Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to ASEAN, chaired the 67^th meeting of the Initiative for the ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 15.

At the event (Photo: VNA)

The meeting is a regular event at the permanent representative level between ASEAN countries and partners to review the implementation of projects within the IAI framework and propose measures for improving the implementation of the IAI’s plans.

To date, ten out of 24 action lines of the IAI Work Plan IV (2021 – 2025) have been implemented across the five strategic fields of food and agriculture; trade facilitation; small and medium enterprises; education; and public health, with 36 projects worth 3.37 million USD underway.

At the meeting, the task force approved 10 new projects, raising the number of projects under the IAI Work Plan IV to 46, including 39 funded by Singapore, four by Japan, one by Australia, and one co-sponsored by Singapore and Japan.

Participants agreed to step up the implementation of the plan and to hold their 68th meeting and 12th consultation with ASEAN partners in September.

The IAI was launched in 2000 with the goal of narrowing the development gap among ASEAN countries and helping new members (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Viet Nam) fully integrate into the regional economy.

Source: VNA