The meeting saw the participation of representatives from 15 specialised agencies assigned to lead the implementation of MPAC 2025 initiatives such as the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM), the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (SEOM), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education (SOM-ED), the ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM), and the Lead Implementing Body for Sustainable Infrastructure (LIB-SI), as well as members of ACCC.
It reviewed and assessed the implementation of all 15 initiatives within the five strategic areas of MPAC 2025: sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, inter-logistics, optimisation of planning, and movement of people.
In the area of sustainable infrastructure, projects on a list of those with potential continue to be promoted through capacity building and technical support.
Participants also emphasised the need to strengthen coordination and raise awareness of and call for more active participation from specialised ASEAN agencies in implementing MPAC 2025.
They also focused on discussions and comments on the second draft of the Progress Review Report for MPAC 2025 and the Mid-Term Review Report of MPAC 2025, for submission to the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) for review and approval prior to the 37th ASEAN Summit in November.
These are important documents for ASEAN to decide upon a suitable direction for cooperation in the second half of MPAC 2025, especially in the context of COVID-19.
MPAC is a strategic plan approved by ASEAN leaders in October 2010 in Hanoi, to promote intra-ASEAN connectivity and connectivity between the bloc and its partners, towards a smoothly-connected ASEAN community without barriers. At the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, in September 2016, ASEAN leaders endorsed MPAC 2025, with a vision to create a comprehensively-connected and unified ASEAN.
The ACCC was established to monitor, evaluate, and periodically report to the ACC and the ASEAN Summit on implementing MPAC 2025. The ACCC’s consultation with dialogue partners and other partners has been in the form of an annual meeting since 2017, to raise awareness about MPAC 2025 and attract resources from partners for implementing projects within the framework of the plan.
