Three New Regional Task Orders Under ADVANCE

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

ASEAN-US Technical Assistance and Training Facility

The ASEAN-US Technical Assistance & Training Facility is based in the ASEAN Secretariat and conducts activities across the three community pillars: the ASEAN Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community and Political Security Community.

The program is designed to deliver policy studies, assessments, training, technical assistance, and other activities grouped in 15 activity streams: Sector Integration, Investment, Economic Agreement Implementation, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Trade in Services, Trade Negotiations, Transnational Crime, ASEAN Regional Forum, Disaster Management and Emergency Response, Public Health (Avian Influenza), Human Development, Strengthened Secretariat Resources, ASEAN Foundation, Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and AEC Blueprint Monitoring and Evaluation.

ASEAN Single Window Program

The ASEAN Single Window (ASW) Program supports the development and implementation of the ASW, a key objective under the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. The Single Window is a clearance system that enables a single submission of customs data, the single, simultaneous processing of that data, and a single point of decision-making among the ministries and other parties involved in customs clearance. The program will provide technical assistance and training at both the ASEAN Secretariat and at the national level in select ASEAN-member nations. All activities will be focused on assisting ASEAN with implementing the ASW by 2012.

Regional Supply Chain/Competitiveness Program

The Supply Chain/Competitiveness Program promotes regional market integration to further develop the ASEAN region as a unified and competitive market able to attract increased foreign and domestic investment. Objectives are to:

• Improve the competitiveness of selected supply chains;
• Catalyze changes that facilitate the competitiveness of supply chains and reduced trade barriers;
• Generate, share, and manage knowledge to help the private sector to take advantage of trade and growth opportunities.
  

Background information

ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was established in 1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.  It has since been joined by Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.  The ASEAN region has a population of about 560 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, a combined gross domestic product of almost US$1,100 billion, and total trade of about US$1,400 billion.

ASEAN’s goals are to speed up economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region, and to promote regional peace and stability through justice and the rule of law, and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted on the 30th anniversary of ASEAN, is a shared vision for ASEAN nations to look outward and to live in peace, stability and prosperity as a dynamic community of caring societies.  In 2003, ASEAN named three pillars of the ASEAN Community: the ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community which are closely interrelated and mutually reinforcing the end goals of ASEAN.  In November 2007 at the 13th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Leaders signed two important documents reinforcing those commitments, namely, the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. The ASEAN Charter will formally accord ASEAN legal personality, establish greater institutional accountability and compliance system among other things. The ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint will serve as a coherent master plan guiding the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.

See www.asean.org for more information.

USAID

USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, is an independent U.S. government agency that receives foreign-policy guidance from the U.S. Secretary of State.  Since 1961, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency extending assistance to countries worldwide recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) oversees a broad portfolio of programs addressing numerous regional and transnational issues, such as responsible use of natural resources, improved access to clean water, reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, prevention of human and wildlife trafficking, facilitating trade, and resolving political and economic conflict.  The Mission’s regional approach to development projects provides a cost-effective way to manage services and programs.  It strengthens regional institutions and helps to engage regional and international partners.  RDMA was established in Bangkok in 2003 to manage bilateral USAID programs in Southeast Asian countries without USAID Missions, including Burma, China, Lao PDR, Viet Nam and Thailand.  Now it oversees bilateral and regional programs that benefit all of East Asia and much of South Asia.

Many countries, including Indonesia, have bilateral USAID missions overseeing a wide range of projects focusing on economic growth and improving health, education and governance.  See www.usaid.gov for more information.

Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan began his five-year appointment as Secretary-General of ASEAN on January 7, 2008. A veteran politician and academic, Dr. Surin was Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1997 and 2001. He served as Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum from 1999-2000.
Dr. Surin received his M.A. and Ph.D in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University in the U.S.  Upon his return to Thailand, he spent almost 10 years teaching at the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasart University in Bangkok.

In 1986, Dr. Surin ran for a Parliamentary seat from his hometown, Nakorn Sri Thammarat.  He won and returned to Parliament a total of eight times. After serving as Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Surin was appointed in 2001 as a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations and as an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and States Sovereignty.  He also served on the ILO’s World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.

Prior to assuming his duties at the ASEAN Secretariat, Dr. Surin was a Member of Parliament in the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand.  He also was a Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party. 
Dr. Surin is married with three children.

Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, East Asia and the Pacific Bureau, U.S. Department of State
Scot Marciel is responsible for U.S. relations with Southeast Asia and ASEAN.  He joined the State Department in 1985 and is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.  His most recent assignments were as Director of the Department’s Office of Maritime Southeast Asia, Director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia, and Director of the Office of Southeastern Europe. 

Mr. Marciel has also served in Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong Brazil, and Turkey, as well as in the Economic Bureau’s Office of Monetary Affairs.  He is a native of California and holds degrees from the University of California at Davis and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Olivier Carduner, Regional Mission Director, U.S. Agency for International Development

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