The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand emphasised the importance of multidimensional connectivity as key to Post-COVID-19 recovery and the main engine of ACMECS development in the long term as it would help foster entrepreneurial capacity and job creation, which will improve the people’s livelihoods and narrow the development gap, and reiterated Thailand’s commitment to ensuring that COVID-19 medicines and vaccines become public goods and are available, accessible, and affordable for all in ACMECS countries, at the 9th ACMECS Summit on 9 December 2020.

On 9 December 2020, H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Thailand, participated in the 9th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit under the theme “Partnership for Connectivity and Resilience” via videoconference. The Meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The Prime Minister of Thailand emphasised the fundamental importance of multidimensional connectivity as key to Post-COVID-19 recovery and the main engine of ACMECS development in the long term, as it would help foster entrepreneurial capacity and job creation, which will improve the people’s livelihoods and narrow the development gap. He also urged ACMECS members to strengthen sub-regional competitive identity to create “Safe, Secure and Trustworthy ACMECS”, and reiterated Thailand’s commitment to ensuring that medicines and vaccines become public goods and are available, accessible, and affordable for all in ACMECS countries.

The Meeting reviewed progress of the ACMECS Master Plan (2019-2023) during the past two years and adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration, underlining the agreements on the path forward which include: the ToR of the ACMECS Development Fund, the Concept Paper on the Coordinating Committee’s Working Mechanism, the List of Prioritised Projects, as well as progress on engagement with two batches of Development Partners, which include the People’s Republic of China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of India, Australia, in the first batch, and New Zealand and Israel in the second batch.

The Meeting agreed on the importance of the establishment of ACMECS Development Fund (ACMDF) as a sustainable financial mechanism to serve the genuine needs of the sub-region. Thailand firmly stands by her pledge to contribute 200 million USD to support the setting up of the Fund, and this year Cambodia has also pledged 7 million USD. To ensure tangible progress on project development, the Meeting agreed to study ways and means to enhance coordination efficiency including the establishment of ACMECS Secretariat, which will function as the group’s coordinating office to gather and analyse data, draft strategies for project implementation, and coordinate with Development Partners.

The success of the 9th ACMECS Summit is a timely illustration of ACMECS’ resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges of our time, and Member Countries’ unwavering commitment to implement the Master Plan in a tangible manner through their readiness to make contribution to the ACMDF.

Moreover, the Meeting reflected the trust and confidence that other Member Countries have toward Thailand’s constructive role in the sub-region, particularly their support on Thailand’s proposal to add “Safe, Secure and Trustworthy ACMECS” as the 4th pillar of the ACMECS Master Plan and the establishment of ACMECS Secretariat in order to build strength from within for the sub-region.