Jakarta, 4 April 2024: President of ERIA, Tetsuya Watanabe, paid a courtesy call on the newly appointed Ambassador of Australia to ASEAN, H.E. Tiffany McDonald. Ambassador McDonald extended a warm welcome to President Watanabe and his delegation.

Ambassador McDonald commended ERIA's research contributions and regional engagement. President Watanabe provided an overview of ERIA's current research priorities, highlighting areas like the digital economy, energy transition, public health, and food security and agriculture. Both parties acknowledged the importance of collaborative efforts to achieve sustainable growth in the region.

President Watanabe expressed his appreciation for the Australian Government's longstanding support of ERIA, especially for the Capacity Building and Strategy and Partnerships Programme. Both President Watanabe and Ambassador McDonald look forward to exploring potential new avenues to further strengthen collaboration between ERIA and Australia in the future.