The appointment is significant in that it is the first time Canada has had a dedicated Ambassador to ASEAN. It marks the expansion of Canada’s permanent mission to ASEAN, in Jakarta, and demonstrates Canada’s strong commitment to enhanced relations with ASEAN.

Canada has recently increased its diplomatic presence in ASEAN states. In 2013, its first resident diplomatic mission opened in Yangon (Myanmar), and inaugurated two new offices, in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and Vientiane (Laos) last August, thereby ensuring for the first time a permanent, resident Canadian diplomatic presence in all 10 ASEAN member states.

Canada continues to partner with ASEAN on concrete initiatives in key areas, including disaster risk management, human rights, the countering of non-traditional security threats, public-private infrastructure partnerships and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Canada has been an ASEAN dialogue partner, one of only 10 countries enjoying such status, since 1977.

ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions. As a group, it is Canada’s seventh-largest merchandise trading partner. Last year, Canada-ASEAN merchandise trade reached CAD18.8 billion.

By 2020, the country set to double ASEAN-Canada bilateral goods and services trade and investment, an ambitious target to advance the relationship to new heights.

Besides, Canada is providing more than CAD14 million in security assistance in regional programming for the bloc. This support is helping ASEAN achieve its ambitious integration goals, contributing to regional peace and security and promoting Canadian foreign policy objectives in Southeast Asia.

In fiscal year 2013-2014, it provided CAD320.31 million in official development assistance to the ASEAN region through all channels. This includes bilateral aid programs and support to multilateral organizations that deliver aid to countries in the region, as well as other Government of Canada investments./.

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