Webinar on Charting Future Pathways for SASEC: Lessons and Best Practices from GMS and CAREC

The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 2001, and the Program is currently exploring several refinements to respond to emerging subregional challenges and opportunities. These refinements include the following:

• Strengthening SASEC’s institutional mechanisms to establish a subregional architecture led by SASEC member countries;
• Strategic reorientation of the SASEC Vision; and
• Implementation of new initiatives.

The Virtual Meeting of the SASEC Nodal Officials held in June 2022 endorsed these proposed refinements and agreed to continue discussions on their implementation.

Given the breadth and complexity of the proposed enhancements, the SASEC Program is keen to learn from the experiences of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programs. This webinar aims to draw lessons learned and best practices from GMS and CAREC to help chart future pathways for SASEC. More specifically, this webinar will:

• Identify lessons learned and best practices from GMS and CAREC in strategic orientation, operations, and institutional coordination;
• Explore operational approaches and institutional arrangements from GMS and CAREC that could be adapted or replicated by SASEC; and
• Identify opportunities for inter-departmental and inter-subregional exchange of knowledge and expertise.

Expected participants include SASEC officials from relevant ministries or government agencies; GMS, CAREC, and SASEC specialists and focal points in the relevant ADB Regional Departments and resident missions; and members of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Thematic Group (RCI-TG) and staff and consultants of the RCI-TG Secretariat.