KUALA LUMPUR, 13 June 2024 – The ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), in collaboration with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the ASEAN Secretariat, convened the Focus Group Discussion on the Development of the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan (ACSP) on 11-13 June in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The three-day brainstorming event brought together over 70 stakeholders and representatives from both the public and private sectors as well as academia and civil societies to exchange views and share insights on trends, challenges, and potential future priorities on ASEAN Connectivity.

The ACSP is the successor document to the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and is expected to be one of the attendant documents of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.  The development of the ACSP will be approached in a comprehensive and ambitious, yet pragmatic manner, through an inclusive and participatory process.

During the opening remarks, the ACCC Chair Ambassador Bovonethat Douangchak accentuated the importance of collaboration in the development of the ACSP. He emphasised that this FGD would “allow us to gather insights and inputs from a diverse group of stakeholders, ensuring that the ACSP is shared and owned by all relevant parties, from the public and private sector to the academia and civil societies and also ensuring that the future of ASEAN Connectivity remains relevant and has a positive and meaningful impact on all our people in ASEAN”.

The outcomes of this FGD will contribute to the preparation of the ACSP as one among several stakeholder engagements planned over the course of the development of the ACSP.