Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership
Pursuant to the adoption of the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership at the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference + 1 Session with Canada on 22 July 2009 in Phuket, Thailand, this Plan of Action will implement objectives set forth in the Joint Declaration, building upon the ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Work Plan 2007-2010.
The ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action (POA) 2010-2015 will lay the foundation for enhanced partnership and cooperation between ASEAN and Canada in shared priorities, including political, security, economic and socio-cultural issues; and will be implemented, in a concrete and mutually beneficial manner, subject to domestic laws, regulations and national policy, and on a multilateral and bilateral basis, over the next five years (2010-2015).
The POA is a further demonstration of Canada’s continued support for the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN integration and ASEAN’s efforts in realising the ASEAN Community by 2015 consisting of three pillars: ASEAN’s Political and Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Social-Cultural Community.
ASEAN and Canada will work and consult closely in responding to regional and international challenges, and in building an ASEAN-centred regional architecture which is open and inclusive, promotes the development of enhanced ASEAN connectivity which will help foster the building of an ASEAN Community by 2015, and promotes shared values and norms, while respecting the diversity and particularity within the region.
1. Political and Security Cooperation
1.1. Deepening Political Cooperation
1.1.1. Enhance cooperation and strengthen ASEAN’s efforts to implement the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint, in order to help promote peace, stability, security, democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, rule of law, good governance, development and prosperity in the region as inscribed in the ASEAN Charter;
1.1.2. Encourage closer interaction and cooperation to forge shared norms and create mechanisms to achieve common goals and objectives in the political and security fields;
1.1.3. Strengthen cooperation under the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia acceded by Canada in 2010;
1.1.4. Continue to hold annual meetings and consultations within the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Relations framework such as the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC+1) Session with Canada and the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue to discuss international and regional issues of mutual interest;
1.1.5. Enhance cooperation at the United Nations (UN) on issues of mutual interest and common concern, including, inter alia, UN reform, matters affecting international peace and security, terrorism, and development;
1.1.6. Cooperate to strengthen the multilateral system as well as expand and deepen interaction and coordination within multilateral frameworks, including the UN and other bodies within the UN system and, when deemed appropriate, carry out consultations between ASEAN and Canada at the margins of those fora; and
1.1.7. Cooperate to support and assist ASEAN towards strengthening the rule of law, through sharing of experiences and best practices, by conducting workshops and seminars on judiciary systems and legal infrastructure, good governance in public and private sectors and effective and efficient civil services.
1.2. Security Cooperation
1.2.1. Strengthen cooperation with ASEAN in the context of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), cooperate on the implementation of the ARF Vision Statement especially in the area of Preventive Diplomacy (PD);
1.2.2. Develop joint activities, as appropriate, to promote peace and security and a habit of constructive dialogue and practical cooperation in the region and to support ASEAN’s role as the driving force in the ARF process;
1.2.3. Where possible, these activities should align with and support the work of the relevant ARF Inter-Sessional Meetings (ISMs) on Disaster Relief, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Maritime Security, and, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and the ongoing efforts to develop an ARF Work Plan on Preventive Diplomacy and any other existing security fora under the ASEAN umbrella; and
1.2.4 Support the implementation of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty as an effective instrument in promoting and strengthening nuclear non-proliferation in all aspects and in peaceful use of nuclear energy, and support ASEAN’s efforts in encouraging nuclear weapon states to accede to the Protocol of SEANWFZ Treaty.
1.3. Human Rights, Good Governance, Democracy and Rule of Law
1.3.1. Collaborate with ASEAN on human rights through regional dialogues, seminars and workshops, education and awareness raising activities, as well as exchanges of best practices and other capacity building initiatives aimed at enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. This includes supporting the work of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), which is the first regional mechanism and overarching institution for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN, and its work plan;
1.3.2. Promote sharing of experiences and best practices through workshops and seminars on good governance, democracy, and human rights; and
1.3.3. Strengthen and deepen cooperation with ASEAN against corruption, through, inter alia, encouraging the ratification or accession to, and implementation of, the UN Convention Against Corruption.
1.4. Counter-terrorism and transnational crime
1.4.1. Strengthen and deepen cooperation with ASEAN against transnational organized crime through, inter alia, international instruments such as encouraging the signature, ratification or accession to, and implementation of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols, including through dialogue on the development of an effective, inclusive and transparent review mechanism as a key step towards their implementation;
1.4.2. Explore the possibility for mutually beneficial cooperation, especially in capacity building, professional development, and information sharing in relation to combating transnational crime;
1.4.3. Encourage the exchange of expertise and best practices to prevent and combat trafficking in persons;
1.4.4. Encourage the exchange of information and cooperation to prevent people smuggling between our regions;
1.4.5. Work within the frameworks provided by the relevant international organizations, to enhance cooperation to combat illicit drug trafficking in the region by strengthening measures to prevent the illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and their precursor chemicals, as well as regional cooperation in controlled delivery, and enhancing cross-border law enforcement cooperation through, inter alia, information sharing, exchange of best practices and capacity building in combating drug trafficking;
1.4.6 Work towards the drug-free ASEAN by 2015 based upon, as appropriate, the ASEAN Work Plan on Combating Illicit Drug Production, Trafficking and Use 2009-2015 and the 2009 UN Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation Towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem;
1.4.7. Implement, in a systematic and comprehensive manner, the ASEAN-Canada Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism and deepen cooperation under the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Work Plan on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime;
1.4.8. Cooperate and support ASEAN’s efforts in implementing the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, signed in January 2007, as well as ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counter Terrorism;
1.4.9. Strengthen efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction by promoting implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004), including through the sharing of best practices, while acknowledging the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1540 should be done at national discretions of each state in accordance with their domestic situation and national legislation;
1.4.10. Continue Canada’s engagement in the region on counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateral fora with the continued potential for support for ASEAN through the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program and with existing centres such as the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok, the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism (SEARCCT) in Kuala Lumpur, and the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC); and
1.4.11. Enhance technical assistance, capacity building and information sharing in order to prevent and combat terrorist and transnational crime threats in the region.
1.5. Interfaith Dialogue
1.5.1. Encourage activities aimed at the promotion of a culture of peace and development through interfaith dialogue within the region and support the participation of civil society, religious groups, academia, and youth in such initiatives.
2. Economic Cooperation
2.1. Trade and investment
2.1.1. Build on existing economic cooperation and initiatives between ASEAN and Canada and further enhance trade and investment opportunities through, inter alia, the conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) between ASEAN and Canada;
2.1.2. Strengthen engagement and dialogue between ASEAN Economic Ministers and Canada’s Minister of Trade, and their officials, where appropriate, to explore ways to further develop trade and investment linkages;
2.1.3. Facilitate networking and joint collaboration between investors, producers, processors, manufacturers and exporters, including greater involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in ASEAN and Canada and promote mutual trade and investment missions by ASEAN and Canadian business communities;
2.1.4. Support ASEAN’s efforts towards a strengthened rules-based multilateral trading system by taking full account of the special needs and concerns of developing countries. Reaffirm ASEAN’s support to an early, ambitious and successful conclusion of the Doha Round and the Doha Development Agenda, which better serves the needs and interests of developing countries. ASEAN notes the importance of World Trade Organization (WTO) capacity building as a means to permit developing countries to reap the full benefits of their membership in the WTO; and
2.1.5 Enhance development cooperation in support for the early accession of the Lao PDR to the WTO.
2.2. Multilateral and regional institutions
2.2.1. Strengthen and promote regional and multilateral efforts and cooperation to address the global financial crisis and other emerging global issues and reinforce global trade system through strategic dialogue and fora such as WTO and APEC;
2.2.2. Support the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s five core specializations that reflect needs of its borrowing members and complement efforts of development partners – (1) infrastructure; (2) environment, including climate change; (3) regional cooperation and integration; (4) financial sector development; and (5) education. Projects could be regional or country specific in nature;
2.2.3. Expand and deepen interaction and coordination within multilateral (especially the UN and its agencies) and regional (including civil society organizations) frameworks, on issues of common concern and mutual interest, and when deemed appropriate, carry out consultations between ASEAN and Canada at the margins of these fora; and
2.2.4. Support ASEAN’s continuing active contribution to multilateral efforts including the G-20.
2.3. Energy
2.3.1. Promote and encourage cooperation towards achieving sustainable development and energy security goals. Support both public and private sector cooperation, including through exchange of information, sharing of best practices, capacity building, and facilitating financing and investments, research, development, production and use of alternative, renewable and other low emitting energy sources that could possibly include natural gas, solar, wind, tides and waves, hydro, geothermal, biofuel, biomass, marsh gas, fuel cell etc. as well as in areas such as energy conservation, energy efficiency, clean energy and related capacity building; and
2.3.2. Support the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2010-2015, especially programmes and projects in areas such as ASEAN Power Grid, Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline, coal and clean coal technology, renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, regional energy policy and planning, and civilian nuclear energy, energy infrastructures and other related energy issues.
2.4. Finance
2.4.1. Contribute to reforming the global economic and financial architecture to safeguard the global and regional economies from future crises, particularly through, initiatives that promote greater financial regulatory reforms; and
2.4.2. Promote and strengthen cooperation on financial infrastructure and capital market development in order to advance sustainable growth in the challenging global economy.
2.5. Transport
2.5.1. Promote trade and business opportunities between ASEAN and Canada by encouraging cooperation between seaport facilities in ASEAN and Canada, and inter alia, through workshops and seminars;
2.5.2. Encourage closer cooperation in enhancing connectivity in ASEAN through the transfer of knowledge and exchange of views and experiences on development of integrated logistical systems for gateways and corridors; and
2.5.3. Promote transport environment sustainability through various training workshops, seminars, and case studies on the effects of transportation on climate change and current and future opportunities to mitigate these effects.
2.6. Food, Agriculture and Forestry
2.6.1. Promote networking and cooperation between government authorities concerned, together with agriculture and food experts, laboratories, and agriculture and food-related academic institutions and farmers of ASEAN and Canada;
2.6.2. Support the implementation of ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and the Strategy of Action for Food Security (SPA-FS) and the Comprehensive Framework for Action of the High Level Taskforce on World Security Crisis in accordance with the ASEAN Statement on Food Security in the ASEAN Region;
2.6.3. Explore the possibility for cooperation with the Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF);
2.6.4. Strengthen cooperation on food security, in particular to promote investment, capacity building, sharing of experience and best practices, research and development, agricultural innovation as well as infrastructure development in the agricultural sector; and
2.6.5. Enhance cooperation on food security in accordance with the ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework (AIFS Framework) and the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security.
2.7. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
2.7.1. Encourage cooperation on human resources development, joint activities and capacity building programs such as but not limited to the areas of ICT high-skilled professional, bridging digital divide, e-government, e-commerce, radio-frequency identification, and ICT application to mitigate impacts of climate change.
3. Socio-Cultural Cooperation
3.1 Environment
Climate Change
3.1.1. Enhance cooperation between ASEAN and Canada through the exchange of knowledge and experience and examine scope for exchange of information on climate change; and
3.1.2. Promote and develop cooperation multilaterally, regionally and bilaterally, as appropriate, on environment and climate change related issues.
Coastal and Marine
3.1.3. Support the inter-agency and inter-sectoral coordination at the international level to achieve sustainable development of ASEAN’s coastal and marine environment;
3.1.4. Support and promote conservation and sustainable management of key ecosystems in coastal and marine habitats in order to maintain and protect marine parks and the “Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security”;
3.1.5. Support and promote the sustainable use costal and marine environment through public awareness campaign; and
3.1.6. Promote environmental sustainability through capacity building and capacity of the economic benefit for fishery and coastal community.
3.2. Science and Technology
3.2.1 Encourage S&T cooperative activities in collaboration with the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST) in area such as ASEAN-Canada virtual academic networks in key mutual sectors including alternative and clean energy; health and life sciences, pandemic diseases; environment; agriculture and bio-agriculture; marine science; biotechnology; food science; interactive digital media; microelectronics and information technology; materials science; earth science; meteorology and geophysics; space technology and applications; technology transfer and management;
3.2.2. Encourage cooperation in capacity-building for ASEAN’s science and technology authorities, institutions, through, inter alia, exchange of information and best practices, training courses, seminars, workshops, conferences, research, and exchange of visits by scientists, technicians, media people, and government officials.
3.3. Disaster Management and Emergency Response
3.3.1. Support innovative approaches by and through ASEAN to improve the regions ability to mitigate and prepare for transboundary aspects of natural disasters and hazards;
3.3.2 Support ASEAN in implementing the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), in line with other multilateral cooperation mechanisms and collaboration by seeking to reduce vulnerability to disasters through:
- Strengthen regional approaches to disaster risk reduction and to reduce vulnerability to disaster by:
A. Promote enhanced coordination of disaster management policies, in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action;
B. Mobilize stakeholders to identify disaster risks and to mitigate disaster impacts and development losses from natural hazards;
C. Share of good practices and lessons learned in reducing natural risks and hazards in ASEAN;
- Support ASEAN to enhance partnerships between governments and civil society as stakeholders in disaster-proofing national development planning processes by:
A. Develop consultation and coordination mechanisms for the implementation of priority interventions to reduce natural hazard risks;
B. Strengthen partnerships and collaborative mechanisms between all levels of government and civil society, including the private sector and the use of public-private partnerships to reduce disaster risks; and
C. Consolidate available technical expertise and documentation, including the identification of gaps and better practices.
3.3.3. Assist ASEAN member states to strengthen existing national capabilities and build capacities where necessary to participate effectively in the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).
3.4. Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers
3.4.1. Encourage efforts to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers in Southeast Asia in compliance with the Cebu Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers adopted at the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines and support the work of the ASEAN Committee on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
3.5. Multiculturalism
3.5.1. Collaborate with ASEAN with the objective of promoting respect for diversity and cultural pluralism.
3.6. Health and Pandemic Preparedness and Response
3.6.1. Collaborate on public health and pandemic preparedness and response with ASEAN, through the Canada-Asia Regional Emerging Infectious Diseases (CAREID) project being implemented by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
3.7. Natural resources
3.7.1. Collaborate on sustainable forest management issues including, but not limited to, economic diversification, climate change, governance and others;
3.7.2. Assist through targeted capacity building activities such as training workshops and case studies to increase knowledge and awareness of issues such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies and potential applications of CCS in Southeast Asia;
3.7.3. Promote responsible development of mineral resources through workshops and diffusion of information about regulatory and policy approaches to address economic, environmental and social challenges, through continued collaboration with ASEAN, including within the framework of the APEC Mining Task Force (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (Philippines); and
3.7.4 Strengthen collaboration and assist ASEAN’s efforts in water resource protection through consultation, information sharing and capacity building.
3.8. Education, Culture and People-to-People Contacts
3.8.1. Enhance cooperation in ASEAN according to the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation on Education to Achieve an ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community;
3.8.2. Promote greater awareness and appreciation of ASEAN among its peoples through the implementation of the ASEAN Communication Plans including the use of innovative media platforms, educational exchanges, vocational training and people-to-people contacts especially among the youth and media. Provide more Canadian scholarships programs, conduct exchange of students and teachers/lecturers, joint research, university partnerships and other activities to foster greater awareness, respect and understanding among the peoples;
3.8.3. Explore the opportunity for university linkages and support cooperation by both public and private sectors with ASEAN to enhance the exchange of academics, teachers, and student between ASEAN and Canada including through the ASEAN University Network (AUN);
3.8.4. Promote universal access to education and improve the quality of education at all levels including technical, vocational, skills training education in the ASEAN region and Canada by developing a technical assistance programme including training for teaching staff and staff exchange;
3.8.5. Provide capacity building through overseas educational exchange programmes between ASEAN and Canada, including expansion of cooperation in English language learning; and
3.8.6. Promote greater awareness and better understanding of each other’s culture, customs and faiths among ASEAN and Canada, including through regular people-to-people contacts, exchanges in culture, arts such as cultural festivals, art exhibitions, film festivals, youth camps and media exchanges.
4. Follow-up Mechanisms
4.1. The two sides will endeavour to implement the joint activities and programmes under this Plan of Action;
4.2. Regularly review the progress of implementation of Plan of Action through the existing mechanisms of the ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations; and
4.3. Submit progress reports on the implementation of the Plan of Action to the annual ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) + 1 with Canada.
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