Delegates at the 75th Meeting of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force in Jakarta, Indonesia. — VNA/VNS Photo

JAKARTA — Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to ASEAN Ambassador Tôn Thị Ngọc Hương chaired the 75th Meeting of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 5.

This was the first meeting presided over by Việt Nam as the Chair of the IAI Task Force in 2025. The meeting aimed to review the implementation of IAI projects and propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of the IAI Work Plan.

The year 2025 marks a significant transition as the IAI Work Plan IV (2021–2025) enters its final year of implementation, while the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is actively preparing for the development of IAI Work Plan V (2026-30).

At the meeting, the IAI Task Force agreed to add four projects invested by China, Japan, and Australia to the IAI portfolio, raising the number of approved projects under the IAI Work Plan IV to 99, reaching 70.8 per cent of action lines across all five strategic areas.

The IAI Task Force agreed to continue to step up efforts in looking for funding partners for project proposals in the coming time, particularly for pending action lines under the Work Plan IV, while also developing the next IAI Work Plan.

The IAI was launched in 2000 to narrow the development gap among ASEAN member states and support the bloc’s new members in fully integrating into the region. — VNA/VNS