ASEAN Integration Report 2022: Report Launch & Public Forum
As part of the continuing efforts for IDEAS’ ASEAN Prosperity Initiative(API) initiated in 2018, the ASEAN Integration Report for 2022 launching and public forum was hosted on the 8th Merdeka@31of November 2022 at Aloft Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), the launch featured the publication of a report monitoring the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 since 2015. The report is centred on the five pillars of AEC Blueprint 2025; i. Highly Integrated and Cohesive Economy, ii. Competitive, Innovative, and Dynamic ASEAN, iii. Enhance Connectivity and Sectoral Cooperation, iv. Resilient, Inclusive, People-Oriented and People-Centered ASEAN, and v. A Global ASEAN.
With only three years of implementation left for the AEC Blueprint 2025, the report evaluates all five pillars to take stock of what has been achieved so far and conversely which areas have seen little progress. Focus on the developments over the past five years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic was greatly noted in this report. The report also covered analyses of how the pandemic impacted progress before touching into the policy recommendations on how the end goals of the blueprint can be achieved.
The research was conducted by including input from a diverse range of stakeholders from across ASEAN through interviews, including representatives from multilateral organisations, businesses, and academic institutions. This report is heavily focused on the first pillar of the AEC Blueprint 2025, which is on a Highly Integrated & Cohesive Economy, where more developments or absence thereof were observed pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic. IDEAS gathered nine regional authors to contribute to the progress made in the first pillar. The sub-pillars for High Integrated & Cohesive Economy are as follows:
- Trade in Goods by Prof Dr Evelyn Shyamala
- Trade in Servicesby Dr Lurong Chen and Yuanita Suhud
- Investment Environment
- Financial Integration, Financial Inclusion, and Financial Stability by Dr Poppy Sulistyaning Winanti
- Facilitating Movement of Skilled Labour and Business Visitors by Dr Katrina S Navallo
- Enhancing Participation in Global Value Chains by Dr Upalat Korwatanasakul and Dr Adiasri Putri Purbantina
The launch event was set in a hybrid setting, which saw the Opening Remark speech by Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff, Head of the Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia
Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) and Welcoming Remark speech by Dr Tricia Yeoh, Chief Executive of IDEAS Malaysia. An introduction to ASEAN Integration Report 2022 was presented by Dr Juita Mohamad, the Director of Research and Director of the Economics and Business at IDEAS Malaysia. A forum was then followed to deliberate the authored sections of the report. Recordings and photo galleries of the event can be viewed below:
Photos Gallery:
Recording of the Events:
Download Tentative Programme as per 25 October 2022 Here