Myanmar having joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July 1997, this project sought to spread knowledge of ASEAN's regional cooperation framework through seminars and research activities designed to enable efficient implementation of the trade framework established by the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement. In the project's first year, a seminar to promote understanding of AFTA and a research workshop on the economic implications of ASEAN membership were held in Yangon for administrators, business leaders, academics, and researchers, and a similar seminar was held in Mandalay.
This year, a seminar on issues relating to implementation of the AFTA agreement framework was held in Taunggyi August 14-15, 2000, for some 100 local government officials and business leaders. The seminar addressed three topics: basic economic agreements involving AFTA and Myanmar's implementation, trade facilitation and implications for Myanmar, and implications for small and medium enterprises. In addition, Dr. Osamu Nariai, professor of economics at Reitaku University, presented two papers: "Myanmar and AFTA in the Era of Globalization" and "Myanmar and AFTA: A Japanese Perspective."
A similar seminar was held in Mandalay January 22-24, 2001. Again, about 100 local government officials and business leaders attended. Mohamed Ariff, executive director of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, exchanged views on practical matters with the participants, presenting examples from Malaysia's experience. His lecture on the experiences of various Southeast Asian countries, with its wealth of specific examples and its easily understood explanations, attracted a high degree of interest. Finally, another seminar was held in Yangon March 10-11, 2001, to present research findings. Some 200 local government officials and business leaders attended. The seminar, building on the achievements of the project's first year, further encouraged activities to spread awareness of issues relating to AFTA, especially the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation (AICO) scheme, in the capital.
All in all, the project's activities succeeded in deepening understanding of Myanmar's obligations as a member of AFTA, especially the policy issues involved in efficiently implementing the AFTA agreement framework and the specific procedures concerning private-sector trade. It is hoped that the project will accelerate Myanmar's integration into AFTA.