The Foundation believes that the most beneficial and effective means would be by focusing on human resources development activities or projects such as education, training, seminars, workshops, fellowships, volunteerism, exchanges, network building and information dissemination. This is in view of the fact that the future of the region will be shaped by it's people's skills and knowledge, as also recognized by leaders of ASEAN member countries in their Summit in Manila 1987, that "Human resources constitute a major element in the future development of ASEAN and called for the development of an intelligent and productive work force
Implementing Agency: AWCF (Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum), Philippines
Two-thirds of the world's poor, who live on less than a dollar a day, still live in Asia. the recent financial crisis has not only slowed down the pace of poverty reduction, but also resulted in a considerable increase in the number of the poor. Goal 3 of the MDGs calls on nations to "promote gender equality and empower women". it builds on the work of women's advocates at various UN conferences in the 1990s,in particular the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the five year review of the conference's platform for action. In addition, The UN Convention on the Elimination of the All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has played an important part in shaping international commitment to gender equality. But progress still achieving the aims of the PFA and CEDAW has been uneven. The economic, social, political, legal, and cultural structures that perpetuate gender inequality are still in place throughout the world and many countries lack the resources to implement changes that would benefit women. Given conditions, UNIFEM believes it is extremely important that governments expedites actions to fulfill commitments to women and that donor nations increase the support and resources necessary to fulfill goal 3. Promoting gender equality and empowering women are more than mere phrases-UNIFEM shows in progress 2002 that achieving these ends improves the lives of everyone, not just women. And it shows how ending women's inequality can have a profound impact on many other national sectors.
Implementing Agency: Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand
Traditional approach for measuring the poverty, applied in some of the ASEAN member countries, provides the aggregate poverty information, which is useful for broad national level interventions. But, often aggregate poverty measures are too broad for identifying and targeting locations for poverty alleviation programs. Without proper identification of either the poor or the poverty-areas, targeting efficiency declines either because of higher cost of targeting itself or leakage of resources to non-poor.
Spatial analysis of poverty or poverty mapping in its various forms involves techniques that permit sufficient disaggregation of a poverty measure to local administrative levels or small geographic units for geographic targeting of the poor in visual and econometric terms. As poverty reduction efforts will continue to be an important endeavour in ASEAN, there is clearly a need to develop tools for more effective geographic targeting of the poor than those that have been used in the past.
Through workshop and training activity the officials will able to comprehend and apply these various forms of techniques that would permit disaggregation of poverty measure and will help in carrying out research, assessment and monitoring of poverty through sharing the knowledge, experience and relevant information.
Implementing Agency: Forestry Department, Malaysia (FDPM), Malaysia
One of the important areas in resource management is the acquisition and management of information. Effective forest management requires adequate, reliable and up-to-date information of databases and expertise. The forest has changed over time in terms of size, composition, structure and its contribution to the socio-economic value. Population pressure, advance technology and public awareness has further changed the need and priority utilization of forest.
The current situation now demands for more intensive forest management, as forest resources are becoming scarce and limited and consequently, the need for better information. Thus the application of GIS and RS becomes useful and essential nowadays. Therefore, ASEAN forestry personnel are expected to upgrade their expertise and capabilities in information technology to meet these future challenges.
The proposed ASEAN Foundation Scholarship Program in partnership with various corporate foundations is aimed at three objectives:
? to leverage the funds available at the ASEAN Foundation with matching funds from corporate foundations;
? to develop human resources in the region, particularly among the CLMV countries; and
? to enhance awareness of ASEAN and promote the development of the ASEAN identity, which, over the years, would be the natural outcome when a large number of students from various ASEAN countries spend time and study in other ASEAN countries.
Implementing Agency: Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Thailand
ASEAN is a global centre for aquaculture production, where it contributes widely to food security, trade, export earnings and rural economies. The most significant feature of the sector in ASEAN is the domination by small-holders, with the livelihoods of millions of farmers, suppliers, traders, and workers directly or indirectly depend on this important rural economic activity. These livelihoods, and the potential of aquaculture to contribute further to poverty reduction and food security, are now at risk from regional and global influences now sweeping the aquaculture sector.
Certification of aquaculture products, ever tighter food safety and environmental standards, integrated suppy chains, and global competition - on top of the need for ever more economically efficient production and management -- are some of the emerging global aquaculture trends to be addressed if ASEAN small-scale aquaculture farmers are to remain competitive. A goal of the Vientiane Action Program (VAP) is to develop, harmonize and adopt quality standards and regulations for food, agriculture and forestry products. With the
ASEAN vision to improve competitiveness of the sector, and
AFTA's call for harmonization and improved standards, the small-scale aquaculture sector requires assistance to adopt modern farming standards, access markets and remain competitive. This proposed project is a critical capacity building intervention to raise awareness and capacity among small-scale ASEAN aquaculture farmers and assist them to become or remain competitive in markets, in line with the
ASEAN vision.
Implementing Agency: Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Thailand
? Enhance human capacity of fishers of selected rural fishery communities as well as relevant government officials and those working at the local level in support of fishery communities in order to alleviate the identified poverty status through fisheries intervention covering the areas of co-management, responsible fishing practices, backyard fishery post-harvest and processing, rural aquaculture and inland fisheries development.
? A special focus will be given to the rural areas and fishery communities in ASEAN region.
Implementing Agency: Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand
? Develop a better understanding of the gaps/limitations in the existing social/gender impact assessment criteria/ tools/ methods being used within and outside ASEAN countries.
? Strengthen the capacity of government officers and related personnel to conduct an assessment of social/gender impact of road construction projects in the context of their own countries.
? Develop social/gender impact assessment tools as well as accompanying cases for the context of ASEAN countries which prioritize poverty alleviation and social equality in marginalized areas in the region.
Address:
ASEAN Foundation
Jl. Sam Ratulangi No.2, Menteng,
Jakarta - 10350, INDONESIA
Phone: +62-21-3192 4828
Fax: +62-21-3192-6078
E-mail: secretariat@aseanfoundation.org
Or reach us using our electronic contact form.
About The ASEAN Foundation
The ASEAN Foundation was established by the ASEAN Leaders in December 1997 during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit to help bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to all 10 ASEAN Member Countries, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
