Southeast Asia Regional Program
Recipients include:
developing countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam; and regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Asian Institute of Technology, United Nations regional offices, and regional non-governmental organizations.
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Canada's Commitment
Results
Profile of the Region
Canada's Commitment
The Southeast Asia Regional Program addresses development challenges of regional interest and common commitments that cannot be met effectively through bilateral programming alone. It focuses on issues that transgress national borders or that may be too sensitive to approach on bilateral level, such as emerging infectious diseases and the human rights of migrant populations. It is a small, focused program of approximately $12 million a year. Programs must involve a minimum of three countries within the region as active participants. The program has also supported regional efforts in South-South cooperation among governments at the officials level, civil society partners and networks, and other non-governmental institutions. It is open to new, innovative approaches to partnerships and programming in support of the ASEAN goal to narrow the development gap within the region.
Priorities
- economic integration
- governance, security, and the rule of law
- the environment
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These priorities include a crosscutting focus on poverty reduction and gender equality.
 Results
- The program is supporting six Southeast Asian countries in meeting the requirements of accession to, and/or membership in, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to benefit from their rights as members. Support is also provided to economic research and policy coordination.
- Support to governance and legal-reform projects has raised awareness and observance of the rights of women, children, ethnic minorities, and migrant workers throughout Southeast Asia. Policy dialogue with decision makers in government has helped to integrate gender equality issues into the mainstream of national plans and policies. The program has also supported policy dialogue, consultations, and cooperation on a range of regional security matters. In the area of human/health security the regional program is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, World Health Organization, and national governments in Southeast Asia and China on reducing the threat of emerging infectious diseases such as avian and pandemic influenza. It is also supporting national governments and a UN regional task force to reduce the vulnerability of mobile populations to HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam.
- Technical assistance in environmental economics and urban environmental management is helping to increase expertise and regional collaboration on these issues.
Profile of the Region
Southeast Asia is one of the most populous, diverse, and dynamic regions of the world. There are more than half a billion people, representing a wide range of economic and political systems. The region has a multitude of cultures and religions both within and among nations. It has been the locus of the world’s most dynamic economic growth, with many of its member countries achieving broad-based growth rates and impressive gains in poverty reduction.
The countries of Southeast Asia identify themselves strongly as a region economically, politically, and from a security perspective. Globalization and economic integration are taking on greater importance as regional economic trading agreements are established and as countries join multilateral economic fora, such as the WTO, and adopt common positions in negotiations. Economic integration is the engine of growth that provides the greatest opportunity for the poorer countries of the region to bridge the development gap. The Asian financial crises of 1997 and the contagion that followed into world markets highlighted the region’s close interrelationship with the global economy. Serious negative economic, social, and environmental impacts were felt particularly by the poor. Regional migration and human trafficking increased in response to these pressures.
On the positive side, greater awareness was created of the need for better governance systems and more sustainable development strategies. Security concerns and internal conflicts continue to create uncertainty. The outbreak of avian influenza is both a health and food security threat to the rural poor and is a cause for significant concern in the region and around the world, given the potential for a pandemic.
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