JAKARTA, 28 November 2022– ASEAN and Australia held the 16th Joint Planning and Review Committee (JPRC) Meeting of the Second Phase of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP II) at the ASEAN Secretariat. This would be the last JPRC meeting for the AADCP II as the programme is scheduled to conclude on 31 December 2022.
Ambassador Bovonethat Douangchak, Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations, co-chaired the Meeting with Ambassador Will Nankervis, Australian Ambassador to ASEAN. Representatives from all ASEAN Member States were in attendance.
The Meeting approved the Rolling Prioritisation Plan of the AADCP II for the reporting period of November 2021 to October 2022. The AADCP II is a flagship cooperation programme of the Australian government supporting the ASEAN Economic Community Pillar’s (AEC) goal of connectivity and integration, narrowing of development gaps, and strengthening of the ASEAN Secretariat.
The Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative (Aus4ASEAN Futures) – Economic and Connectivity (ECON), the successor programme to AADCP II, was signed by both parties on 20 June 2022. Aus4ASEAN Futures is the flagship initiative to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between both parties established in the First Annual ASEAN-Australia Summit on 27 October 2021.
The 16th JPRC Meeting discussion focused on the smooth transition from AADCP II to Aus4ASEAN and on maintaining programming momentum in 2023. Nine projects approved under the AADCP II are expected to be delivered through Aus4ASEAN Futures ECON. Securing these projects will ensure the Aus4ASEAN Futures ECON is well-placed to build upon AADCP II’s accomplishments in providing strategic support to the AEC Blueprint.
In order to allow for additional time to spend the initial contribution of A$6 million (total contribution A$21 million) of the Government of Australia to support the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) as well as the unspent AADCP II project funds, the Meeting discussed and agreed for the AADCP II program to be subsumed under the MOU of Aus4ASEAN Futures from 1 January 2023.
Building on the model of AADCP II and its support to the AEC, the ASEAN Member States and Australia exchanged views on the priorities to further support the implementation of the CSP across the three pillars. They agreed on future cooperation in support of ASEAN Outlook on Indo Pacific priorities which include climate change and energy transition, support to high-level dialogues and policy development driven by ASEAN, supporting the ASEAN Chairs’ priority projects, the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, and the future projects and activities from the recommendations of the High-Level Task Force.
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