STANLEY FOUNDATION IN CAMBODIA DISCUSSES AID, TRADE AND NEW POWER DYNAMICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA:

UNITED NATIONS - 10 July 2007
The Stanley Foundation and two other institutions concluded a weeklong dialogue series with participants from leading universities, think tanks, NGOs, as well as the Cambodian and foreign governments, to examine complex and important economic issues facing the Asia-Pacific region.

The first phase of this process was a three-day conference held in Siem Reap in collaboration with the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace titled “Aid, Trade, and Infrastructure: Economic Dimensions of New Power Dynamics in Southeast Asia.”

The second phase, a morning seminar held in Phnom Penh and cosponsored with The Asia Foundation, considered the implications of the trends identified in Siem Reap for Cambodia and its foreign relations.
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The discussions in Siem Reap produced a number of recommendations for policymakers on both sides of the Pacific in the three key areas—aid, trade, and infrastructure—including:

Aid

Strive for greater coordination among and between donors in an effort to better leverage aid efforts.

Place greater emphasis on long-term institutional capabilities through a variety of capacity-building measures.

Recognize and appreciate that the region’s diversity means aid programs should be tailored to meet the needs of individual countries. In Cambodia , for example, it might be appropriate to create a counterpart to the Vietnam Education Fund.

Trade

The United States should be open to and supportive of regional economic integration.

The president should nominate, and the US Congress should approve, an ambassador for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) affairs.

The United States should consider trade preferences for Asian-Pacific Least Developed Countries similar to measures already in place in Africa and the Caribbean .

The Support for Trade Adjustment and Reform (STAR) Program implemented in Vietnam to help that country meet the obligations of and benefit from its bilateral trade agreement with the US should be extended to Cambodia and Laos .

Infrastructure

ASEAN and its trade partners should work toward a uniform code of standards in trade in order to encourage effective regional infrastructure development.

Smaller scale infrastructure should not be neglected, especially where it stimulates economic development in individual countries.

The United States should take greater interest in projects related to the Mekong River Delta and should encourage adherence to environmental standards in these projects.

The US and China should look for ways to cooperate with Southeast Asian countries on regional infrastructure development, including greater transparency, and in such areas as health and education.

The dialogue series is part of a multiyear Stanley Foundation project, New Power Dynamics in Southeast Asia : Issues for US Policy.

The project examines the impact of changing power relations in the Asia-Pacific region on Southeast Asian politics, security, and economics and the implication of these trends for US policy.

The Stanley Foundation project will culminate with recommendations for a new US administration following the 2008 elections.

The Stanley Foundation

The Stanley Foundation seeks a secure peace with freedom and justice, built on world citizenship and effective global governance. It brings fresh voices, original ideas, and lasting solutions to debates on global and regional problems.

The foundation is a nonpartisan, private operating foundation, located in Muscatine , Iowa , that focuses on peace and security issues and advocates principled multilateralism. The foundation frequently collaborates with other organizations. It does not make grants. Online at http://www.stanleyfoundation.org.

The Asia Foundation in Cambodia

The Asia Foundation first opened its office in Cambodia in 1955. Through grants of technical assistance; facilitating programs in areas such as local governance, economic growth and reform, and counter-trafficking; as well as its efforts to build the capacity of Cambodian NGOs, the Foundation has supported programs in every province in Cambodia . Online at http://www.asiafoundation.org.

Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace

The Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) is an independent, neutral, and nonpartisan research institute based in Phnom Penh , Cambodia . CICP promotes both domestic and regional dialogue between government officials, national and international organizations, scholars, and the private sector on issues of peace, democracy, civil society, security, foreign policy, conflict resolution, economics and national development. Online at http://www.cicp.org .

For further information, contact: Contact: Keith Porter, +1-563-299-4669; Michael Schiffer, +1-319-400-2520; Kristin McHugh, +1-563-264-1500