by Irene Wijaya | Mar 27, 2020 | Consumer Protection, Technical Reports
This Roadmap aims to strengthen consumer protection regimes in the ASEAN Member States and support the ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP) in promoting awareness and garnering support for ASEAN’s consumer protection capacity development agenda. It serves as an action plan for capacity building at the regional level, sub-regional and national levels, which, if implemented, will provide ASEAN consumers with world-class levels of consumer policy, institutions and laws. The Roadmap 2025 which comprised of among others a regional roadmap, a regional brief, a policy brief, and 10 country reports, was developed through extensive research, field work and surveys of capacity building needs. The Roadmap 2025 includes a schedule of proposed capacity building measures which is based on a study of common areas of needs identified among ASEAN consumer protection authorities. The Roadmap further outlines the delivery approach to capacity building, and provides a timeframe for implementation. The implementation level (regional or sub-regional) is described for each activity to ensure effective and efficient management and delivery of capacity building plans and programs. The successful implementation of the initiatives under the Roadmap 2025, will require coordinated approach amongst ASEAN’s consumer protection authorities, consumer protection associations, development partners and other relevant stakeholders. Downloads: Roadmap 2025 (PDF, 1.2 MB) Policy Brief (PDF, 0.6 MB) Regional Brief (PDF, 1.4...
by Irene Wijaya | Dec 6, 2019 | Agriculture, Technical Reports
The ASEAN Good Agricultural Practices (ASEAN GAP) is a voluntary standard for the production, harvesting and post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables in the region. Its objective is to enhance ASEAN agricultural products quality and competitiveness on the international market as well as on the ASEAN market by promoting ASEAN GAP. In order to implement the ASEAN GAP, there is a need to establish a common certification and accreditation systems, which will provide reference for implementation and application of ASEAN GAP among stakeholders, including regulators, auditors, producers, and consumers in the region. These manuals defines such systems: The Official Control Manual. This “Preambles” document aims at giving the ASEAN Member States (AMS) wishing to implement the ASEAN GAP accreditation and certification systems an overview of the regulatory framework to study before the implementation. It also contains recommendations concerning national regulations contents and stakeholder’s organisation to insure equivalency between the AMS. The Certification Manual. This Manual serves as guidelines and references for the conduct of national GAP certification by Control Authorities or Control Bodies among the AMS with the aim of facilitating intra and extra regional trade of products originated from GAP certified farms. This Manual was developed based on the understanding that national regulatory and food safety requirements in each AMS which should take precedent. The notes and examples in this Manual aim to provide additional information intended to assist in understanding and use of the document. This Manual may also serve as one of the references for the development of Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for inspection and certification systems on GAP production. Download the manuals here: ASEAN GAP...
by Irene Wijaya | Nov 5, 2019 | Connectivity, Technical Reports
The ASEAN member states have a long-standing goal to establish multilateral power trading in the region. To date, regional power trading has been limited to a series of uncoordinated bilateral cross-border arrangements. Multilateral power trading can bring multiple benefits, including reduced system costs, increased energy security and an ability to integrate higher shares of variable renewable energy. An examination of international experiences shows that it is possible to establish multilateral trading while allowing for stepwise and voluntary development and respecting local sovereignty. At the same time, increased cross-border integration and power trade does require increased co ordination and regulatory harmonisation. This report identifies a set of minimum political, technical and institutional requirements that the ASEAN member states will need to meet in order to establish multilateral power trading in the region. Some of these minimum requirements can be met by building upon existing efforts in the region. The report also proposes a set of trading arrangements of increasing levels of ambition which, taken together, will enable ASEAN to establish multilateral power trading in a manner that is consistent with maximising national sovereignty and the equitable sharing of benefits. These recommendations include a summary of potential roles for regional institutions and an example transaction to show how trading might potentially work in practice. This report was produced in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA). Download the report (13MB,...
by Irene Wijaya | Nov 5, 2019 | Investment, Technical Reports
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into ASEAN increased for the third consecutive year in 2018, reaching an all-time high level of USD 155 billion. The region’s share of global FDI inflows also rose to 11.5 percent in 2018. This trend is expected to continue. Services sector is the largest recipient of FDI in ASEAN. The share of services sector in total FDI grew from 50 per cent in 1999-2003 to 66 per cent in 2014-2018. A significant part of FDI in services flows into financial services, wholesale and retail, and real estate activities. This year’s ASEAN Investment Report features the FDI in the services sector, with a special focus on health care. The Report looks in foreign investments and the Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) in the healthcare industry in ASEAN, as well as the investment environment they thrive in. The Report also provides recommendations in moving forward to develop a competitive health care environment in the region. This report was produced in collaboration with UNCTAD. Download the...
by Irene Wijaya | Dec 29, 2018 | Consumer Protection, Technical Reports
In 2016, AADCP II supported ASEAN in producing six technical modules, aimed to enhance ASEAN Member States (AMS) with effective capacities to adopt and implement consumer protection laws at the national level. They serve as resource materials for training, focusing on technical requirements provisionally involving consumer concerns and demands in 6 core areas: (a) Product safety and labelling; (b) Phone and internet services, and e-commerce; (c) Consumer credit and banking; (d) Environment; (e) Healthcare services; and (f) Professional services. These training manuals complement these six technical modules, to be used by AMS to deliver teaching/ training to their respective stakeholders. Details of each modules are below: Training Manual on Phone, Internet Service and E-Commerce This module focuses on phones, internet services, and e-commerce in the ASEAN Member States. It aims to provide trainees, who are officials and heads of agencies, with additional competencies in terms of technical knowledge, better understanding of industry policies and practices, and skills in enhancing consumer protection in this sub-sector. This training module provides a resource for trainers seeking to train participants on how to deal with systematic problems that arise in the telecommunications and e-commerce marketplace within the ASEAN region. Training Manuals on Professional Services This module focuses on the Professional Services, including a summary of current rules and practices for registration and discipline of medical and legal practitioners in the ASEAN Member States (AMS). It aims to provide trainees, who are officials and heads of agencies, with additional competencies in terms of technical knowledge, better understanding of industry policies and practices, and skills in enhancing consumer protection in this sub-sector. This Training Module will...
by Web Administrator | Nov 28, 2018 | Connectivity, Technical Reports
Urbanisation is a crucial driver of economic growth in ASEAN, yet rapid urbanisation can make it difficult for urban infrastructure development to keep pace, giving rise to issues such as economic inequality, congestion, and environmental and health problems. To maintain the benefit of urbanisation, ASEAN cities need to take a proactive, coherent approach in ensuring that adequate and sustainable urban infrastructure are in place. The ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS) is one of the initiatives under the strategic area of Sustainable Infrastructure of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025. It provides ASEAN cities with a framework of sustainable urbanisation based on six areas, namely civic and social, health and well-being, security, quality environment, built infrastructures, industry and innovation. It consists of this report as well as two accompanying toolkits that will assist local governments in ASEAN to advance sustainable urbanisation in their cities. Download the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation...
