Jakarta (VNA) – Vietnam will make every effort to effectivelyimplement the work plan of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), whichhelps narrow the development gap within the ASEAN bloc and between thecommunity and other regions.

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Hoanh Nam, Head of the Permanent VietnameseDelegation to ASEAN, made the confirmation while chairing the 51st meeting of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Task Force (IAITF) in Jakarta,Indonesia, on March 31.

Initial achievements were made during the implementation of the work plan,heard the meeting. Specific projects and activities with a combined funding ofover 1.76 million USD were mapped out for 11 out of the 26 action lines in theplan.

At the meeting, some countries in the ASEAN-6 group informed their plans tocarry out projects in prioritised sectors as sorted out in the plan. Meanwhile,many ASEAN partners also showed their interest in supporting the bloc in properfields.

Financial resources, communication activities and capacity of the CLMV group(comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) are main barriers hinderingthe implementation of the work plan, the participants said.

They agreed to step up the dissemination of information about the work plan aswell as continue to build projects suitable for each country of the CLMV group.

The participants also consented to make IAI projects public on the ASEANSecretariat’s website to recognise contributions of the ASEAN-6 and partners.It also serves as a reference for them to set up new cooperation projects,avoiding duplication.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency’s reporter, Ambassador Nam said that Vietnamwill work closely with other ASEAN member states, especially CLMV countries, toset up the most proper mechanism to carry out the initiative.

The mechanism will be established based on national consultations in the CLMVgroup and regional consultations, he said, adding that the move aims to carryout the IAI Work Plan 3.

According to the Work Plan in 2017, the task force will hold meetings under thechair of Vietnam in July and October.

The IAI Work Plan 3 (2016-2020) was adopted by leaders at the 28th ASEAN Summit in September 2016 as an integral part of the ASEAN 2025: ForgingAhead Together to support the three Community Blueprints. The work plan isdesigned to assist CLMV countries to meet ASEAN-wide targets and commitmentstowards realising the goals of the ASEAN Community.

Itconsists of five strategic areas, namely food and agriculture, tradefacilitation, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), educationand health and well-being. The actions are closely aligned with the ASEANCommunity Blueprints 2025 and relevant ASEAN sectoral work plans.

The IAITF comprising of the ten Permanent Representatives to ASEAN providespolicy guidance and directions in the development and implementation of the IAIWork Plan.-VNA