In AMMST-16, Ministers of ASEAN member states focused on discussions on issues in order to strengthen more cooperation on science, technology and innovation in ASEAN, moving towards the establishment of ASEAN Community after 2015.
The Ministers adopted the Draft ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) for the period 2016-2025, which included the contents on APASTI’s vision, targets/deliverables, strategic tasks, organizational structure and operational mechanisms of ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST). This is a document which provides strategic directions for activities of ASEAN’s Science Community for the 10 coming years, when ASEAN Community is established.
Delivering a speech in AMMST-16, Minister Nguyễn Quân affirmed the implementation of APASTI for the 2016-2025 period, operation of ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Fund (ASTIF), activities of Sub-committees under COST, and cooperation with ASEAN’s dialogue partners should be aligned with the contents and directions of documents of ASEAN Common Community from 2015. In which, the Minister said that ASEAN countries need to develop together a feasible and effective Plan of Action for APASTI, complete soon the Operational Resolution of the Board of Advisers to COST (BAC); and support initiatives of ASEAN COST on promote the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy Nuclear (ASEANTOM), ASEAN Technical Working Group (TWG-TPP), Technical Task Force on Tsunami Warning (TTF-TW).
Before AMMST-16 was opened, within the cooperation framework of ASEANCommittee on S&T, there were meetings as: (I)the 70th Meeting of ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST-70); (ii) the 27th Meeting of the Advisory Body on the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology (ABAPAST-27); (iii) the 26th Meeting of the Advisory Body of the ASEAN Science Fund (ABASF-26); (iv) The 48th Meeting of the Sub-Committee on S&T Infrastructure and Resource Development (SCIRD-48).
Over the past time, through the cooperation mechanisms of ASEAN COST, cooperation activities inside ASEAN, and cooperation between ASEAN and dialogue partners on science, technology and innovation have been continuously strengthened. Then, it has contributed to promote more Viet Nam’s international integration on S&T into the region and the world.