serve as a centre of excellence for disaster management in the ASEAN region. The Centre is expected to be officially launched and operational in the first half of this year.
The establishment of AHA Centre is part of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER)'s mandate, entered into force in December 2009. AADMER is the region's response to the need for a regional disaster management framework. In 2007, meanwhile, ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed that the Centre shall be based in Indonesia.
The Welfare Ministry's Executive Secretary, Indroyono Soesilo, further announced that in addition to providing the space and facilities for the Centre, Indonesia will also contribute USD 600,000 for 2011. This initiative reaffirms Indonesia's commitment as the host country for the AHA Centre. Indonesia set up a National Task Force under the coordination of Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare in October 2010 to expedite the establishment of the AHA Centre and to realise Indonesia's commitment as the host country for the Centre.
The Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Bagas Hapsoro, said that the decision to establish the AHA Centre in Indonesia proves "ASEAN has collective confidence in Indonesia's role in promoting regional collaboration in disaster management." He further said, "the momentum of establishing the Centre needs to be maintained as Dialogue Partners have expressed interest to support its establishment and operation." DSG Bagas also expressed his appreciation for the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management for laying the groundwork.
Also present at the event was the Welfare Ministry's Deputy Minister, Admiral Willem Rampangilei, and the Executive Secretary of Indonesian National Task Force for the AHA Centre, Dr William Sabandar. The event was also attended by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN members of Jakarta-based diplomatic corps and the media.
ASEAN Advances Arrangements for One-Stop Online Trade System
ASEAN Secretariat, 25 January 2011
ASEAN traders and governments move closer to benefitting from the ASEAN Trade Repository (ATR), an online system for accessing trade laws and procedures for all Member States. In the support of the ATR, which was called for in the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) signed in February 2009, the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) discussed the elements last week at a workshop held in Jakarta.
The ATR will allow traders easier access and better compliance with prescribed regulations, reducing the amount of time necessary for each transaction. This improvement will help cut cost of trading. Likewise, governments can benefit from the ATR as voluntary compliance of traders is more effective than enforced compliance.
The Senior Officials also discussed possible models for National Trade Repositories (NTRs) that will support the ATR at national level. Both Repositories will be a one-stop reference point for all tariff and non-tariff measures to be applied to goods entering, exiting and transiting a Member State, including all governmental requirements regarding specific commodities.
"Establishing NTRs in all ASEAN Member States is necessary for the implementation of the ATR and the ATR is a critical component of our effort to make trade regulations in ASEAN more transparent," said Mr Gusmardi Bustami, Chair of SEOM. Mr Gusmardi also highlighted Indonesia's efforts to lead the initiative by making available all its trade rules and regulations through the existing Indonesian National Single Window (INSW) portal. Indonesia is the Chair of ASEAN for 2011.
Prior to the workshop, officials from the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia and other government agencies gathered for a full-day workshop on the establishment of the Indonesian NTR.
Trade facilitation expert, Mr Walter Hekala, stated, "The establishment of the user-friendly and comprehensive ATR will facilitate trade by ensuring that all ASEAN trade rules are available through a single site, while the hosting on the NTRs will give the highest assurance of reliability."
The SEOM and Indonesia workshops were supported by the U.S. Government through the ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility.
The ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) entered into force in May last year. The ATIGA consolidates all commitments related to trade in goods. It focuses on tariff liberalisation, non-tariff measures and includes matters related to simplification of rules of origin and its implementation. Various agencies and regulatory bodies dealing with entry of goods will jointly operate in ensuring smoother operations at the Customs entry points.
The ASEAN Economic Ministers have set 2015 as the target to have the ATR fully operational.
Jakarta Proud to be Diplomatic Capital of ASEAN
ASEAN Secretariat, 21 January 2011
Indonesia is aware of the big opportunities arising from it being the ASEAN Chair this year and will do all it can to live up to the expectations that come with that honour, said the Governor of Jakarta, Mr Fauzi Bowo.
Mr Fauzi was quoted as saying that when his speech was read out by the Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Sutanto Soehodo, during a gathering of the diplomatic community and civil society in the capital city of Indonesia yesterday.
"The ASEAN Chairmanship has put Jakarta on the map in the world politics. This is a tremendous opportunity to bolster its diplomatic standing in Southeast Asia and beyond," read Mr Sutanto.
The speech also read that as the economic gravity shifts towards East Asia, ASEAN has gained a bigger role in global political architecture and that Indonesia's weight and influence in world politics have also increased.
Jakarta, it concluded, is prepared and experienced to be the host of diplomatic assemblies of such international stature. "Indonesia chairing of ASEAN has given huge leverage for Jakarta to foster its image as centre of diplomacy and business in Southeast Asia."
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Bagas Hapsoro, said that the ASEAN Secretariat is ready to work together with the Government of Indonesia, in particular the local government of Jakarta, ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Dialogue Partners and various levels of the civil society.
Last night's gathering was jointly hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat, Hotel Mulia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
ASEAN Explore Tools to Address Climate Change
ASEAN Secretariat, 21 January 2011
Over 50 ASEAN representatives and climate change experts gathered in Jakarta this week to exchange ideas and best practices in addressing current and future impacts of climate change. During the two-day workshop, participants learnt from other's current programmes, such as municipal building retrofits in Jakarta, the carbon neutral initiative in the Philippines' Puerto Princessa and various available tools for measuring and monitoring greenhouse gas. Attendees also discussed how ASEAN cities can raise awareness and generate necessary support to develop effective carbon reduction and adaptation activities.
The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, in an opening statement delivered at the workshop expressed that climate change is a human issue and is therefore our joint responsibility to share our experiences in addressing it.
Ms Liana Bratasida, Chairperson of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities and Special Assistant to the Minister of Environment of Indonesia, said that while ASEAN cities have varying capabilities and capacities in handling climate change, the discussions show that they are all "taking innovative approaches to counter the effects of climate change through initiatives in adaptation, mitigation and climate proofing."
The workshop was co-organised by the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Working Group on Sustainable Cities, the United States-funded ASEAN-US Technical Assistance and Training Facility, ICLEI and the World Bank.
ASEAN has in April last year adopted a Statement on Joint Response to Climate Change. In the Statement, Member States agree to enhance scientific collaboration to downscale climate change effects and incorporate mitigation and adaptation strategies into national development strategies and policies. They also pledge to collaborate on environmentally-sound technologies, towards low carbon and green economy.
ASEAN Continues Focus on Sustainable Forest Management
ASEAN Secretariat, 20 January 2011
The importance of integrating socio-economic aspects in sustainable forest management became the highlight of a meeting held yesterday for ASEAN officials overseeing forestry cooperation. The meeting was opened by the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, Bagas Hapsoro, and Swiss Ambassador to ASEAN, Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn.
The meeting is part of the implementation of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change. The CHF 5 million project aims to assist ASEAN in adapting to and mitigating climate change through socially- and environmentally-responsible forest management and protection. The project is implemented through three main areas: policy development; knowledge sharing and networking; and learning interventions. The project, spanning from 2009 to 2013, is supported by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
DSG Bagas thanked the Swiss Government for its timeliness in supporting the ASEAN community building efforts. While more issues on social forestry will arise in upcoming years, said DSG Bagas, he was optimistic in the significant achievements that good partnership with stakeholders would bring.
Social forestry cooperation in ASEAN is mainly driven by the ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN). Established in 2005, the ASFN's main goal is to strengthen ASEAN cooperation in social forestry through the sharing of information and knowledge.
ASEC Supports Peace, Strengthens Tie with Thai's Peace Building Council
ASEAN Secretariat, 18 January 2011
The ASEAN Secretariat today welcomed a delegation from the Advisory Council for Peace Building to the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) of Thailand. The 40-person delegation was greeted by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan.
Dr Surin stressed his views to the delegation on the ASEAN Community and the importance of respecting and understanding one another in building a harmonious community. "Differences are inevitable," he said, "but we must have understanding and respect for each other's individuality, each other's faith."
Dr Surin also cited the diversity within the region, including successful examples such as the case of Indonesia that has learnt to manage its diversity despite religion and cultural difference. "Responsibilities of Leaders include inspiring hope and confidence in the communities and their future," he concluded.
Cuba Interested to Grow with ASEAN
ASEAN Secretariat, 14 January 2011
The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan today received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Ms. Enna Viant Valdes, at the ASEAN Secretariat.
Dr. Surin welcomed Ambassador Valdes to the ASEAN Secretariat and expressed his interest in the recent development in Cuba under the leadership of its new President.
Ambassador Valdes thanked Dr. Surin for receiving her at short notice. She informed him of Cuba's interest in ASEAN and its historical relationships with the ASEAN Member States. She also elaborated on the potentials and expertise that Cuba has in the fields of health, agriculture, education and sport, which Cuba and ASEAN could explore and develop a cooperation. According to Ambassador Valdes, Cuba's hallmark outputs such as biotech products, vaccines, medicine and nickels would be of much interest to ASEAN markets.
On the political and economic developments in Cuba, Ambassador Valdes informed Dr Surin that the change is taking place but gradually. Cuba survived the blockade which costed billions of dollars in trade and investment. Nevertheless, Cuba still pursues to extend its cooperation and friendly relations with many countries in the world, including 39 of them in Asia.
Secretary-General of ASEAN Welcomes Delegation from the German Bundestag
ASEAN Secretariat, 14 January 2011
The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan today received a delegation from the German Bundestag (the national Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany) led by Mr. Georg Schirmbeck (CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group) at the ASEAN Secretariat.
During their meeting, Mr. Schirmbeck exchanged views with Dr Surin on the recent developments in ASEAN, the European Union and Germany. Mr Schirmbeck expressed Germany's support to ASEAN for its community building efforts and the work of the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
In return, Dr Surin expressed his appreciation to Germany for their assistance and support to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat. He said that ASEAN values German assistance and hopes that Germany will continue its support to help ASEAN grow into a Community. They also exchanged views with Mr. Schirmbeck on ways to move forward ASEAN-Germany and ASEAN-EU cooperation.
Mr. Schirmbeck was in Asia for a tour of several ASEAN Member States. He was accompanied by the Ambassador of Germany to ASEAN, Dr. Norbert Baas.
New Publications on Environment Promote ASEAN Heritage Parks and Biodiversity
ASEAN Secretariat, 13 January 2011
The Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Mr Rodrigo Fuentes, today presented the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan with two new publications on environment: "The ASEAN Heritage Parks: A Journey to the Natural Wonders of Southeast Asia" (Parks) and "The ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook" (Outlook).
The Parks aims to encourage greater appreciation and support for the protection of ASEAN's heritage parks. The ASEAN Heritage Parks groups 28 national protected areas in the region. The publication also aims to encourage more activities for the ASEAN Heritage Parks' sustainable development and management.
Meanwhile, the Outlook assesses the successes and challenges in meeting the 2010 target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss, in addition to the recommendations of the next steps.
Mr Fuentes, who was accompanied by senior officers of the ACB at the meeting, also updated Dr Surin on the ACB's current search for the winners of the ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity, a programme honouring outstanding contributions to biodiversity conservation and advocacy. The winners will be awarded in May 2011, to coincide with the International Day for Biodiversity.
Based in the Philippines, the ACB facilitates cooperation and coordination on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the sharing of its benefits in the ASEAN region. The ACB provides capacity building for ASEAN Member States on ways to reduce biodiversity loss and meet their obligations to various multilateral environmental agreements.
ASEAN to Step Up Cross-Sectoral Cooperation towards MDGs
ASEAN Secretariat, 13 January 2011
Senior officials from ASEAN's various sectors of cooperation met Monday to identify the region's initiatives that cut across the eight categories of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The officials also looked at ways to promote cross-sectoral linkages and coordination to address the issues that face these sectors.
The MDGs are eight internationally-recognised development goals to be achieved by 2015. The meeting is one of ASEAN's efforts to step up coordination among relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies to help accelerate the attainment of the MDGs, many of which resonate with the purposes of ASEAN.
MDGs attainment efforts in ASEAN had before been in silo – each sector's initiative was focused on one goal. With the meeting, the various sectors can support each other and therefore step up the attainment.
At the meeting, the senior officials were joined by the Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, representatives of the Bangkok-based ASEAN Regional Centre of Excellence on MDGs and the UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Centre, and officers from the ASEAN Secretariat.
The participants also reviewed the progress achieved in the attainment of the MDGs in each ASEAN Member States. Significant progress on issues relating to reducing child mortality rate was also noted. The meeting, in addition, underlined means to address cross-sectoral issues of climate change, climate-related disasters, food security, HIV and AIDS, and emerging infectious diseases in the region that need the attention of ASEAN in accelerating the MDGs attainment.
Chairing the meeting, the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN, Ambassador I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, said that the meeting was essential to address issues of priority concerns to the people. Ambassador Ngurah is also the Chairman of the Committee of Permanent Representative to ASEAN. The Ambassador's statement was in line with Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship priority of making ASEAN a more people-centred organisation, as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter. A timely attainment of the MDGs by all ASEAN Member States, he also said, would be in line with the goals and objectives of the ASEAN Community.
