ASEAN offers training to improve capacity building for Timor-Leste. (Photo: asean.org)

Jakarta (VNA) - The ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), in collaboration with the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB), conducted the first of four clusters of Capacity Building Programme(CBP) for Timor-Leste’s Accession to the ASEAN Economic Agreements from February 7-9 in Dili.

The CBP aimed to ramp up Timor-Leste’s readiness to the economic agreements and instrumentsunder the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) pillar. Under the programme, ASECstaff from the AEC Department were dispatched to Timor-Leste.

As thefirst of the series, the training under Cluster I was geared towards buildingknowledge and facilitating greater understanding of AEC’s work, its processes,and mechanisms as well as the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and Narrowingthe Development Gap (IAI&NDG).

Inaddition, a session with the private sector was held to exchange views on theirrole in the accession process to enable them to effectively participate andbenefit from the economic agreements. The programme provided immersive andengaging learning experiences for the participants through interactivediscussions on the relevant aspects of the ASEAN economic integrationagenda. 

In his opening remarks, Satvinder Singh, DeputySecretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community, reassured Timor-Lesteon ASEC’s commitment to support their capacity development in the preparationand accession of their full membership to the regional organisation and in theimplementation of the various ASEAN economic agreements.

Hefurther acknowledged CBP as an importaꦉnt platform to boost capacity andhelp expedite Timor-Leste’s accession process. He called upon theofficials to take this opportunity to benefit from and tap on the availabletechnical resource during the training. The thr♛ee-day training was participatedin by 63 officials from various ministries and agencies of Timor-Leste./.