VZCZCXRO4351
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0095 0170007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170007Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7660
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1414
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8289
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1519
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1880
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2241
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0138
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/RSP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS 
DEPT FOR EB/IFD/OMA 
DEPT ALSO FOR OES/IET AND OES/ETC/TED 
TREASURY FOR IA-SETH SEARLS 
COMMERCE FOR 4430/BERLINGUETTE 
SINGAPORE FOR BAKER 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM ID BM
SUBJECT: ASEAN FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 
¶1. (U) On January 16, The ASEAN Foundation celebrated its 10th 
anniversary with a forum focusing on its achievements and future 
plans under ASEAN's Socio-Cultural Pillar (covering education, 
social development, the environment, and health). ASEAN Deputy 
Secretary General Nicholas Dammen delivered remarks on behalf of new 
 
SIPDIS 
Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan, which echoed his earlier 
 
SIPDIS 
statements promoting awareness of ASEAN and engaging youth to create 
an ASEAN identity.  In an interview in the December/January issue of 
"AsiaViews", Dr. Surin had said that the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Pillar 
could "make or break" the organization.  ASEAN cannot create and 
sustain its economic and political-security communities, he 
emphasized, if ASEAN citizens do not feel a sense of ownership and 
cannot participate in and benefit from its development. 
 
¶2. (U) Erna Witoelar, former UN Special Ambassador for Millennium 
Development Goals (MDG) in Asia and the Pacific, gave a keynote 
speech on current and regional development trends in relation to the 
ASEAN Community.  The MDGs are about values, she stated, and serve 
as a unifying basis for development cooperation.  When addressing 
barriers to development, Witoelar specifically highlighted climate 
change, emphasizing that the issue undermines the MDGs and could 
undo decades of development work.  She also raised the importance of 
the private sector in creating employment opportunities, promoting 
technical advances, and protecting the environment, especially in 
the wake of globalization and decentralization in Indonesia. 
 
¶3. (U) Apichai Sunchindah, the outgoing Executive Director of the 
Foundation, acknowledged the contributions of the ASEAN Foundation's 
donors in a brief tribute.  The list included Microsoft and 
Hewlett-Packard among country donors Japan, China and Korea.  The 
ASEAN Foundation was one of 11 recipients under HP's $1.3 million 
Micro Enterprise Development Grant Program, geared towards helping 
small, low-income startup businesses with IT equipment and 
training. 
 
HUME