For three years, starting in fiscal 1995, SSACF undertook a project called Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and the AFTA Process: Assistance for Training and Research, in which it facilitated the transfer of know-how from neighboring countries to the Fund's four target countries (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar) with a view to facilitating the smooth management of their economies within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In Laos, after ASEAN membership was attained in July 1997, the National Economic Research Institute (NERI) was set up under the State Planning Committee, and work began in earnest to strengthen that country's economic planning capabilities.
This project provides capacity building for NERI personnel and other economic policy makers by arranging training in macroeconomics and other relevant subjects and offering advice and guidance for the implementation of surveys and research. This year, a two-week training program was held in February 2000 for 30 policy makers, including many from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce.