JAKARTA, 11 March 2015 – The ASEAN Secretariat and Germany are moving forward toward the 4^th Phase of their joint Capacity Building Project. A signing ceremony was held on Monday, 9 March, at the ASEAN Secretariat to mark the occasion.

Under this 4^th Phase, Germany provides EUR 1.90 million to support selected ASEC divisions under the Community & Corporate Affairs Directorate, such as Legal Services and Agreements Division, the Human Resources Division, Public Outreach and Civil Society Division, Strategic Planning & Coordination Division, and selected technical divisions from the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Department.

This fourth phase will support the Secretariat to enhance its legal services, introduce an ASEAN Project Monitoring & Evaluation Framework and Project Database, develop the ASEAN Secretariat’s Strategic Human Resources Development Plan (SHRD) 2016-2020 and improve the availability of AEC related information for Small and Medium Enterprises within the region. It will also help the Secretariat to develop a Social Media Engagement Plan for 2015 and beyond.

Representing the ASEAN Secretariat at the ceremony, H.E. AKP Mochtan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, reiterated his appreciation for the continuous support from Germany. Mr. Ulrich Mohr, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Country Director for Indonesia, Timor Leste and ASEAN, underlined the importance of sharing knowledge and developing future solutions together for ASEAN as a fast growing region. Germany is a Member State of the European Union, which is a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN since 1980.

The “Capacity Building for the ASEAN Secretariat” Project, www.cb-asec-project.de supports the ASEAN Community through strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat’s institutional capacity and its outreach strategy. Since 2008, the Project is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office through its implementing agency, GIZ.

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JAKARTA, 16 February 2015 – The Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), H.E. Chung Hae-Moon called on Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Le Luong Minh on 13 February. During the meeting, the two Secretaries-General exchanged views on various topics pertaining to ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) cooperation and to enhance collaboration between the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat.

Secretary-General Moon introduced AKC’s Work Programme in 2015 which includes various activities to promote ASEAN-ROK cooperation with a focus on trade, tourism, connectivity and cultural exchange. The Work Programme is also aimed to implement the outcomes of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit held in December 2014 in Busan. He expressed hope that the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat would cooperate closely in this regard to foster ASEAN-ROK cooperation.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Minh congratulated the ASEAN-Korea Centre for a fruitful year of 2014 as demonstrated through the various activities successfully undertaken to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations. He stressed the priority for both sides to effectively follow-up on the outcomes of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit. He pointed out the significant role that the ASEAN-Korea Centre can play to help implement the decisions and initiatives made by the Leaders. He also reaffirmed the readiness of the ASEAN Secretariat to work closely with the ASEAN-Korea Centre to strengthen ASEAN-Korea friendship and cooperation and to contribute to the realization of the ASEAN Community’s Post-2015 Vision.

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 JAKARTA, 12 February 2015 – The ASEAN Secretariat welcomes the 2^nd batch of officers from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) under the “Attachment Programme for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Involvement at the ASEAN Secretariat.” The programme aims to assist CLMV countries, ASEAN’s newer Member States, to strengthen their institutional capacity in managing and promoting ASEAN cooperation by improving the professionalism, competency, and confidence of their officers.

“It will be a unique opportunity for you (attachment officers) to be attached to the ASEAN Secretariat in this momentous year and participate in the realisation of the ASEAN Community,” said Mr. Tran Dong Phuong, Director of the Finance, Industry and Infrastructure Directorate, in welcoming the officers to the ASEAN Secretariat. Before working under the respective Departments, the Attachment Officers (AOs) will undergo a week of induction programme, which include introduction to the work of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, briefing on the organisation’s rules and procedures as well as visits to ASEAN-related organisations in Jakarta.

The Secretariat is also hosting four officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of CLMV countries under the “IAI Attachment Programme at the ASEAN Secretariat for Junior Diplomats from CLMV.” These AOs are placed in Divisions under the ASEAN Political-Security Community Department. The Attachment Programme for Junior Diplomats started in 2002 and is currently running the 13^th batch.

The Attachment Programme is an activity under the Initiative for ASEAN integration (IAI), which contributes to the narrowing of development gap in ASEAN. The IAI assists ASEAN’s newer Member States to implement their commitments towards building the ASEAN Community and ensures that benefits of ASEAN integration are equitably shared. This programme is funded by the Government of Japan.

Started in 2013, the programme provides support for eight attachment officers (AOs) annually to work under the AEC and ASCC Departments of the ASEAN Secretariat for one year.

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