Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia

Establishment

ERIA was established by a formal agreement among Leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian at the 3rd East Asia Summit in Singapore on 21 November 2007. The inaugural ERIA Governor Board meeting was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 3 June 2008. A formal agreement was reached between Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the ASEAN Secretariat to recognize ERIA as an international organization on 30 December 2008. As for the preparation for the establishment of ERIA, IDE-JETRO has been appointed to undertake a role as the temporary secretariat of ERIA at ERIA Expert Meeting in manila, March 2007 towards its official establishment.

History

The inaugural meeting of the ERIA was held on 3 June 2008 in Indonesia.

In 2009 it was said that ERIA was working on a master plan for Asia. The plan aims to maximize industrialization through the development of much needed infrastructure.

January, 2007 The proposal to establish ERIA was welcomed by all leaders in East Asia at 2nd East Asia Summit in Sebu.

November, 2007 Establishment of ERIA was agreed at the 3rd East Asia Summit in Singapore.

June 3, 2008 ERIA Inaugural meeting (1st Governing Board Meeting) was held.

December 30, 2008 ERIA was recognized as International Organization.

Establishment of ERIA approved

The formal establishment of ERIA was agreed upon by all the leaders at the 3rd East Asia Summit on November 21, 2007 in Singapore.

Excerpt from Chairman's Statement of the 3rd East Asia Summit（Paragraph 13） We agreed to the establishment of the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) to be accommodated temporarily at the ASEAN Secretariat. We welcomed the report submitted to us by the Expert Group, which focuses on research topics of strategic interest to the EAS countries. We encouraged the Expert Group to continue its research work and we looked forward to practical policy recommendations to further regional integration and strengthen partnerships in East Asia.

Inauguration of ERIA

The inauguration was held at the ASEAN Secretariat on June 3, 2008 in Indonesia. Attendees included board members nominated from 16 countries in East Asia. ERIA launched as a full-fledged research activity body.

The Statement on the Establishment of ERIA 1. The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) will be temporarily accommodated at the ASEAN Secretariat. 2．ERIA shall function as an independent research institute but shall maintain and develop strong communication ties with policy-making process. The results of its research works shall produce concrete and tangible policy recommendations that shall meet the needs of Ministerial and National Leader’s meetings. 3．ERIA shall maintain its highest academic standards in its research activities and provide a tripartite-type forum for policy dialogue and interactions among researchers, policymakers, and civil society. 4．ERIA shall provide meaningful resources for narrowing development gaps and enhancing research capabilities in countries in need for improvement of public policy-making and research abilities. 5．ERIA shall function as a common asset to the ASEAN and East Asian countries in providing a common platform for rigorous economic studies, and its activities shall be open in cooperation with various prominent economic research institutions and organizations around the world, just as the East Asian economic integration shall be wide open.

Endorsement of ERIA as an International Organization

Following the agreement at the 3rd EAS meeting, formal agreement to endorse the status of ERIA as an International Organization was concluded on December 30, 2008 between the Indonesian Government and ASEAN Secretariat. Basis for Privileges and Immunities including Tax Exemption finalized.

Financial Contribution to ERIA

There have been announcements of contributions to ERIA from the following countries in addition to Japan.

 New Zealand：June 26, 2009, New Zealand

 India：October 25, 2009, India

 Australia：November 13, 2009, Australia

 Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Brunei Vietnam Laos Myanmar Cambodia: November 19, 2011, 10 ASEAN member countries expressed their contribution.

Organization

Office　 Headquarters: Mezzanine Floor, the ASEAN Secretariat 70A, Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta Selatan 12110, Indonesia Annex Office: Sentral Senayan 2, 6th Floor, Jalan Asia Afrika no.8, Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta Pusat 10270, Indonesia

Governing Board Members

The Governing Board is the Supreme Decision Making Body of ERIA. The Governing Board consists of 17 members, which includes the Secretary General of ASEAN and 16 other members (each representing a member country) from various backgrounds such as Academics, Policy Making and Business.

 Brunei(Chairman)：Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi（Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade）

 Australia：Dr. Stephen Grenville AO（Former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia）

 Cambodia：H.E.Dr. Hang Chuon Naron（Secretary of State of the Ministry and Finance）

 China：Prof. Zhang Yunling（Professor of International Economics; Academy Member, Director of Academy Division for International Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences）

 India：Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw（Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited）

 Indonesia：Dr. Djunaedi Hadismarto（Advisor to the State Minister of National Development）

 Japan：Mr. Hiroshi Okuda（Senior Advisor to the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation; Honorary Chairman, Nippon Keidanren）

 South Korea：Mr. Suck Rai Cho（Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hyosung Corporation; Honorary Chairman of Federation of Korean Industries）

 Laos：H.E. Mr. Bounthavy Sisouphanthong（Vice Minister of Planning and Investment）

 Malaysia：Tan Sri Datuk Asmat bin Kamaludin（Group Chairman, UMW Holdings Berhad; Former Secretary General of Ministry of International Trade and Industry）

 Myanmar：Daw Lai Lai Thein（Director General, Planning Department, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development）

 New Zealand：Dr. John Wood（Pro Chancellor, University of Canterbury; Former Senior New Zealand Diplomat）

 Philippines：Dr. Ramon Millar Quesada（Chairman and CEO, Small Business Corporation, Department of Trade and industry）

 Singapore：Ambassador Barry Desker（Dean, S Rajaretnam School of International Studies）

 Thailand：Ms. Srirat Rastapana（Director-General of the Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce of Thailand）

 Vietnam：Prof. Le Xuan Ba（President, Central Institute for Economic Management） Mr. Le Luong Minh, Secretary General of ASEAN

Research Institute Network from 16 Countries

The Research Institutes Network consists of research institutes from 16 East Asia Summit countries. MOU was signed between Research Institute Network(RIN), on February 24, 2009 in Thailand.RIN recognized the extensive efforts for carrying out a series of ERIA’s research project.

Australia: Australian National University （ANU）

Brunei: Brunei Darussalam Institute of Policy & Strategic Studies （BDIPSS）

Cambodia: Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace （CICP）

China: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences （CASS）

India: Research and Information System for Developing Countries （RIS）

Indonesia: Centre for Strategic and International Studies （CSIS）

Japan: Institute of Developing Economies （IDE/JETRO）

Korea: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy （KIEP）

Laos: National Economic Research Institute （NERI）

Malaysia: Malaysian Institute of Economic Research （MIER）

Myanmar: Yangon Institute of Economics （YIE）

New Zealand: New Zealand Institute of Economic Research （NZIER）

Philippine: Philippine Institute for Development Studies （PIDS）

Singapore: Singapore Institute of International Affairs （SIIA）

Thailand: Thailand Development Research Institute （TDRI）

Vietnam: Central Institute for Economic Management （CIEM）

Academic Advisory Members

Academic Advisory Council is composed of a number of internationally renowned East Asia Summit countries’ scholars and experts from universities, research institutions, the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. The council provides advice and support to the Office of the Executive Director on; -Advices on the annual work program plan, -Review and evaluation of the research outcome, -Review and evaluation of the performance of researchers.

Prof. Dr. Hank Lim Giok-Hay （Chairman）（Senior Research Fellow of Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), Singapore）

Prof. Peter Drysdale（Emeritus Professor Crawford School of Economics & Government, Australia）

Encik Mohd. Radzuan bin Abdul Halim（Director of the Financial Mediation Bureau (FMB) (A Columnist and Writer), Malaysia）

Prof. Gary Richard Hawke（Emeritus Professor; Former Head of School, School of Government, & Professor of Economic History, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand）

H.E.Dr. Hang Chuon Naron（Permanent Deputy, Chairman of the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC), Secretary General, Ministry of Economy & Finance, Cambodia）

Mr. Pravin Kumar Agarwal（Director (HR) of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India）

Dr. Takashi Shiraishi（President of The Institute of Developing Economies, The Council for Science Technology Policy, Japan）

Prof. Zhang Yuyan（Director, Senior Fellow Institute of World Economics & Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing, China）

Major Works

ERIA's works are divided into 3 fields, doing research works, disseminating its works, and providing policy recommendations.

Research Works

ERIA's Research Works aims to pursue three pillars of research issues, "Deepening Economic Integration", "Narrowing Development Gaps", and "Sustainable Development". Specific research items in FY2010 are listed below.(Latest Publications)

Disseminating its Works

ERIA has been conducting Seminar and Symposia, and doing Capacity Building Programs for disseminating ERIA's works.

Capacity Building

In order to nurture strong leadership in the region for economic integration and to secure an intellectual basis for the development of CLMV countries and other developing areas in East Asia, it is important to improve the competency of wide range of policy-makers, administrators, researchers, and business managers. ERIA will continue its capacity building programs in the strong partnership with regional research institutes.

Seminar and Symposia

Seminars and Symposia will be held with the aim of nurturing a sense of community in the region, seeking inputs from stakeholders, as well as promoting ERIA and disseminating ERIA related research findings. Various joint seminars and symposia will be held together with leading research institutes in and out of the East Asian region, including those in United States and Europe.

Providing Policy Recommendations

One of the most important ERIA's works is providing policy recommendations to leaders, ministers in ASEAN and EAS through East Asia Summit and ASEAN Summit, and another related meetings. As ERIA's mission expands by receiving instructions and task-outs from Summits and Ministerial Meetings, ERIA's role as the "Center of Excellence" in ASEAN and East Asia becomes increasingly important. Heads of government of ASEAN Member States commended ERIA's contribution in "Comprehensive Asia Development Plan (CADP)" and "Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity". The Ministers expressed their high appreciation to the ERIA for its valuable support in conducting the Final Report on the ASEAN Strategic Transport Plan (ASTP) 2011-2015.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East-Asia

The ERIA is tasked with reviewing the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia or CEPEA, the Japanese proposed trade bloc involving the 16 nations of the East Asia Summit. It was decided at the Third East Asia Summit that the ERIA report on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East-Asia would be received at the Fourth East Asia Summit. The Fourth EAS was delayed for almost a year by reason of difficulties in the host nation Thailand.

With the subsequent change of government in Japan, and the discussion by the new administration of the East Asia Community the future of CEPEA is not yet clear.

Subsequently the Fourth East Asia Summit supported further development on trading groupings based around the 13 country ASEAN Plus Three and the 16 country East Asia Summit.

At the subsequent APEC conference Australia announced a million Australian dollars in funding to ERIA to support research into the 16 country bloc.