The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Italy recently convened the first meeting of the ASEAN-Italy Development Partnership Committee (AI-DPC) in the form of a videoconference.
Jakarta (VNA) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Italy recentlyconvened the first meeting of the ASEAN-Italy Development Partnership Committee(AI-DPC) in the form of a videoconference.
The event marked thelaunch of ASEAN-Italy formal partnership where both sides identified a numberof projects and programmes of mutually beneficial cooperation.
DeputySecretary-General of ASEAN for Economic Community Satvinder Singh co-chairedthe meeting with Ambassador of the Italian Republic to ASEAN Benedetto Latteri.
At the meeting, Italyannounced its intention to contribute 2.5 million EUR to the COVID-19 ASEANResponse Fund to support ASEAN’s response to the pandemic.
Officials from bothsides discussed the recent developments in ASEAN and Italy, including effortsto deal with the pandemic, as well as initiatives towards recovery, through theASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.
ASEAN and Italy alsodeliberated on ways to deepen their cooperation in key areas of cybersecurity;transnational crime; law enforcement cooperation; cultural heritage; digitaland smart cities; green infrastructure; public health; tourism recovery; spacecooperation; and gender equality and women empowerment.
Other potential areasof cooperation include air services connectivity; micro small and mediumenterprises; biodiversity; technical and vocational education and training(TVET); youth; disaster management; and bio-circular-green economy.
The meeting agreed todevelop a five-year Practical Cooperation Areas as an action plan to roll outmutually beneficial projects, programmes and initiatives to substantiate thepartnership between ASEAN and Italy.
The ASEAN ForeignMinisters conferred the status of Development Partner on Italy at the 53rdASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in September 2020.
The AI-DPC, whichcomprises the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, the ASEANSecretariat and the Embassy of Italy in Jakarta, will provide the direction andoversee all aspects of the Development Partnership./.
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At the meeting (Photo: asean.org) 
