MoU on Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative signed
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi and Australian Ambassador to ASEAN Will Nankervis have signed a memorandum of understanding on the Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative (Aus4 ASEAN Futures Initiative).
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi (R) and Australian Ambassador Will Nankervis show the signed MoU. (Photo: asean.org)
Jakarta (VNA) - ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi and AustralianAmbassador to ASEAN Will Nankervis have signed a memorandum of understandingon the Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative (Aus4 ASEAN Futures Initiative).
In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Lim said not only does it intend toaddress complex regional challenges such as health security, along withpromoting the circular economy, the Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative will alsosupport the practical implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacificand enable greater support for cross-sectoral initiatives across all threeASEAN Community pillars.
This expansion includes the ASEAN Political Security andthe Socio-Cultural Communities, as well as the ASEAN Economic Communitysupported under Australia for ASEAN – Economicand Connectivity, the successor programme to the ASEAN-AustraliaDevelopment Cooperation Program Phase II (AADCP II), he noted.
The MoU on the Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative will facilitate flexible anddemand-driven development cooperation activities between the two sides, byproviding an overarching framework under which development cooperationprogrammes may be jointly identified, designed, implemented, monitored, andevaluated.
For his part, Nankervis noted the MoU signing was an importantstep in advancing the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,adding his country is committed to ensuring the partnership delivers realsubstance for ASEAN, Australia and the region.
The initiative will take forward projects jointly agreed betweenASEAN and Australia that address complex challenges like climate change, healthsecurity, transnational crime, healthy oceans, the circular economy and energytransition. It will provide a flexible mechanism that supports all three ASEANcommunity pillars – economic, socio-cultural and political-security – as wellas crosscutting issues including connectivity, headded./.
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ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi (R) and Australian Ambassador Will Nankervis show the signed MoU. (Photo: asean.org) 
