The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) held the 10th Governing Board meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat followed by a meeting with Ambassadors of ERIA member states and ERIA dialogue partners at the Fairmont Hotel Jakarta on 9 June 2017.

The Governing Board is the decision-making body of ERIA and consists of the Secretary General of ASEAN and representatives from each of the 16 member countries, all of whom have backgrounds in academia, business, or policymaking.

Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, the Chairperson of the Governing Board who is also the Permanent Secretary of Trade in Brunei Darussalam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, welcomed the participants to the meeting.

Mr Ho Quang Trung, the Director of Market Integration Directorate, ASEAN Economic Community Department in the ASEAN Secretariat delivered the opening remarks on behalf of ASEAN Secretary General Mr Le Luong Minh. He extended the Secretariat's appreciation of ERIA's research and support of ASEAN's regional integration process.

'It is expected that ERIA will be further supportive for ASEAN's efforts in deepening economic integration, strengthening the role of MSMEs, narrowing the development gap, supporting electronic commerce and sustainable economic development. The policy-related research done by ERIA can help ASEAN to further expedite the regional economic integration and overcome the challenges to be faced in the years to come,' said Mr Ho.

ERIA President, Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura, delivered his opening remarks in which he highlighted ERIA's various contributions to ASEAN integration. First, ERIA has expanded its field of research to include health and agriculture. ERIA had also embarked on a project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN this year, which include a five-volume publication, a high level forum, and several public symposia.

Prof Nishimura also highlighted ERIA's new regional coverage with the Asia-Europe Connectivity Vision and the Vision Document for Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and an extension of the MoU with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Moreover, Prof Nishimura provided an update on the establishment of the Policy Design Department (PDD) that was part of the 'ERIA 2.0: ERIA's Medium Term Work Plan' presented in the 9th Governing Board Meeting. Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Sta. Maria, former Secretary General of Malaysia's Ministry of International Trade and Industry, was named as the Senior Policy Fellow and the head of the PDD. The Department has created a special team to support the chair of the trade negotiations committee of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).

ERIA's Chief Operating Officer Mr Izuru Kobayashi delivered a short presentation on the direction of ERIA's work in FY 2017, followed by Chief Economist Prof Fukunari Kimura and Senior Energy Economist Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi on FY 2017 research plans. Director General for Policy Design, Anita Prakash, presented on the direction of PDD in 2017-2018. Capacity Building Director Jeremy Gross, Planning and Coordination Director Sadami Sugimoto, Communications Director Lydia Ruddy, and Publications Director Maria Priscila del Rosario presented on their respective departments' plans in the upcoming year.

Governing Board members showed their support of ERIA's past work and upcoming work plans. They encouraged ERIA's efforts to create a bridge between the research world and policymakers in order to promote sustainable development and deepen economic integration in the region.

List of the Governing Board Members (as of June 2017)

Click here for a list of the Governing Board members

Related Documents

Statement - The 10th ERIA Governing Board Meeting

Activities in FY2016 and FY2017 Work Plan