Australia pledges grants to support Australia-ASEAN relationship
The Australian Government will support 38 community, university and business projects to strengthen collaboration between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which have been awarded funding through the Australia-ASEAN Council and the Australia-Indonesia Institute.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (right) greets Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (left) during the Australia-ASEAN Summit in Melbourne on Monday, March 4, 2024. (Photo: AFP)
Melbourne (VNA) – The Australian Government will support 38 community, universityand💞 business projects to strengthen collaboration between Australia and theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which havebeen awarded funding through 𓆏the Australia-ASEAN Council and theAustralia-Indonesia Institute.
Accordingly, theAustralia-ASEAN Council will support the Australia-ASEAN Youth Summits for highschool students from across Australia and Southeast Asia; the Universityof Sydney to develop workshops and online exhibitions; museums in ASEANand Australia to interpret and communicate the shared maritime histories; and Deakin University to deliver a series of workshops to accelerate theenergy transition in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Australia. Meanwhile, theAustralia-Indonesia Institute grants include workshops and training by the NewSouth Wales Rural Doctors Network in Maluku, Indonesia, to enhance communityhealth capacity in remote areas; and programmes to empower women entrepreneursthrough mentorship, capacity-building, and networking, including the 'Shehacks'programme to support women-led startups in Indonesia, fostering globalconnections and knowledge transfer. Australia affirmed that itand Southeast Asian countries share a region and a future. This year, Australiaand ASEAN celebrate the 50th anniversary since Australia became ASEAN’s firstformal dialogue partner, and welcome ASEAN leaders and delegations to Melbournefor the ASEAN- Australia Special Summit. The two sides are laying thegroundwork for the next 50 years of cooperation, as they develop a partnershipfor the future, across governments, the private sector and the community,including through the project “Invested: Australia's Southeast AsiaStrategy to 2040”./.
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Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (right) greets Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (left) during the Australia-ASEAN Summit in Melbourne on Monday, March 4, 2024. (Photo: AFP) 
