Annamaria Iotti, Head of Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Hanoi, went to Jakarta on May 16th to inaugurate the new project office at the Italian Embassy. The branch office will implement the cooperation activities defined by the Italy-ASEAN partnership.
Italy acquired the status of ASEAN Development Partner in September 2020. Since then, AICS, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Jakarta and the ASEAN Secretariat, has promoted various development cooperation initiatives in favour of the area’s countries. Agricultural mechanization, fishing and aquaculture, sustainable tourism and geothermal energy, and health are the areas of projects in which the high expertise of the Italian cooperation system provides a significant contribution in support of the development of communities and territories.
“The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, through the Hanoi field office, which I am honoured to represent, is constantly committed to strengthening the Italy-ASEAN partnership through projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the populations of the region. Partnership is one of the pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and implementing this important collaboration tool is an integral part of our mission. The Project Office, operational from today at the Italian Embassy in Jakarta, will allow the Agency to streamline relations with the ASEAN Secretariat, improving the effectiveness of our cooperation action,” declared Annamaria Iotti to the margin of his visit to Jakarta.
The strategic partnership with ASEAN paves the way for initiatives that reflect the most advanced dynamics of development cooperation. These involve Italian excellence, ranging from civil society organizations to research institutes and universities to the private sector.
Innovative financial instruments, such as Blending and Fondo Clima, can strengthen the adoption of these cooperation methods.
Southeast Asia seems to be a particularly favourable scenario for the concrete implementation of Law No. 125/2014 on cooperation reform and the global partnership outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.