Australia will work with partners to support regional economic growth through increased infrastructure investment and a stronger focus on integrating climate considerations in accordance with G20 infrastructure principles. To achieve this, Australian finance, backed by World Bank and IFC expertise, will leverage loans and private sector investment in transport and green energy infrastructure. Through the South Asia Regional Infrastructure and Connectivity program (SARIC), our partners will assist governments to prepare a pipeline of transport and energy projects that connect economies in the region that are eligible for public and/or private financing. The program will also provide training to build skills and networks that contribute to connectivity projects. The regional program is complemented by bilateral economic growth activities managed by our posts in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

We will help strengthen regional architecture, linkages and collaboration between institutions and individuals, including with those in Australia. Australia is a committed member of IORA, which seeks to address regional challenges and uphold international rules and norms, including maritime domain awareness and maritime law enforcement, through workshops. These workshops build capacity in the Indian Ocean region on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We will initiate a maritime leadership program, which will help build the skills, leadership and confidence of the region’s senior operational leaders. We will also launch a civil maritime security postgraduate program, bringing together emerging policy leaders to deepen their expertise in international maritime law and security. We will work with India to co-lead IORA’s Working Group for Maritime Safety and Security over the next 2 years.

Increased skills development and mobility opportunities will be delivered primarily through Australia Awards Scholarships, Fellowships, short courses and professional development opportunities. We will continue to invest in these activities to build skills, support development and enhance linkages within the region and with Australia. This will create more opportunities to invest in the education of the region’s future leaders and workforce and to better harness the expertise of alumni from our programs.

In addition, non-ODA contributions will include support for greater Indian Ocean countries’ collaboration on maritime safety, security and environmental protection. This will include training on maritime domain awareness, protection of the marine environment and international law through partners such as CSIRO, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Australian universities. The Department of Home Affairs leads on refugee and migration support in South Asia. ACIAR is directly contributing to efforts on food security, especially in Pakistan. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is directly working on plastics pollution to enhance environmental protection.

Key development partners – China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States – invest significantly in South Asia’s economic growth and integration. Australia will continue to coordinate with these partners where we can – and with others such as the United Nations, World Bank, IFC and Asian Development Bank – to ensure our investments are targeted and avoid duplication.