15th IAI Task Force Consultation Meeting with ASEAN Partners

Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong chaired the meeting.

On the morning of August 11, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN, chaired the 15th Consultation meeting of the IAI Task Force with ASEAN partners.

The meeting was attended by dialogue partners such as Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, UK, US; sectoral cooperation partners such as Pakistan, Turkey, UAE; development partners such as Chile, Germany, Netherlands; as well as organizations such as Asian Development Bank (ADB), OECD, UN and ERIA…

The ASEAN Secretariat updated the progress of the implementation of the IAI Work Plan Phase IV (2021–2025) with 114 projects worth a total of US$24.8 million, achieving an implementation rate of 70.8%.

ASEAN partners supported 28 projects with a total value of US$18.3 million, spread across five strategic areas: Food & agriculture ; trade facilitation; micro, small and medium enterprises; education; health and medical care.

The IAI Task Force appreciates the Partners' support to ASEAN in narrowing the development gap through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration.

The partners highly appreciated the implementation rate of the IAI Work Plan Phase IV (2021-2025) and Vietnam's active role in its tenure as Chair of the IAI Task Force in 2025; affirmed to support ASEAN in effectively implementing the IAI Work Plan Phase IV (2021-2025) which will end at the end of 2025.

Overview of the meeting.

The partners also affirmed their interest and commitment to supporting ASEAN in future work plans; emphasizing that IAI is an important initiative and cooperation framework to help narrow the development gap within ASEAN in particular, and strengthen regional integration in general.

The countries also welcomed the inclusion of Timor Leste as an IAI beneficiary; believing that participation in IAI projects will support the process of becoming a full member of ASEAN as well as help narrow the development gap with the remaining ASEAN countries.