Innovating and Strengthening Collective Action
is the first of five webinars organized by multilateral development banks (MDBs) supporting their joint Report on Regional Cooperation and Integration: Responding to the Covid-19 Pandemic and “Building Back Better” in Asia and the Pacific.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) through Regional Cooperation and Integration Thematic Group (SDTC-RCI) are hosting the webinar on 31 March 2021. The purpose of this webinar is to:
(i) report critical trends and findings of the Region’s commitment and actions on cross-border collective action (CBCA);
(ii) reflect on how the five MDBs supported effective responses to the COVID-19 emergency and the preparation of the medium-term recovery;
(iii) solicit stakeholders’ views and validations of identified vital lessons and how they inform and guide future cross-border cooperation and collective action; and
(iv) solicit stakeholders’ feedback on development partners’ support to the post-COVID-19 recovery and the roles of MDBs to adding value.
The discussion’s focus will be on three established subregional cooperation programs (i.e., Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, CAREC; Greater Mekong Subregion, GMS; and South Asian Subregional Economic Cooperation, SASEC) and one regional organization from the Pacific subregion (The Pacific Community, SPC).
The main target stakeholders for the webinar include (i) Asia-Pacific policymakers and senior officials of national and regional public sector organizations involved in RCI; (ii) economic and sector/thematic specialists with responsibilities for RCI knowledge generation, policy dialogue, and investments in Asia-Pacific; (iii) private sector leaders in the Region; and (iv) multilateral, bilateral and civil society organizations that are supporting RCI in the Region.
The outcomes of the webinar will inform the content of the MDBs’ joint report.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of collective action among countries to address challenges that cross national borders and require cross-border solutions. This Webinar sets out and discusses an approach for understanding better the critical role of multilateral development banks (MDBs) supporting regional cooperation among countries in Asia-Pacific, to respond to and recover from the pandemic. |
4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m | Welcome Remarks and Introduction to the Joint MDB Report and Webinar Series Mr. Bruno Carrasco Director General concurrently Chief Compliance Officer Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB |
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4:05 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. | Presentations Objectives, Scope and Initial Key Findings of the Chapter on Innovating and Strengthening Cross-Border Collective Action Xiaoqin (Emma) Fan Director Public Management, Financial Sector, and Regional Cooperation Division, East Asia Regional Department, ADB “Innovating and Strengthening Collective Action for Responding to the COVID-19 Emergency and Fostering Recovery in the Region - The Experience of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program” HE Mr. Ros Seilava Secretary of State Cambodia GMS National Coordinator Ministry of Economy and Finance, Royal Government of Cambodia |
4:35 p.m. – 5:05 p.m. | Panel Discussion and Moderator Moderator: Ms. F. Cleo Kawawaki Senior Advisor Central and West Regional Department, ADB Panelists: Ms. Sisomboun OUNAVONG Director General Department of International Cooperation Ministry of Planning and Investment, Lao PDR Mr. Lav Agarwal Joint Secretary Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India Ms. Yuping Zhu First Secretary Department of International Trade and Economic Affair Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China Dr. Paula Vivili Deputy Director-General Science and Capability (Suva) Pacific Community (SPC) |
5:05 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. | Open Discussion |
5:25 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Summary/Closing Remarks Mr. Ronald Antonio Q. Butiong Chief of RCI Thematic Group Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB |