9 - 10 march 2017 s rajaratnam endowment … · 10.03.2017 · s rajaratnam endowment asean...

9 - 10 MARCH 2017S RAJARATNAM ENDOWMENTASEAN COMMUNITY FORUM

SINGAPORE

Rural DevelopmentWomen’s Economic Development

Micro-Small-Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs)

35 Civil Society Organisations10 Countries1 Vision

Report on First S Rajaratnam Endowment -

ASEAN Community Forum

Focusing on Rural Development,

Women’s Economic Development,

and Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises

9-10 March 2017, Singapore

The S Rajaratnam Endowment -

ASEAN Community Forum

is supported by :

Temasek Foundation Connects

ASEAN Community Vision 2025

The SRE-ASEAN Community Forum is a series of meetings centered on engaging civil society — one of the primary stakeholders of ASEAN — on important issues facing ASEAN’s integration. These diverse issues range from rural development to youth and inter-faith, from environment to disaster management. The Forum seeks to increase the community’s awareness and advance its understanding of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. Besides exploring how the ASEAN Community Vision can be achieved with insights and contributions from civil society organisations (CSOs), the topics also identify enabling factors for forging a shared ASEAN identity.

The inaugural Forum on 9 to 10 March 2017 focused on three thematic areas: Rural Development, Women’s Economic Development and Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises. 41 delegates from 35 CSOs across all ten ASEAN member states came together to learn more about the respective characteristics and elements of the ASEAN blueprints and plans and discuss solutions and modalities to realise these plans. This report captures highlights of the Forum and insights generated.

29 out of 41 delegates were women.

93% of delegates appreciated the opportunity to connect and exchange knowledge with others.

85% of all CSOs were able to develop action plans related to their areas of work.

98% of participants had increased awareness of ASEAN and itsdevelopment agenda.

Participants in the MSMEs sectoralready formed an online chatgroup to continue collaborationsafter the Forum.

60% of the participants on average found the forummaterials, which consisted of ASEAN 2025, various fact sheets and work plans for the respectivethematic sectors useful.

Opening Remarks by Ms. Elaine Tan, Executive Director, ASEAN Foundation

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Keynote Address by Mr. Lim Hock Chuan,Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation Connects 4

Introduction7

Plenary Session I:Introduction to ASEAN, ASEAN Processes and Mechanisms, and Progress Made: Overview from Three Sectors (Rural Development, Women’s Economic Development,Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises)Guest Speakers:

H.E. Mr. Sao Chivoan, Chair of SOMRDPEMs. Elaine Tan, Executive Director, ASEAN FoundationMs. Sanchita Basu-Das, Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

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List of Participating Organisations from Civil Society

Forum Agenda

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44

Plenary Session II:ASEAN 2025 Forging Ahead Together – Characteristics and Elements of Each ASEAN Community Blueprint 2025 relevant to the Three Thematic SectorsGuest Speakers:

Ms. Rodora Babaran, Director for Human Development Directorate, ASEAN SecretariatMs. Lisa Indah Wijayani, Technical Officer for Enterprise & Stakeholders Engagement Division, representing ASEAN Secretariat

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31 Key Recommendations from CSO Consultation

This year, ASEAN celebrates 50 years of its establishment. Citizen’swelfare and their well-being have been at the heart of ASEAN’sexistence. The ASEAN Leaders have continuously stressed that theASEAN Community must be aboutpeople. The word Community connotes a broader constituency,much larger than those only in government, business, NGOs,academia, to name a few, who havebeen involved in ASEAN processes.Community implies involvement of society at all levels in all Member States being able to identity andrelate to the ASEAN Community.

The idea of building ASEAN as a people-centred community requires active involvement amongst the people of ASEAN.It is about building a sense of belonging towards this region.That regardless of who we are,be it, as educators, businessactors, religious leaders, farmers,innovators, we can actually feel that we are ASEAN and the futureof ASEAN is our future. We are allcontributing in creating a peacefuland secure ASEAN. It is fitting thatPhilippines under its chairmanship

of ASEAN 2017 has placed people-oriented and people-centredASEAN as its first priorities.

This gathering of civil society organisations articulates thecommitment of ASEAN to involve people to participate in, andbenefit from the process of ASEAN integration and community building while at the same time advocating the ASEAN vision to the group. Participation and dialogue become important toolsin the ASEAN Community process.

The ASEAN Foundation has been mandated under the ASEANCharter to perform as a platform to forge more people-to-people engagement/connectivity outsidethe circles of the inter-governmentalinstitutions. Initiatives such as thisnot only forges people-to-people

OPENING REMARKS

“For participants here, this forum is

a significant step to promote commitment and identification with

ASEAN policies and regional interests.”

Ms. Elaine Tan

Executive Director, ASEAN Foundation

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engagement, but it will do so ina manner that will also contributeconcretely to the ASEAN’s keyissues and blueprints that matterfor the well-being of the ASEANpeople. The ASEAN Foundation sees merit in such endeavour tostrengthen and improve processesin order to work towards a broad and constructive engagement withcivil society in the region.

My final words are to thank theS Rajaratnam Endowment, the National University of Singapore and other partners, who have made this event happened. I do hope that this consultation can be a good

opportunity for facilitating furtherengagement between ASEAN andcivil society organisations. TheASEAN Community Vision 2025: Forging Ahead Together placesgreater emphasis on the peoplesof ASEAN & their well-being. For participants here, this forumis a significant step to promotecommitment and identification with ASEAN policies and regional interests.

To conclude, let me once again extend a warm welcome to all of you, and I look forward to our discussions throughout the nexttwo days. Thank you.

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granted. It has to be forged andthen maintained continually. This is even more true in today’s uncertaintimes, and ASEAN’s value is nevermore apparent. I hope with this forum we can renew and strengthenthe bonds we have carefully built upwith one another so that together, we can accomplish more.

The S Rajaratnam Endowment was set up by Temasek in 2010 torecognise Singapore’s first foreignminister and his important legacies.It is now overseen by Temasek Foundation Connects, a Singapore-based non-profit philanthropicorganisation established in 2016.Our objectives remain the same:to build bridges and partnerships, and promote dialogue and mutualunderstanding across internationalcommunities and markets.

One of Singapore’s foundingleaders and statesmen, Mr SRajaratnam was a firm believerin regional friendship andcooperation. He signed theASEAN Declaration in Bangkok in 1967 which established ASEAN, along with his counterpartsfrom Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines and Thailand. This year being ASEAN’s 50th anniversary gives additional meaning to today’s Forum. It is opportune for us to reflect on as well as continueto work more closely with tostrengthen ASEAN.

In his days, Mr S Rajaratnam playedan active role in ASEAN to entrenchit at the core of the broaderregional geopolitical architecture. ASEAN is important because itacts as an influence multiplier for the individual member states onthe global stage. Today, throughthe efforts of successive leaders,ASEAN has established itself as a neutral platform for the majorplayers in Asia and beyond to cometogether and achieve common understandings on key issues.

One of the lessons we have learned from Mr Rajaratnam is thatregional unity cannot be taken for

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

“With ASEAN 2025 constituting the next chapter of ASEAN’s community building

efforts, more engagement and collaboration efforts

is needed, especially at the community and

grassroots levels.”

Mr. Lim Hock Chuan

Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation Connects

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Temasek Foundation Connectssupports this Forum becausewe believe that it would serveas a platform for our friends andpartners to engage one another, and work towards a shared ASEAN identity and future. With ASEAN2025 constituting the next chapterof ASEAN’s community building efforts, more engagement andcollaboration efforts is needed,especially at the community and grassroots levels. ASEAN’sdevelopment and growth potentialis immense, and opportunitiesto improve the well-being of thepeoples of ASEAN abound, but itrequires everyone from the groundup working towards realising ourcommon goals. We hope to be ableto play our role within the ambit of this two-day forum to contribute to this process of achieving a broaderASEAN vision.

Today’s forum is the first in aseries that will consist of twomore forums planned for 2017 and2018. Participants will focus on three themes: rural development,women’s economic development and micro - smal l - medium enterprises. These specific areas of focus reflect the priorities of ASEAN, and are intended forparticipants to explore alliances,build collaboration and proposesolutions that will lead to theeconomic dynamism and resilience of ASEAN.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have avery exciting day ahead of us, onewhich I believe will yield rich and valuable discussions on importantissues affecting ASEAN and inspire us into action. On this note, I wish all of you a very fruitful forum.

Thank you very much.

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Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leadersrecognized that: there remainedinadequate shared prosperity,ASEAN awareness and contactamong people of ASEAN. It was of this concern that ASEAN leadersestablished ASEAN Foundation during ASEAN’s 30th AnniversarySummit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 15 December 1997, ASEAN

Temasek Foundation Connects is a Singapore-based non-profitphilanthropic organisation thatfunds and supports programmes, which seek to build bridgesand partnerships, and promotedialogue and mutual understandingacross international communities and markets. Established in 2016, the foundation’s programmespromote dialogue and advancecollective knowledge and mutual

Foundation is an organisation fromand for the people of ASEAN. TheFoundation exists because of onevision: to build a cohesive andprosperous ASEAN Community. Asan ASEAN’s body, the Foundationis tasked to support ASEAN mainlyin promoting awareness, identity,interaction and development of the people of ASEAN.

understanding in key areas that are important to Singapore and on a global front. These include variousissues such as security, geopoliticsand economic imperatives of emerging markets, as well as bestpractices in areas such as corporate governance and stewardship. Thefoundation provides oversightto two endowments – the SRajaratnam Endowment and theHon Sui Sen Endowment.

ABOUT ASEAN FOUNDATION

ABOUT TEMASEK FOUNDATION CONNECTS

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INTRODUCTION

As one of the primarystakeholders of ASEAN, CSOs’support is essential to ensurethat ASEAN’s integration andthe community building process benefits its peoples. Through theirvoices, the genuine feelings and

sentiments of ASEAN peoples towards the implementation of ASEAN 2025 are also heard.

Processes of the forum, designedto maximize participation and engagement, are as follow:

PLENARY SESSION

WORLD CAFÉ

SESSION

BUILD WORK PLAN

PRESENT WORK PLAN

Introduction to ASEAN, ASEAN

process andmechanism and

progress made inthe region.

ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead

Together, focusing on

rolling out andexplanation

of the characteristics

and elements of each Blueprint

2025.

World café/individualworkshop

session in whichparticipants are

divided into threeGroups based ontheir respective

nature of work, toidentify, interpret,

understandand discuss the characteristicsand elements of APSC, AEC and ASCC of

ASEAN 2025, and relate all these

to their nature of respective CSOs’

works.

Each thematicgroup develops

initial/ preliminary

how the ASEAN’s plans and

strategies will impact on thematic

topic/sector.

Finalise group’s presentation,

challenges and ways to

complement the implementationof ASEAN 2025

and its respectiveblueprints.

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Discussions by the CSO delegatesare documented, and theycomprise, among others, thefollowing components:

• How ASEAN’s strategies andblueprints impacted on the lifeof the community within the thematic areas.

• Real challenges facing ASEAN’s integration and ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

• How such challenges could be addressed.

• How the CSOs may integrateASEAN’s strategies into theirorganisational planning andactivities.

The resulting recommendations from the CSO delegates will beshared with the ASEAN Secretariatso that existing coordinationmechanisms can put forth thoserecommendations with relevantASEAN bodies.

T h e s e n i o r t o m i d - l e v e l representation of the participant CSOs helps to increase commitmentto the implementation of possibleproject initiatives after the Forum.

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“We would like to follow up on some of the recommendations that

you have done, particularly with using existing mechanisms already in place in ASEAN to enlarge the

spaces for CSOs to better engage.We don’t want this to be just a

one-off event. We want to continue with this type of engagement

because I think that it is a very important time for ASEAN. Getting

ASEAN people onboard is more important than ever.”

Ms. Elaine Tan,Executive Director,ASEAN Foundation

“We really appreciate this kind of platform that provided an opportunity for CSOs to be heard – the CSOs that

need not be selected by member states to be able to participate here. We get

to hear [from] you directly and rest assure that we heard you.

We took note of the recommendation in terms of ensuring a better flow of

information at the regional level, going down to the national, and hopefully

cascading to sub-national and even the community level. It opened my eyes in terms of how effective we are in

communicating. We thought that just translating would be enough.”

Ms. Rodora Babaran,Director for Human

Development Directorat,ASEAN Secretariat

PLENARY SESSION I:

GUEST SPEAKERS:

H.E. Mr. Sao Chivoan,Chair of SOMRDPE

Ms. Elaine Tan,Executive Director,

ASEAN Foundation

Ms. Sanchita Basu-Das,Lead Researcher for Economic

Affairs, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ERADICATION

Eradication (RDPE) started its journey after the 1997/98 financial crisis. Since then the ASEANMinisters on RDPE (AMRDPE) and Senior Official Meeting on RDPE (SOMRDPE), as the ASEAN c o o r d i n a t i o n m e c h a n i s m s ,have been meeting biennially for AMRDPE and annually for SOMRDPE to consult on policiesand strategies to eradicate poverty.

Various issues facing ruraldevelopment, such as highpoverty rate, low household food security, lack of appropriate infrastructure to reach poor communities, land ownershipand resource management,contaminated water and poor

sanitation were highlighted. Otherchallenges included no access tocredit, high interest rates, non-responsiveness of governmentsand communication gap. There is aclear need for further consultationsto address rural infrastructural reforms in each ASEAN country,especially Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar, and Vietnam

To address these mountingchallenges, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)Blueprint 2025 for RDPE has five characteristics. They are: toengage and benefit the peoples;to be inclusive; to be sustainable;to be resilient; and lastly to bedynamic. The Blueprint is furtherorganised into 18 key result areasand 109 strategic measures.

The resulting Framework ActionPlan (FAP) on RDPE is aligned with the ASCC Blueprint 2025 andnames three main objectives:

• Improve vulnerable groups’and poor households’access to and/or control of productive natural resources,financial and support services,and social protection asa foundation to buildingcapable, resilient, and self-

INTRODUCTION TO ASEAN, ASEAN PROCESSES AND MECHANISMS, AND PROGRESS MADE: OVERVIEW FROM THREE SECTORS (RURAL DEVELOPMENT, WOMEN’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MICRO-SMALL-MEDIUM ENTERPRISES)

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“Components of the Framework Action Plan

involves social protection and safety nets, development

of infrastructure and human resources in rural and peri-urban areas and

public-private-people (PPP) partnership. The ASEAN

GO-NGO Forum on RDPE in October 2017 is a prime

example of PPP partnership. It will be the first time that the forum is expanded to

involve the private sector.”

communities.• Enable poor and vulnerable

groups to participate in socio-e c o n o m i c o p p o r t u n i t i e s through financial innovation and strengthening social enterprise.

• Strengthen convergence of rural development and poverty eradication initiatives at the local, national and regional levels through improved coordinationmechanism, policy coherenceand effective localisation of RDPE programmes and actions.

partnership. It will be the first time that the forum is expanded to involve the private sector. Other programmes and activities include ASEAN+3 Village Leaders Exchange Programme; expansion of the biennial ASEAN Leadership Award on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Leadership Aware to include non-governmental organisations/CSOs and the private sector; a regional forum of dialogues between government officials and private sector; and promotion of social entrepreneurship throughdocumentation of workable business models.

The basic overview on RDPE concluded with snapshots of the FAP activities and initiatives. The FAP on RDPE has several components which eventually lead to improved resilience of the poorand vulnerable groups to economicand environmental risk. It involvessocial protection and safety nets,development of infrastructure and human resources in ruraland peri-urban areas and public-private-people (PPP) partnership.The final component of the Plan is monitoring and evaluation of RDPEin the region. The ASEAN GO-NGO Forum on RDPE in October 2017 is a prime example of PPP 11

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Since the 80s, ASEAN has committed to gender equality.ASEAN’s Declaration on theAdvancement of Women in 1988 sought to integrate in nationalpolicies the specific concerns and roles of women as active agentsand beneficiaries of development, as a productive force. As ASEANand the region developed,opportunities for women’s voicesgrew. From the formulation of theASEAN Charter to a collectivedesire to create a single marketand production base, to promote sustainable development andbuild an ASEAN Community where everyone participates in andbenefits from, women were able toactively contribute to the process.

In the ASEAN context, althoughgender equality has a sectoral body called the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) to shepherd it, it isin fact a cross cutting issue acrossseveral platforms. It is discussedin Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM), ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children,ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the working groups of MSMEs.

In the previous blueprint of 2009-2015, a remarkable milestone was the launch of ASEAN Women’s Entrepreneur Network (AWEN), at

the initiative of Vietnam in 2015 to encourage women’s participationin the economic field.

Under the current work plan of ACW, women economic empowerment remains a core concern and isaligned with the broader ASEANCommunity Vision 2025. Of the four initiatives, Inclusive GrowthThrough Advancing Economic Empowerment of Women in Southeast Asia may be of particularinterest to CSOs. Fosteringinclusive growth is a strategy of ACW as well as AWEN to ensurethat policies and practices canincrease women’s leadership in theeconomic area; that value chainsbecome gender responsive, andthat women’s needs are taken intoaccount to combat challengessuch as feminisation of povertyand limited resources to land andproperty ownership.

The key objectives of the Work Planto attain economic empowermentof women focus on capacity building of women, such as strengthening of AWEN; financial security of elder women; sharingof policies and practices; workingwith different bodies to promotevocational training and skill upgrading of women in vulnerableemployment; and establishingICT-platform for dialogues andconsultations.

To meet these objectives, several programmes have beendeveloped. The upcoming 12

ASEAN Women’s Business Forum highlights economic contributionsof women and discusses howthey can contribute to the privatesector. The ASEAN Women’sBusiness Conference supportsmainstreaming efforts towardsadvancing women’s participationin the AEC pillar, facilitating dialogues between ASEAN, the private sector and dialoguepartners on women in business,gender equality and economicgrowth.

Other programmes include Regional Report on Women Entrepreneurship and Strategyfor ASEAN Women’s Socio-economic Empowerment through ICT Literacy and LeadershipEducation. The former is oneof the activities planned underthe Canada-OECD Project forASEAN SMEs, to analyse thecurrent state of affairs and providepolicy options supporting femaleentrepreneurship in the region.The outcome of the report is toprovide policy recommendations

to Southeast Asia governments,complementing efforts of ACW, AWEN and ASEAN CoordinatingCommittee on MSMEs.

The latter, Strategy for ASEANWomen’s Socio - economic Empowerment through ICT Literacyand Leadership Education, wasdeveloped by Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Centerand supported by the ASEAN-ROK Special Cooperation Fund.This project aimed to promoteASEAN women’s socioeconomic empowerment through ICT literacyand leadership training.

MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

SMEs and micro enterprises play an important role in ASEANeconomies. They are key to building a people-centered ASEAN, they reduce poverty,contribute to gender equality,bring about better distribution of income. Keeping in mind that there is no single definition of 13

cross border activities.

The SME Working Group was firstestablished in 1995. Its space is“very crowded” with SME initiativesasserting its importance in ASEANdiscussions. SME developmentcame under Equitable Economic Development. What changed in thenew AEC Blueprint 2016-2025? It appears policymakers are realisingthat SME development is not onlyabout equal income and equaldistribution, it has to be integrated with a single market base. Trade and investment facilitation has to helpSMEs too. In the 2025 Blueprint,this thinking is reflected not only inthe change of language from SMEto MSME, MSME development initiatives cut across such areas liketrading goods, trade facilitation, financial resilience, and people-oriented/people-centered ASEAN.

SMEs in ASEAN and data is sparse,statistics show that SMEs have the bulk share of total establishmentsat 97-99%. ASEAN is not drivenby multi-national corporations butpredominantly SMEs. Although theemployment rate is wide ranging,SME’s share of total employment ismore than 90% in some countries,indicating the importance of SMEsin these countries. In Indonesia,SME’s share of employment is 97%;Laos PDR 81%; Cambodia 73%. On the other hand, their share of GDPis relatively low. Similarly, SME’s share of export is also very low. In Indonesia, the share of export is only 16%. Malaysia’s SMEs has a slightly higher share of export at19%, Thailand is the best at 30%.It begs the question of whether SMEs are taking advantage of AEC,which is concerned with intra-regional trade and investments,14

“While there is strong political will, SME development and

policymaking is still in early stages. Consequently,

there is a lack of alignment between AEC and national

level policies. Understanding the underlying dynamics of each sector and each

country is foremost.”

The consolidated Strategic ActionPlan (SAP) outlines key objectives, measures and correspondingtimelines. It focuses on capacitybuilding in terms of exporting andtechnology transfer and developingnew institutions like SME financialfacility, regional SME development fund and SME service centre. Internationalisation of SMEs hasalso become an important policyobjective of almost all ASEAN countries.

AEC achieved a 100% implementation rate as of endof 2015 – whatever that waspromised under SME developmentwas delivered. A study that was conducted with 200 to 300 small farms and SMEs in seven of the ASEAN member states conveyeddifferent perspectives. Generally,larger SMEs were more awareof AEC and ASEAN matters.This awareness does not meanthat these SMEs are enjoyingASEAN privileges. For example,some MSMEs may know aboutAEC benefits but they do notsee the need for exporting theirproducts. Others fear that export will go down because of importcompetition from neighbouring countries. For MSMEs to participate in AEC, engagement intrade and government support is crucial, particularly in networkingand finance.

While there is strong politicalwill, SME development and policymaking is still in early stages. Consequently, there is a lack of alignment between AEC and national level policies. Understanding the underlyingdynamics of each sector and eachcountry is foremost, in additionto promoting inclusiveness, for example training, non- exploitation, proper wages, etc. Because ASEAN “cannot have one size fits all” strategy.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FROM DELEGATES

KEY POINTS

During the dialogue session, moreinformation about the formulationand monitoring of the plans wasshared. RDPE has mechanisms, the AMRDPE biennially and SOMRDPE annually where issues and recommendations are tabledand endorsed. These processesare government-initiated, withconsultations between senior

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officials and organisations like the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organisations (AWCO). In economicintegration, high level taskforces review recommendations from background studies conductedby the research community such as ISEAS and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.In one instance, the researchcommunity shared an observationof a silo mentality around thecharacteristics of the previousblueprint, they reiterated thatMSMEs were not just aboutequitable economic distribution, they needed to benefit from tradeand investment policies. Changes inASEAN’s approach towards MSMEdevelopment were discerned in thesubsequent blueprint when MSME development was mentioned throughout the blueprint.

It comes as no surprise thatsome of the initiatives have low implementation rate. ASEAN, adhering to principles of non-interference, does not dictatehow the blueprints and actionplans are to be implemented. Thenational governments decide howto navigate the processes and how best to realise the plans. Thereare other reasons for the delayedprocess. In the case of AEC, theentire blueprint is so extensive thatit is difficult to cover each area in one or two days of discussions.Secondly each stakeholder, each country has differing interests,priorities and agendas, lengthening

the process of reaching consensus.Thirdly, some areas being morecomplex in nature, such as tradefacilitation, take a longer time for stakeholders to arrive at a common understanding andresolutions. CSO participantsare encouraged to assist with the implementation of the initiatives as well as the follow-up of thereview process at the community,national and regional levels. A lot of work needs to be done at the national level, furthermore different sectoral bodies have towork together. Advocacy for timelyimplementation, thus becomes important.

A question about RDPE shedlight on its scope and multi-dimensional aspects. Rural development is more than agriculture and production base, it also include services. The strategyto advance rural developmentis focused on generating opportunities and income for thepoor. Notwithstanding nationalgovernments need to do moreto empower the farmers, provide them with adequate support and proper infrastructure to help them be more productive.

CSO participants acknowledgedthat ASEAN makes efforts toconvene forums and discussions togather inputs and feedback fromthem and the ground. However, it is not clear if these initiatives resultin any impact, if the outcomes are really carried forward and16

monitored. The timeliness of thisyear’s discussions, following thekick-off of the sectoral work plans in2016, adds to the momentum of theimplementation process. Coupledwith involvement of ASEAN Secretariat which is responmsiblefor consolidating and sharingthese inputs with relevant ASEANbodies after the Forums, thesesteps help to address concerns of inclusiveness of CSOs.

The vast number of such meetingshas a downside, when it becomesdifficult for civil society to follow the issues discussed, the outcomesthereafter and their success rate.

A platform for sharing of casestudies in CSO participation wouldbe welcomed so that more CSOscan learn from the experiences andreplicate similar successes in their own countries. Calls for permanentsecretariat for certain institutionswere voiced, to address the issue of visibility and continuity.

Lastly, ASEAN was likened to “amarathon without a finish line”. CSO participants needed to manage their expectations – have

a baseline and keep working on it.

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GUEST SPEAKERS:

Ms. Rodora Babaran,Director for Human Development

Directorate, ASEAN Secretariat

Ms. Lisa Indah Wijayani, Technical Officer for Enterprise

& Stakeholders Engagement Division, ASEAN Secretariat

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ERADICATION AND WOMEN’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

to bring the ASEAN Communityto the next level: three blueprintsfrom ASCC, AEC and ASEANPolitical - Security Community (APSC) and initiatives for ASEANIntegration, Narrowing theDevelopment Gap and PromotingASEAN Connectivity.

Elements of the ASCC Blueprint2025 were explained. The Blueprint has specific key result areas or KRAsunder each of the five objectives.They are:

PLENARY SESSION II:

Greater emphasis on the peoples of ASEAN and

their well-being is placed, by engaging all nationals

through effective and innovative platforms, and

ensuring fundamental freedoms, human rights and better lives for all

ASEAN peoples.”

ASEAN 2025 FORGING AHEAD TOGETHER – CHARACTERISTICS AND ELEMENTS OF EACH ASEAN COMMUNITY BLUEPRINT 2025 RELEVANT TO THE THREE THEMATIC SECTORS

2025 charts the path for the ASEANCommunity building in the next ten years. Chiefly, greater emphasis onthe people of ASEAN and theirwell-being is placed, by engagingall nationals through effective and innovative platforms, promotingidentification and commitmentto ASEAN policies and regional interests, ensuring fundamentalfreedoms, human rights andbetter lives for all ASEAN people.

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(i) Benefits the PeopleA committed, participative and socially-responsible community through an accountable and inclusive mechanism for the benefit of our peoples, upheld by the principles of good governance

(ii) InclusiveAn inclusive community that promotes high quality of life, equitable access to opportunities for all and promotes and protects human rights of women, children, youth, the elderly/older persons, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, and vulnerable and marginalised groups

(iii) SustainableA sustainable community that promotes social development and environmental protection through effective mechanisms to meet the current and future needs of our peoples

(iv) ResilientA resilient community with enhanced capacity and capability to adapt and respond to social and economic vulnerabilities, disasters, climate change as well as emerging threats and challenges

(v) DynamicA dynamic and harmonious community that is aware and proud of its identity, culture, and heritage with the strengthened ability to innovate and proactively contribute to the global community

Based on the five characteristics, the Blueprint is organised into 18 key result areas, areas in which concrete results or changes are expected to occur, and 109 strategic measures to be implemented by 15 diverse sectoral bodies across all three pillars of ASEAN. Thesemeasures, are “strategic” because they are very critical to achieving the objectives and vision of ASEAN, they articulate clear outcomes, giving rise to more accountability.

The following section illustrateshow the Blueprint is structured

These are KRAs, results thatASEAN wishes to see by 2025 forwomen empowerment:

• Empowered People andStrengthened Institutions.

• Reducing Barriers.• Equitable Access for All.• Promotion and Protection of

Human Rights.• Conservation and Sustainable

Management of Ecosystems 19

Biodiversity and Natural Resources.

• Towards an Open and AdaptiveASEAN.

• Towards a Creative, Innovativeand Responsive ASEAN.

• Engender a Culture of Entrepreneurship in ASEAN.

Under each KRA there are corresponding strategic measureswhich relevant sectoral bodies are asked to contribute to. Forexample, under Equitable Access for All, the strategic measures include:

• Develop regional strategies andenhance institutional capacityfor gender mainstreaming in

ASEAN policies, programmes and budgets across pillars and sectors.

• Enhance effectiveness of the implementation of strategies and programmes under ASCC and promote their harmonisation with those of APSC and AEC, particularly in the areas of social protection,universal health coverage, food safety, poverty eradication,employment and decent work, and trafficking in persons.

• Support ASEAN Member States’in i t iat ives in s t rengthening nat ional gender and age-d i s a g g r e g a t e d d a t a b a s e s and analyses, including on poverty and equity, establish a

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reduce vulnerabilities in times of climate-change related crises and disasters.

• Enhanced and optimised financing systems, food, water,energy availability, and other social safety nets in times of crises by making resources more available, accessible, affordable, and sustainable.

Under these KRAs, one of the strategic measures is strengthenpositive economic, social and environmental linkages among urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Earlier on, there was a relatedquestion about whether ASEANwants to see less farmers. Thoughthese topics figure prominently in the SOMRDPE, it was emphatically stated that ASEAN does not necessarily intervene in how the member states implement the plans. In fact the sectoral work plans go beyond common areasin which the member states could collaborate, they are alsodeveloped according to nationalinterests. ASEAN, playing a regional role, primarily shares best practices and experiences and build consensus on common aspirations and tangible outcomes.

Finally, besides making available the sectoral work plans foreasy access, another way of encouraging CSOs to support the implementation process is to create a platform or mechanism tocapture their contributions towards these work plans.

reliable regional database forkey sectors to support ASEANpolicies and programmes.

• Promote human capital development, economic self-reliance and sustainable livelihood, especially of the poor, through access to education,employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and micro-finance.

As shown above, the issues inwomen empowerment are broadand cross cutting, therefore theadvancement of the work cannotrest on ACW alone, it has togo hand in hand with the otherpillars of ASEAN. Furthermore theinitiatives need the national and local level support from member state governments to ensure thatthey are followed through.

For RDPE, the KRAs are:

• Reducing Barriers.• Equitable Access for All.• Promotion and Protection of

Human Rights.• Environmentally Sustainable

Cities.• Sustainable Cities.• Strengthened social protection

for women and chi ldren, o lder persons, personswith d isabi l i t ies , internal ly d isplaced persons, migrantworkers, marginalised groups,and people living in at-risk areas including people living in remote and border areasand climate sensitive areas to 21

MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

The vision of the ASEAN StrategicAction Plan (SAP) for MSME Development is to nurture globallycompetitive and innovative SMEs. The mission further states thatby 2025, ASEAN shall create globally competitive, resilient and innovative MSMEs that areseamlessly integrated to TheASEAN Community and inclusive development in the region.

To fulfil this vision and mission, ASEAN committed to five strategicgoals and 62 action lines thatprovide guidance on initiatives andactivities for the next ten years.The five strategic goals are:

• Promote productivity,technology and innovation.

• Increase access to finance.• Enhance market access and

internationalisation.• Enhance policy and regulatory

framework.• Promote entrepreneurship and

human resources development.

produced through the OVOPmovement. There were guidelines on geographical indicators andways to boost entrepreneurship in the rural areas in each ASEANcountry.

In enhancing small business competitiveness, guidance onhow to set up, run and improve businesses were developedalongside tool boxes comprisinggood practice guide and business plan for eight sub-sectors under the tourism supply chain. Theseeight sectors are: (i) aspiringentrepreneurs in tourism sector;(ii) destination management; (iii)guesthouse; (iv) handicraft; (v) homestay; (vi) market vendors; (vii) restaurant; and (viii) smallholderfarmers.

In collaboration with AWEN, theGender Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformationof Women (GREAT) organisedan ASEAN SME Showcase & Conference in 2015. The following year, a GREAT Women Regional Training of Trainers on Specialty Coffee gathered womenentrepreneurs to enable them toexpand their businesses in coffeeand enter the supply chain.

“By 2025, ASEAN shall create globally competitive, resilient

and innovative MSMEs that are seamlessly integrated to

The ASEAN Community.”

Inspired by the ASEAN CommunityVision 2025, achievements canalready be seen.

Firstly, the improvement of ruralliving condition through One Village One Product (OVOP) movement. A compilation of best practices and comparative studyof SME business networking was

22

The important and timely online platform, ASEAN SME Academy offers a host of training materialsfor SMEs obtained from membersof the US-ASEAN Business Council, many of which are Fortune 500 companies. Course material contributors includeBaker & McKenzie, Facebook, FedEx, Google, Hewlett Packard,MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPalProcter & Gamble and ILO. Thecourses, for which certificates can be obtained, are in sevenareas: finance, human resource,m a r k e t i n g , m a n a g e m e n t , operation, technology, trade and logistics. To date, socialisationworkshops have been conductedin four of the ASEAN countries.There are plans to conduct similarworkshops in the rest of thecountries.

Getting to these milestones didnot come without challenges. More sustained support fromCSOs would be needed to realisethe outcomes at the national levelsuch as upgrading SME ServiceCentre into a regional e-commerceplatform, translating free coursesprovided by SME Service Academy into local languages and facilitating the adoption of guidelines forMSMEs.

As the current contributions for the blueprints were government- orASEAN-led initiatives, CSOs wereurged to make contributions onways to better implement the work plan using effective and innovative platforms. Possible ideas in whichCSOs could contribute to theSAP for MSME Development were presented:

23

(i) Promote Productivity, Technology and Innovation

Build capacities and share best practices of basic ‘productivity’ and ‘quality’ for micro enterprises; enhance and promote green technology and industries to encourage the use of innovation and technology, particularly for micro enterprises.

(ii) Increase Access to Finance

Build capacities in MSMEs’ financial knowledge to comply withgovernment financing rules; train and share best practices to facilitate adoption of accounting rules, guidelines, and schemes for MSMEs; promote alternative financing for MSMEs (angel investors, venture capital, etc.) to enhance access for both traditional financing and non- traditional/alternative financing.

(iii) Enhance Market Access and Internationalisation

Encourage MSMEs to expand by promoting the utilisation and adoption of e-commerce platform. This would facilitate adoption of ASEAN Free Trade Areas (FTAs) to benefit MSMEs and encourage participation of MSMEs in regional value chains.

(iv) Promote and adopt mentor and mentee programmes to helpenhance policy and regulatory environment

Provide support for micro enterprises in informal sector and their integration in AEC. In collaboration with government, establish one-stop MSMEs centres (MSME clinics) to widen reach to micro enterprises; advocate regulations on business information on available MSME support to informal business owners.

(v) Promote Entrepreneurship & Human Capital Development

Enhance participation of women and youth in MSME sector by promoting and using ASEAN SME Academy; help to establish vocational training and counseling centers for women and youth.


KEY POINTS

The dialogue session opened with elaboration on how the progressof the Blueprints is monitored. The ASCC Council, a ministerial

level council whose members arenationally appointed ministers,oversees the work of ASCC andthe sectoral bodies. They havea responsibility of tracking theprogress of the ASCC Blueprint, andthey are also supported by SeniorOfficials Council which reports24

on the progress of the work plans every year. One of the learning isthat more actions and alignmentto the work plans are required. A recently endorsed monitoringand evaluation mechanism will be put in place to facilitate feedback and reporting at the regional and national levels.

CSO participants were invited toreach out and work closely withthe micro enterprises and localcommunities to help them benefit from the initiatives. CSOs can contribute by channeling theirfeedback and inputs to businessassociations, ASEAN CoordinatingCommittee on MSMEs and/or the ASEAN Secretariat directly.ASEAN Foundation may help tofaciliate this review process withcivil society.

A question of funding mechanism for CSOs to support the

implementation of ASEAN initiatives was raised. BesidesTrack 1 mechanisms which are government-led, CSOs areencouraged to look at Track 2mechanisms which are more open to CSOs, for example,by collaborating with ASEANFoundation which has a broaderscope. CSOs can also tap intofunding supported by dialoguepartners or partner countries of ASEAN. The Regional Cooperationto Empower Rural DevelopmentOrganisations in Asia (ReCoERDO-Asia) was cited as an example of a regional CSO which securedfunding from European Union toimplement grassroot programmesdirectly benefitting NGOs and rural communities. To ease theprocess of accessing these fundingmechanisms, CSO accreditation and good relationships withrelevant governments are implicitcriteria.

25

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

• Women Business Council of Brunei Darussalam.

• National Council of Women of Brunei Darussalam (NCWBD, a member of ASEAN Confederation of Women’sOrganisation (ACWO)).

CAMBODIA

• Cambodian Farmers AssociationFederation of AgricultureProducers (CFAP).

• Cambodia Women EntrepreneurAssociation (CWEA).

INDONESIA

• Association for Women in Small Micro Business Assistance (ASPPUK).

• Bina Desa.• KOWANI (Kongres Wanita

Indonesia / IndonesianNational Council of Women’s Organisation) (a member of ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organisation (ACWO)).

• Persatuan Perusahaan Kosmetik Indonesia (PERKOSMI, a member of ASEAN Cosmetic Association).

• Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI)/Indonesian Peasant Union.

LAO PDR

• Lao Farmer Network.• Lao Business Women’s

Association.• The Lao Disabled Women’s

Development Centre.• Fair Trade Laos Association.

MALAYSIA

• National Council of Women’s Organisation (NCWO) Malaysia.

• DHRAA Malaysia.

MYANMAR

• Agriculture and FarmersFederation of Myanmar (AFFM).

• Proximity Designs.• Myanmar Women Entrepreneur

Association.

THE PHILIPPINES

• Network for Enterprising Women(N.E.W.) (a member of Women’sBusiness Council Philippines).

• Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PHilDHRRA) (a member of AsiaDHRRA).

• Asian Farmers Association (AFA).• Philippine Young Entrepreneurs

Association (a member of ASEAN Young EntrepreneursCouncil).

LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS FROM CIVIL SOCIETY

28

SINGAPORE

• Young Women’s LeadershipConnection.

• Aidha.• Kranji Countryside Association.• Comcrop.• LIEN AID.

THAILAND

• Nokhook Group Co., Ltd.• SEAFDEC.• NCWT.

VIET NAM

• Vietnam Farmers’ Union.• Dragon Vietnam.• Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs

Council (VWEC).• Vietnam Rural Industries

Research and Development Institute (VIRI).

• Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU).

29

“The ASEAN Community shall be characterised as one that engages and benefits its peoples, upheld

by the principles of good governance. It focuses on multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder

engagements, including Dialogue and Development Partners, sub-regional organisations, academia, local governments in provinces, townships, municipalities and cities, private- public partnerships, community

engagement, tripartite engagement with the labour sector, social enterprises, government

organisation, non-governmental organisation, civil society organisation (GO-NGO/CSO) engagement,

corporate social responsibility (CSR), inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue, with emphasis on raising and sustaining awareness and caring societies of ASEAN,

as well as deepening the sense of ASEAN identity. The objective is to enhance commitment,

participation and social responsibility of ASEAN peoples through an accountable and engaging

mechanism for the benefit of all, towards a community of engaged and empowered ASEAN

peoples who are provided the platforms to participate in ASEAN processes as well as to enjoy

the benefits from the various initiatives.”

ASEAN Community Vision 2025

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROMCSO CONSULTATION

KEY CHALLENGES

Many challenges were shared. Among them were economic concerns like market access, profit sharing issues and limited access to farmer-friendly financial credit. Itis costly for farmers to gain accessto financial support, they do nothave supporting documentationto qualify, their debts are rising,while financial institutions are reluctant to support them.There was limited access to landownership and natural resources,

inadequate rural infrastructure,inadequate supporting policiesand rural services such as capacitybuilding and training. Distributionof agricultural products faceconstraints from poor rural-urban connectivity and portsinfrastructure to rural areas. Transportation and logistics costs also hinder farmers from exportingand selling their products:

Human resource issues included lack of young labour and skills in traditional artisanship, limited

THEMATIC SECTOR I:

RURAL DEVELOPMENTAND POVERTY ERADICATION

31

capacity of rural farmers andmore children dropping out of schools because they have tohelp their families. Rural-urban and international migration is aneglected issue which may lead tolong-term repercussions, affectingfamilies and household food safety. The problem of people withproper papers in the rural areas is not openly discussed because of sensitivity. Last but not least CSOstend to work independently of eachother, there is less coordinationand concerted efforts towardsproblem solving and delivering solutions.

There were issues concerning household food security. As an

agrarian community centred onfarming, ironically the community lacks proper production know-how, access to food production chainsand safe food. Climate change and environmental disasters poseconstant threats. Access issues inwater lead to low productivity in rural communities.

Varied definition of poverty,mainstream mind-set of povertyand development that is economicoriented add to the problems. Governments and policy makerslargely indicators on solely economic growth. Identified goalsdo not directly address the gaps in inequality for those living in rural areas.

32

RECOMMENDATIONS

Encourage innovation.

Create regional platforms for CSOs to shareexperiences and learning across ASEAN countries and invest in research and development.

Reward and recognise farmers and organisations forinnovative ideas or initiatives, not unlike the Anot unlike the ASEAN Leadership Award for RDPE. CSOsin Vietnam also organised a similar nation-wideprogramme called “Farmer Initiative Competition”.Help foster creation of new markets through value-added products and better marketing.

Build capacities and balance top-down approach.

Shift mindset on how one thinks of ‘development’,how it should be redefined and measured in termsof livelihood and ‘non-economic’ rural developmentrather than gross income. Document case studies of non-economic oriented rural development and utilise ASEAN spaces for dialogues.

Increase communication among the stakeholders33

and balancetop-downapproach.

Respect grassroot voices and increase platforms forfeedback to be made from the ground. CSOs havehad some success in this area. For example:

• Vietnam CSOs piloted a roundtable discussion for recommendations and solutions to be made at the provincial and regional levels

• Myanmar CSOs held a national conference toshare ideas and knowledge with the local farmers

• Cambodia CSOs strengthened networking capacity within farmer organisations

• Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia CSOs creatednational and regional platforms to discuss issues as well as disseminate information

Train local human resources in negotiation andfacilitation skills to consult more effectively betweenthe peoples and authorities.

Expand programmes to the communes and districts to familiarise more people with their roles in TheASEAN Community Vision 2025. Spaces offered byASEAN and other regional players like the ASEAN Farmers Organisations Support Programme (AFOSP) coordinated by the Asia Farmers Association forSustainable Rural Development (AFA), could be utilised to promote more dialogues. Such initiatives not only serve to strengthen networks among farmersand farming organisations at the local, national and regional levels, it helps to foster trust among thestakeholders and create a sense of belonging andownership.

Improve transparency and standardisation of certification for organic products across ASEAN countries to enable better accountability and traceability.

Share knowledge about the market, products, theirgeographical indicators and certifications.

Improveinfrastructure.

Increase public investment in rural infrastructure to increase efficiency, for example, decentralisingenergy.

Improve connectivity in the rural areas. Involve initiatives and ICT projects that benefit rural communities and involve farming organisations andcommunities in the development process.

34

THEMATIC SECTOR II:

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

KEY CHALLENGES

Distinct benefits of ASEAN werewidely acknowledged, such asASEAN Lane (implementation of free movement for ASEAN nationals at international airportsin countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam);intra-market for entrepreneurs;movement of skilled professionals within ASEAN; general sense of solidarity; annual celebration of ASEAN Women’s Day on 5 July;cultural diversity; vibrant universitynetwork; and a country permanentrepresentative to ASEAN for allmember states.

On the other hand, womencontinued to be victims in myriadforms, greatly affecting their full and equal participation in theeconomic sphere. Compoundingthe problem was a lack of commonunderstanding on Violence againstWomen (VAW), limited technical capabilities to develop effective guidelines and lack of transparencyon national data. The programmesand initiatives of the ACW Work Plan could be more comprehensive.Information about AWEN was notdisseminated at the national level,contributing to the low awareness of the benefits of ASEAN.

35

RECOMMENDATION

Increaseawareness.

Be more visible and communicative so that more people knew about ASEAN and its work. For example, localisation of materials so that non-English speaking communities could relate better, use of social media to spread information and wider distribution of publications. General information about ASEAN could be introduced in the national school curriculum to facilitate the learning of ASEAN.

Set up an ASEAN body to oversee and coordinate with CSOs and women’s organisations such as AWEN and ACWO. Provide resources, publications and channels, which could enable better understanding of the functions and tangible benefits of ASEAN.

Developguidelines

for Violenceagainst Women.

Standardise definitions pertaining to VAW. Improve transparency on the collection and analysis of national data.

Increase technical and financial assistance and involve local universities and CSOs in the research process.

Increasegender

responsive policies andservices for women in MSMEs.

Improve clarity about AWEN its teams and what it does. Ensure adequate representation and resource to provide support at national levels.

Increase technical and financial assistance. Vocational training could be enhanced.

Address paucity of

initiatives inACW work

plan.

Not all key performance indicators had corresponding strategies and action plans. Dialogues between ASEAN and CSOs could be strengthened. Organise a regional platform to map out projects, implementers, funders, etc. to achieve the ACW goals.

Form a women’s angels network to allow opportunities for local projects to tap into alternate funding sources. Initiate programmes on empowering women and supporting women in start-ups.

36

THEMATIC SECTOR III:

MICRO-SMALL-MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMES)

KEY CHALLENGES

Lack of market access and business-friendly government regulationswere foremost in the issues raised.In addition to high cost of setting up businesses and high cost of tax and revenue reporting, a lack of ASEAN spirit among local governments has contributed toprotectionism, hindering regionalintegration. Varied definition of SMEs and women enterprisesor women-led SMEs in different ASEAN member states has createdconfusion. ASEAN’s existing resources could address some of

these gaps, such as the SME ServiceCentre and SME Service Academy,however, CSOs have yet to tap into these resources and networks. The former offers a databaseof buyers and sellers, a support system for organisations as well asa future space for entrepreneurs to advertise products.

DEVELOPMENTS

In spite of the overwhelmingchallenges, the MSME group pointed out a number of currentcontributions that were alignedwith ASEAN’s 2025 goals.

37

(i) Promote Productivity,Technology and Innovation

• Training workshops were conducted mainly in innovative practices, green technologyand production techniques.

• Pitching and hack-a-thon sessions were organised.

(ii) Increase Access To Finance• Training workshops were

conducted to educate womenentrepreneurs on gaining access to finance and to build capacity in accounting and financial management.

• Financial products for women entrepreneurs were developedwith banks .

• Funds were provided tosupport female entrepreneursin designing products.

• Microfinance programmes were developed.

(iii) Enhance Market Access and Internationalisation

• Conferences and trade showsfor matching businesses with regional and international markets were organised (Futuretrade negotiation simulationswould be organised).

• Fair Trade labelling was provided to give enterprisesaccess to niche markets.

• Discussions regarding productstandards and labelling to makeproducts more acceptable forexports were made with thegovernment .

38

RECOMMENDATIONS

Improvemarket access.

Training and sharing of informaton on ISO standards to enable MSMEs to export products to international markets

With support from ASEAN Business Advisory Council’s SME Working Group, create platform to link SMEs to large corporations and businesses in ASEAN.

Develop a regional e-commerce platform in addition to a database and list of e-commerce platforms available in each country.

Upscale and broaden current programmes by ASEAN. For example initiatives like the GREAT Women programme by AWEN, which successfully enabledmicro-entrepreneurs in the Philippines to scale up, could be expanded to other countries. Visibility of AWEN could be further increased if:

• CSOs register with their national Focal Points to be part of AWEN.

• CSOs encourage other CSOs to join AWEN.• AWEN’s national Focal Points organise meetings for

CSOs to share challenges and best practices.

(iv) Enhance Policy andRegulatory Environment

• Support from local governments such as providing retail space for MSMEs was requested.

• A one-step service to assistMSMEs on business registration matters was established.

• Policy recommendations were made to local government agencies by collaborating with key players such as Chambersof Commerce.

• Harmonisation of standards ona national level was lobbied.

(v) Promote Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development

• Capacity building workshopswere conducted for women and youth entrepreneurs as well asfor their families to enable their understanding of and support towards the success of theentrepreneurs.

• Networking events were organised for MSMEs to shareideas with one another.

39

Advocate for business-

friendly government regulations.

Organise consultations to create opportunitiesin lobbying for interests among Civil SocietyOrganisations (CSOs), Business Member Organisations(BMOs), SME Focal Points, ASEAN Secretariat andgovernments of member states. Build capacities of CSOs to voice their needs for better governmentregulations such as:

• Decreasing fees for start-ups.• Introducing more access to government funding for

specific industries to stimulate growth.• Fostering the ASEAN spirit through platforms like

these with the governments. Similarly, the CSOs ineach country could work more closely with ASEANCooperation on Civil Service Matters.

Encourage CSOs to participate in ASEAN’s businesscommunity network such as ACCSME and gain more awareness of their local SME focal points

Enhance relationships between private sector andgovernments, for example, through more collaborationswith ASEAN ABAC.

Share bestpractices.

Help with compilation of best practises and casestudies from MSMEs by conducting a study acrossASEAN countries.

Maintain a database of MSMEs in each ASEAN country, by gender, industry, size of business, etc. It should also include data on inclusiveness such as disability. Thisinformation should be made easily accessible on theInternet.

Standardise definitions of SMEs and others like “women entrepreneur” and “women-led SME.

Improve flow of

information.

Many people were not aware of existing platforms andresources although ASEAN has already published manyuseful documents. For example, ASEAN Statistics is under utlised. Proactive engagements between CSOsand ASEAN such as, through ASEAN e-mailing listto send resources. Similarly, proactive engagementamong CSOs leveraging digital technology for sharinginformation.

40


KEY POINTS

Alternative ways of looking at poverty was offered. Therewere suggestions to share best practices on online platforms toenable women entrepreneurs

to learn more about otherorganisations in the region. Thiscould be empowering, a source of motivation and support for women in start-ups. Suggestions to lessen the impact on MSMEs with the opening of market access werediscussed.

41

THURSDAY, 9 MARCH 2017 Resources Venue

08.00

09.00Registration

Foyer area of Della &

Seng Gee Guild Hall,

Level 1

09.00

09.30

Opening Ceremony

Group Photo

Remarks by Ms. Elaine Tan, Executive

Director of the ASEAN Foundation

Remarks by Mr. Lim Hock Chuan, Chief

Executive of Temasek Foundation

Connects on behalf of S. Rajaratnam

Endowment

ASEAN Member States participants

Representatives from the ASEAN

Foundation and S. Rajaratnam

Endowment

Left Chamber of Della

& Seng Gee Guild Hall,

Level 1

09.30

10.45

Session 1

Talk Show Session:

Introduction to ASEAN,

ASEAN Processes

and Mechanisms, and

Progress Made: Overview

from Three Sectors (Rural

Development, Women’s

Economic Development,

Micro-Small-Medium

Enterprises (MSMEs))

Guest Speakers:

1. H. E. Mr. Sao Chivoan, Chair

Rural Development and Poverty

Eradication (SOMRDPE)

2. Ms. Sanchita Basu-Das, Lead

Researcher for Economic Affairs,

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

3. Ms. Elaine Tan – ASEAN

Foundation Executive Director for

Women’s Economic Development

thematic area



Level 1

FORUM AGENDA

44

09.30

10.45

Followed by Question

and Answer SessionModerator: Mr. Chong Ming Hwee

10.45

11.00Coffee and Tea Break



Level 1

11.00

12.15

Session 2

Talk Show Session:

ASEAN 2025 Forging

Ahead Together –

Characteristics and

Elements of Each ASEAN

Community Blueprint

2025 relevant to the Three

Thematic Sectors

Followed by Question

and Answer Session

Thematic Resource Persons:

1. Ms. Rodora Babaran, Director for

Human Development Directorate,

the ASEAN Secretariat

2. Ms. Lisa Indah Wijayani,

& Stakeholders Engagement

Division, the ASEAN Secretariat

Moderator: Mr. Chong Ming Hwee



Level 1

12.15

13.30Lunch



Level 1

13.30

16.30

World Café/Individual

Workshop with Coffee

and Tea available

Rural Development thematic area:

1. Led by Facilitator: Mr. Vannarith

Chheang, Southeast Asia

Consultant, the Nippon

Foundation

2. Ms. Rodora Babaran (supporting,

alternately with Women’s

Economic Development thematic

area)

3. The assigned Participants

Dalvey Room,

Level 2

13.30

16.30



and Tea available

Women’s Economic Development

thematic area:

1. Led by Facilitator: Ms. Lee

Chen Chen, Director of Policy

Programmes, Singapore Institute

of International Affairs

2. Ms. Rodora Babaran (supporting,

alternately with Rural

Development thematic area)


Evans Room,

Level 2

45

13.30

16.30



and Tea available

Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises

(MSMEs) thematic area:

1. Led by Facilitator: Ms. Melissa

Chong, Project Coordinator,

ASEAN CSR Network

2. Ms. Lisa Indah Wijayani

(supporting)


Cluny Room,

Level 2

17.30 Welcome DinnerInner Chamber

1 & 2

FRIDAY, 10 MARCH 2017 Resources Venue

08.00

09.00Registration


Seng Gee Guild Hall

09.00

12.15


Workshop (continues)Continued from the previous day

Continued from the

previous day

12.15

13.30Lunch



Level 1

13.30

15.00


Workshop ( Continues)Foyer area, Level 2

15.00

15.20

Presentation on Work Plan

– First Group

Followed by Floor

Discussion – inputs from

audience – Wrap Up of

Work Plan First Group

CSO Group Theme: Rural

Development

Presentation by Rural Development

Group Focal Point: Mr. Phoutthasinh

Phimmachanh from Lao Farmer

Network




Level 1

15.20

15.40


– Second Group

CSO Group Theme: Women’s

Economic Development



Level 1

15.20

15.40

Followed by Floor


audience – Wrap Up of

Work Plan Second Group

Presentation by Facilitator: Ms. Lee

Chen Chen




Level 1

46

15.40

16.00


– Third Group

Followed by Floor


audience – Wrap up of

Work Plan Third Group

CSO Group Theme: Micro-Small-

Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

Presentation by Facilitator: Ms. Melissa

Chong




Level 1

16.00

16.15Coffee and Tea Break



Level 1

16.15

16.30Summary of the Forum

Thematic Resource Persons:

1. Ms. Rodora Babaran

2. Ms. Lisa Indah Wijayani




Level 1

16.30

16.45Closing Remarks

Remarks by Ms. Elaine Tan Left Chamber of Della


Level 1

47

ASEAN FoundationJl. Sam Ratulangi No. 2, Menteng,

Jakarta - 10350, INDONESIAP: +62-21-3192 4828F: +62-21-3192-6078

E: [email protected]

$ " ! : ASEAN Foundation

: http://aseanfoundation.org

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