WEF Spotlights Indonesia's Record and the AEC
20 April 2015 08:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 700 CEOs, academics, government officials, representatives from international organizations and members of the civil society gathered at the annual World Economic Forum on East Asia, which began on Sunday April 19 in Jakarta, to discuss diverse socio-economic and political issues. But the spotlight will be on Indonesia’s economic track record and preparations on the ASEAN Economic Community, scheduled to be launched end of this year.
With the theme 'Anchoring Trust in East Asia's New Regionalism', it is the 24th WEF meeting in East Asia and the second to be held in Indonesia. Previous fora have recently been held in the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, where workshops were held on financial inclusion, digital media, state-owned enterprises, regional partnerships as well as a roundtable on Indonesia.
On international trade and investment, the main topic of discussion will be on ASEAN and its imminent establishment as a regional economic community. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will cover 10 countries and about 500 million people. Discussions will be on the implications for local and global businesses as well as the overall economic perspective of the region. They will address topics of open borders and freedom of movement.
On the theme of agriculture and food security, the Forum will discuss the challenges of producing and distributing food sustainably. In East Asia, the 'Grow Asia' initiative was created in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat in 2014. Grow Asia partners with Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam, working with over 100 local organizations and reaching out to 95,000 farmers. By 2020, Grow Asia aims to reach 10 million small-holder farmers in the region to improve productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability by 20 percent.
Indonesia's focus under the new government of President Joko Widodo to build its infrastructure to accelerate national and regional development will be of special interest, particularly issues of how political and regulatory risks for infrastructure investment can be mitigated and how public-private partnerships can help to close investment gaps.
Indonesia is ranked 34th in the WEF's Global Competitiveness Report, behind Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in the ASEAN region. Its Global Gender Gap Report ranks Indonesia 97th, its biggest challenge being the lack of women in the labor force and gaps in access to health services and education.
The other themes of discussion will also include topics of environment and resource security, economic growth and social inclusion and the future of the internet.
YULI ISMARTONO