Report of the NEAT Working Group on
"A New Wave of Urbanization: Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Collaboration" held in Singapore
Friday, 1 August 2014
Overview
“Urbanization” generally refers to the “growth of towns and cities” and is a process marked mainly by the flow of people from rural to urban areas. Urbanization and industrialization often go hand-in-hand, with people leaving agricultural and farming occupations in rural areas for manufacturing and service jobs in towns and cities.
The global urban population has grown rapidly since 1950, from 746 million to 3.9 billion in 2014. Despite its lower rate of urbanization, Asia is home to 53% of the world’s urban population, followed by Europe at 14%, and Latin America and the Caribbean at 13%. The UN estimates that continuing population growth and urbanization will add 2.5 billion people to the world’s urban population by 2050. Asia and Africa are expected to contribute to nearly 90% of this increase.
As a significant part of Asia that will have to grapple with the anticipated and accelerated growth in urban population, it is imperative for the ASEAN Plus Three countries (APT) to better plan the growth of their cities to manage not only economic growth but also other social and environmental considerations.
For the full text of the report, click here.
NEAT Working Group Meeting on the
Governance of Extractive Industries in East Asia
Depok, Indonesia, 19 August 2014
Hosted by NEAT Indonesia
I. Preamble
The future of the East Asian Community is shaped by collective action to respond and manage common challenges, including the need for sustainable management of mineral and energy resources. The high growth in East Asian countries consumes a lot of mineral and energy. Since petroleum and mineral resources is non-renewable, the economic development can only be maintained by putting in a balance between the pressure for natural resources extraction and the need for their sustainability.
For some countries in East Asia, natural resources have become the main pillar of economic development. However, economic problems in the extractive industries are also varied, ranging from unequal distribution to black market. In addition, extractive industries can create severe social and environmental problems. Therefore, countries with abundant natural resources are not always benefited from the sectors. All these problems need to be addressed in national as well as regional level.
East Asian countries can work together to address the extractive industry problems based on the spirit of equality and mutual benefit as stated in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC, Article 5). The APT Cooperation Work Plan 2013-2017 has included the enhancing of energy cooperation (2.7) and mineral cooperation (2.8). In addition, under the cooperation to deepen political and security cooperation, APT leaders have agreed topromotegoodgovernance (1.1.5). The promotion of good governance can also be included in the cooperation on extractive industries.
For the full text of the report, click here.
Four NEAT working groups were organized in 2015. The following are the areas of discussion:
Studies were undertaken and policy recommendations were formulated.
Report of the NEAT Working Group on Urbanisation:
"Towards Good Urban Planning: Sustainable Development and Better Quality of Life"
Held in Singapore
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Overview
More than half of the world’s population already resides in urban areas. The United Nations has observed that Asia is currently home to 53% of the world’s urban population, followed by Europe at 14%, and Latin America and the Caribbean at 13%. It estimates that continuing population growth and urbanisation will add 2.5 billion people to the world’s urban population by 2050. Asia and Africa are expected to contribute nearly 90% of this increase.
The ASEAN plus Three (APT) countries in Asia have to grapple with the challenges and opportunities of this expected acceleration in urban population growth in the coming years. Last year, the NEAT Working Group (WG) on Urbanisation examined the broad trends of urbanisation in the APT countries arising largely from the rural-urban migration. The WG shared experiences and best practices related to the urbanisation process in general and made some recommendations to foster cooperation among the APT countries in this area.
Building on this foundation, NEAT Singapore decided to embark on Phase II this year by examining the specific area of urban planning, a critical component in ensuring positive outcomes for residents living in a city. The concentration of people in urban areas has raised urban density, and with that, led to increasing demand for land use. It is therefore extremely important to plan a city well to ensure that it develops in a manner that achieves optimal economic, social and sustainability outcomes in spite of physical constraints, the competing demands for land use and the lack of resources.
For the full text of the report, click here.
NEAT Working Group on Urbanisation:
Maritime Cooperation in East Asia
Final Report
Tokyo
5 August 2015
I. Introduction
In East Asia, regional cooperation and integration have been in progress especially in such areas as economy, finance, education and disaster management through institutionalization of such frameworks as the ASEAN plus Three (APT) in 1997 and the East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2005 as well as the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community which is expected to be implemented at the end of 2015. In ASEAN, efforts have been devoted to expedite smooth flow of people and goods within the region, thereby reinforcing connectivity of various kinds which would increase the level of intra-regional economic integration. One of the principal pillars of such efforts is to ensure maritime connectivity in the region based on "freedom of navigation." Not only ASEAN member countries but also Japan and other countries in East Asia should not spare efforts to realize firm establishment of observance of the international law including the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," as well as to take concrete and cooperative actions to render the sea in the region "open and stable."
With regard to maritime cooperation in East Asia on the governmental level, such joint actions and measures as to enhance maritime cooperation to secure safety of navigation and to forge closer cooperation in fighting against sea piracy, hijacking and smuggling, etc. were included in "ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan 2013 - 2017" which was adopted at the Fifteenth ASEAN Plus Three Summit in 2013. Besides, responding to the proposal submitted by the government of Japan on the occasion of the Sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2011 of the importance of creating a forum for discussion on maritime cooperation in the region, it has been so arranged that Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) including the EAS participating countries are convened back-to-back with the existing ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF). To date, three meetings of EAMF have been convened. In the past meetings of EAMF, topics including enhancement of regional cooperation on maritime issues, the idea of freedom of navigation etc. were discussed. Also, proposals have been made by the EAMF participating countries that EAMF should be so reinforced as to become a forum in which strategic and comprehensive discussions can be made on maritime issues as well as on maritime cooperation.
For the full text of the report, click here.
NEAT Working Group on
East Asian Poverty Reduction
Final Report
Beijing, China
10 July 2015
Introduction
The NEAT Working Group Meeting on East Asian Poverty Reduction sponsored by NEAT China was held in Beijing on 10 July 2015. Twenty-five scholars from 11 of the ASEAN+3 countries participated in the meeting. Brunei and Vietnam were absent.
The theme of this Working Group Meeting is “Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Poverty Reduction in the Context of post-2015 Development Agenda”. Poverty is usually measured as either absolute or relative, with the former characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs while the latter being an index of income inequality. Although East Asia has seen the most impressive reduction in absolute poverty during the last two decades, poverty remains a major obstacle toward a region of prosperity. According to World Bank, about 350 million people in Southeast Asia, almost 44% of the world’s poor, still live in absolute poverty. And the income inequality in East Asia rose by over 20 percent in the past 20 years, which has aggregated the imbalance in economic development within and between the regional economies.
The NEAT Working Group on East Asian Poverty Reduction is oriented towards three specific goals. First, share information and expertise. Second, examine existing regional cooperation mechanisms and practices against the backdrop of the forthcoming post-2015 Development Agenda. The purpose is to build on the achievements of the past and find out the challenges in advancing the agenda. Third, produce practical and specific policy recommendations on poverty reduction and sustainable development.
For the full text of the report, click here.
NEAT Working Group on
Enhancement of Regional Health in East Asia with
Special Reference to the Public Health and Universal Health Coverage
Draft Final Report
Tokyo
6th July 2016
Introduction
In East Asia, as exemplified by the institutionalization of ASEAN+3 (APT) in 1997 and East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2005, regional cooperation and integration have advanced particularly in such areas as economy, finance, education, and disaster preparedness, etc. Worthy to note is the burgeoning economic interdependence deriving from establishment of an intra-regional supply chain in parallel with the rapid economic development. Under the circumstances, the question of how to maintain and promote health of the people or how to develop cooperation in healthcare appears to be an indispensable agenda for sustainable development in the region, let alone a common issue for humanity at large.
The international society has made efforts for health promotion including improvement of the health condition of pregnant women, prevention of such disease as HIV / AIDS and malaria, etc., as an integral development goal under the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established in 2000. The issue of healthcare has been on the agenda of the summit meetings among major countries, leading to the establishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These efforts have resulted in many achievements, such as the significant decreases of such disease as malaria and tuberculosis as well as the mortality of pregnant women.
For the full text of the report, click here.
NEAT Working Group Meeting on
"Towards Seamless Connectivity: Transforming Multi-modal Transport System into Economic Corridors"
Final Report
Bangkok
August 2015
Introduction
In light of the ASEAN Charter, which became effective in 2008, ASEAN has invested immense effort into building three pillars of the ASEAN community: the ASEAN Political-Security Community (ASPC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). Regional connectivity has been identified as an important mechanism that lends support to the establishment of the three pillars, as it can strengthen intra-regional political integration, propel economic growth and increase interactions, and therefore understanding, among ASEAN citizens. To enhance regional connectivity, ASEAN is in the process of implementing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC), which aims to, inter alia, connect physical infrastructure, standardize border-crossing processes, and promote people-to-people connectivity within the region.
Since ASEAN countries, on the one hand, and China, Japan, and Republic of Korea, on the other, have enjoyed strong trade relations and deepened diplomatic ties, it is clear that benefits of ASEAN connectivity can be more fully realized by embracing China, Japan and Republic of Korea as equal partner countries. A broader and more synergized scope of cooperation on regional connectivity within ASEAN Plus Three has the potential not only to generate a greater volume of economic and non-economic activities but to also move member countries closer towards the long-term goal of achieving an East Asian Community (EAC). As such, the Statement on ASEAN Plus Three Partnership on Connectivity was adopted in the ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh in 2013. The Statement testifies to a commitment of ASEAN Plus Three to enhance connectivity within the region.
For the full text of the report, click here.
The Road Towards the East Asia Economic Community (EAEC) 2020
Report of the NEAT Working Group
July 2016
Beijing
The idea of an “East Asia Economic Community” (EAEC) originates from the proposal of building an “East Asia community” (EAc) by the East Asia Vision Group (EAVG I) in 2001. The EAVG I expected that “the economic field, including trade, investment and finance, is to serve as the catalyst in this community-building process”. Ten years later, the second East Asian Vision Group (EAVG II) proposed “Realizing an East Asia Economic Community (EAEC) by 2020” as a main pillar for regional cooperation and community building. The proposal was adopted by the APT Commemorative Summit in Cambodia in 2012.
Since then, significant progress has been made towards such a goal, including, for example, the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the launching of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) and the transition of the APT Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) to an international organization, the launch of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, etc. However, despite such progress and political will, the EAEC building still seems to lack momentum. Unlike the AEC, the EAEC so far has not yet developed any master plan or work plan. With only four years to go, skepticism and pessimism arises on the realization of the goal.
In order to assess the EAEC process, identify the major opportunities and challenges on its way, and produce action-oriented policy recommendations in the hope of turning the vision into reality, NEAT China hosted a Working Group Meeting on “The Road towards the EAEC 2020” in Beijing on July 1, 2016. About 30 participants from the APT countries attended the Meeting and contributed their wisdom based on solid academic research. The Working Group Report is produced on the basis of their papers, presentations and discussions. It consists of five sections. Section 1 is a brief review of East Asia’s experience in regional economic integration and cooperation. Section 2 reflects on the conception of the EAEC. Section 3 and Section 4 respectively discusses the main opportunities and challenges for the progress and realization of the EAEC. Section 5 highlights major policy recommendations for the EAEC building proposed at the Meeting.
For the full text of the report, click here.
In 2016, four NEAT working groups were organized. The following areas were discussed:
- Crisis Management in the ASEAN + 3 countries; Migration: In Search for Proper Management
- The Road towards the East Asia Economic Community (EAEC) 2020
- Enhancement of Regional Health in East Asia with Special Reference to the Public Health and Universal Health Coverage
- Institutional Sustainability of NEAT: Towards the East Asian Community
Studies on these topics were undertaken and policy recommendations were formulated.
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