Publications
Summary of publication
Australia's ASEAN and Mekong Program ($33.5m in 2016-17) is helping the ASEAN region to integrate economically, manage regional water resources, and strengthen regional responses to trafficking and exploitation of migrant workers. In doing so it supports the shared vision of ASEAN to realise a politically cohesive economic integrated and socially responsible community. Investments under the program are on track and broadly achieving their respective goals.
Performance highlights in 2016-17 included support for the development of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, providing a framework to improve people-to-people, institutional and infrastructure links across ASEAN. We also facilitated transnational investigative partnerships which enabled information and criminal intelligence exchange leading to the conviction of human traffickers. Our technical support helped Laos finalise a new water law and adopt a new method for assessing the cumulative impact of multiple hydropower projects on one river system.