The ASEAN Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Networking Forum was held inManila , the Philippines on December 16-17 to discuss PPP as aninnovative financing mechanism to realise the Master Plan on ASEANConnectivity (MPAC), according to the ASEAN Secretariat’s press release.

Theforum brought together senior officials and experts from variousagencies in the ten member countries, international financialorganisations and development partners.

They shared experience,discussed proposed PPP guidelines and explored strategies to attract theprivate sector’s investment in infrastructure in the region.

Inaddition, they also touched upon issues related to mobilising resourcesfor MPAC through PPP, countries’ experience on PPP, proposed ASEANPPP Guidelines/Principles, and creating a more conducive environment toPPP at the regional, national and local government levels.

Theforum was organised by the Philippine Permanent Mission to ASEAN withsupport from the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), theOffice of ASEAN Affairs of the Philippines’ Department of ForeignAffairs (DFA), and the PPP Center of the Philippines . It wassupported by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia(ERIA) and ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU (ARISE).-VNA