The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, through Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), hosted the Directors-General Forum of ASEAN Countries on Development Cooperation from 22 to 23 August 2019 at the Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok. The Directors-General Forum (DG Forum) aimed to serve as an informal platform for development cooperation agencies in ASEAN to share their development cooperation experiences, including South-South and triangular cooperation within and outside the region, and to create network among ASEAN development cooperation agencies. This network would lead to further discussion and closer coordination that would be beneficial for ASEAN. Being the first forum of its kind in ASEAN, the DG Forum comprised both meeting and field visit to the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD), providing participants with knowledge from both policymakers and on-site practitioners of development cooperation projects as well as the application and promotion of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) in undertaking development cooperation.

 

      Participants to the Forum were heads and representatives from ASEAN Member States’ development cooperation agencies and relevant actors in the region, including international organisations and cooperation framework such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the ASEAN Secretariat and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). The Forum was chaired by Ms. Pattarat Hongtong, Director-General of TICA.

 

      During the Forum, Mr. Arthayuth Srisamoot, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand delivered the opening remarks stressing the importance of partnership and cooperation for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both in ASEAN and beyond. The DG Forum provided participants with an opportunity to discuss various aspects in managing development cooperation, share their experiences in undertaking such cooperation, and exchange views with partners and cooperation frameworks such as UNOSSC, ESCAP, ASEAN Secretariat, and those in the ASEAN region, in order to foster sustainability in all dimensions. 

 

      The DG Forum highlighted the fact that development cooperation formed a crucial part of sustainable development at every level, and that finding the “right needs, right strategy and right partners” are essential to the success of any development cooperation projects. Stressing the needs on human resources development (HRD), ASEAN Member States could utilise the expertise and know-how of other ASEAN partners to maximise the benefits of the cooperation. Participants also agreed that strengthened cooperation in both planning and project operation was needed to promote complementarities and meet future challenges, such as dependency on external elements, changing of geopolitical landscape, and the diversity of development levels within ASEAN.

 

      Participants also visited the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD), where they were given an opportunity to experience first-hand development cooperation in action, and to learn about the APCD’s experience in transitioning from being a user of development cooperation to a provider. Participants were briefed on the Center’s works, visions, application of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) in advancing development cooperation and in attaining SDGs. Highlighted during the briefing were examples of projects the APCD has been undertaking within ASEAN framework such as the ASEAN Home Town Improvement and ASEAN Autism Mapping projects. Participants also visited 60 Plus Café, where persons with disabilities and elderly persons were given the chance to develop their skills, earn their own living and live with dignity through decent work and their contribution to  society.