The ASEAN Heads of State at their Summit in 2000 launched the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) with the objectives of Narrowing the Development Gap (NDG) and accelerating economic integration of the newer members of ASEAN, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam (CLMV).
IAI Work Plan
The efforts to narrow the development gap will be driven mainly by the IAI Work Plan (IAI-WP). The six-year IAI-WP has been developed to assist the CLMV countries as well as ASEAN’s other sub-regions to ensure that the economic wheels of their economies move at an accelerated pace. The IAI is now in the second phase of its Work Plan (IAI-WP II) which is based on key programme areas in the three Blueprints for the ASEAN Community: ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint.
The 1st IAI-WP was endorsed by the Leaders at the 8th ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, November 2002. The initial four priority areas of IAI-WP I was expanded as a result of a Mid-Term Review (MTR) conducted in 2005. Thus, additional three areas were incorporated to the Work Plan.
The seven priority areas are as follow:
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Human Resource Development
- Public Sector Capacity Building
- Labour and employment
- Higher Education
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ICT
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Regional Economic Integration
- Trade in Goods & Services
- Customs
- Standards
- Investments
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Tourism
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Poverty and Quality and Life
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General Coverage Projects
IAI Task Force
The IAI Task Force is responsible for providing policy guidelines in the areas of focus, including directions and general advice on the IAI-WP. They will ensure coordination among the ASEAN Member States; assist in formulation, implementation and design of the IAI-WP; seek funding and work closely with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, development agencies and other partners in the implementation. The Task Force comprises the Permanent Representatives to ASEAN in Jakarta.
IAI Development Cooperation Forum (IDCF)
To accelerate the pace of implementing the IAI, the IAI Development Cooperation Forum (IDCF) was established to serve as the main venue for engaging ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners and other donors in a collective dialogue on the IAI Work Plan. Two forums have since been organised.
The 1st IDCF was convened in Jakarta in 2002 to generate donor interest in individual IAI projects. The 2nd IDCF was held in Ha Noi in 2007 primarily to solicit the views of donors and partners on the new IAI strategy.
The 3rd IAI Development Cooperation Forum will be organised to promote IAI initiatives to Dialogue and Development Partners that can help formulate proposals in the highly specialised areas as well as provide financial resources to the IAI programmes.
