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Message from the Chairman of
ACE Governing Council
On behalf of the ASEAN Senior Officials on Energy and the Governing Council of the ASEAN Centre for Energy, I congratulate the Executive Director and Staff of the ACE for successfully piloting the organisation in its crucial second year.
Year 2000 was especially difficult for the Centre owing to financial and manpower constraints. But, at least three major developments have conjured to demonstrate its future viability as a Centre for international cooperation in energy affairs. First: the core funding of the Centre was assured as the third and final instalment of the ASEAN Energy Endowment Fund was substantially completed by the Member Countries and placed under a world-class fund management scheme. Second: Japan’s cooperation in the ASEAN’s energy affairs was formally established through the first annual consultations held in June 2000 between the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) and Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry or METI) which resulted immediately in several cooperation projects coordinated by ACE to implement portions of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 1999-2004. And third: strong involvement of the European Union in the energy programme of the ASEAN was re-established with the completion of financing agreements for two five-year projects, namely the ASEAN-EU COGEN III and the EU-ASEAN Energy Cooperation Programme Facility.
For these truly encouraging developments, I convey my sincerest thanks to the governments of the ASEAN Member Countries, the governments of the European Union and the government of Japan. I should also thank the governments of Australia, Germany and Switzerland for their continuing support in the implementation of projects involving ACE during the past year. I would like to specially mention the successful completion, as planned, of the project on Promotion of Renewable Energy Systems in South East Asia (PRESSEA) and to thank the European Commission for supporting this short-term but meaningful project.
Lastly, I wish to recognize the interest of other governments and international organizations in forging cooperation with the ASEAN through ACE and other ASEAN energy bodies. Hopefully, the initial indications of interest that we have noted would materialize into actual projects in the coming year.
Good luck and best wishes.
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Mr. Vu Van Thai |
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