NEAT MEMORANDUM No.21
NETWORK OF EAST ASIA THINK-TANKS (NEAT)

I. INTRODUCTION
As a track two process of the ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the Network of East Asia Think Thanks(NEAT) provides intellectual support for East Asia cooperation. NEAT reaffirms that the goal ofcommunity building in East Asia is to promote the well-being of the people and realize the East
Asian Vision of Peace, Prosperity and Progress. Community building should be based onuniversal values, including good governance, the rule of law, democracy, human rights, andinternational law and norms.
II. NEAT ACTIVITIES IN 2024
This year NEAT has virtually organized its core activities as follows:
1.

NEAT Country Coordinators’ Meeting (CCM)
The 39th and 40th NEAT CCMs were held on 30 May 2024 and 5 August 2024 respectively
via Zoom platform under the host of NEAT-Japan. These meetings were participated by
NEAT Country Coordinators with their delegations.

2.

NEAT Working Group (WG) Meetings
In addition, 3 WGs were organized under the following themes in 2024:
1) Strengthening the Connectivity of Supply Chains in East Asia
(17-20 July by NEAT China)2) Promoting Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Disaster Response(25 July by NEAT Japan)
3) East Asian Cooperation for SDGs: Sustainable Cities and Communities(26 July by NEAT Korea)

III. RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the outcomes of NEAT activities in 2024, NEAT submits key recommendations in threefollowing areas to the APT leaders for consideration.
1.

Strengthening the Connectivity of Supply Chains in East Asia
Supply chain connectivity is more than necessary for East Asia, not only good for regional
integration, but also indispensable for common welfare with more added value. In pursuit ofresilient regional supply chains, the following recommendations are put forward:
1) Long-term cooperation mechanism as well as rule-based and market-oriented
business environment: Create APT Supply Chain Working Group to enhance
resilience. It is essential to increase transparency for equal and fair treatment for all
market players. Industrial parks and special economic zones should be fully utilized.
2) Intra-regional policy coordination, synchronization of rules and regulations, anddevelopment convergence: Uphold ASEAN centrality. ASEAN centrality is vital fordiversified demands. RCEP is a good policy incentive to promote supply chain
connectivity. In addition, synergy among intra-regional cooperation frameworks andnational development programs is also crucial.
3) Key driving forces of infrastructure and technology: Promote infrastructure
connectivity and technology sharing. It’s urgent to accelerate both domestic andtransnational infrastructure projects. A community with shared technology would
contribute a lot to supply chain connectivity if share technology becomes popular.
4) NEV industry as a pilot project for supply chain cooperation: Facilitate NEV supplychain and tourism value chain. Under the guideline of ASEAN Plus Three Leaders’Statement on Developing of Electric Vehicle Ecosystem in 2023, it’s practical topropose and carry out APT Action Plan for Developing NEV Ecosystem in East Asia，
which should be formulated as recommendations at the NEAT level and submittedto Track I.

2.

Promoting Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Disaster Response
The Asia-Pacific region is the region where natural disasters occur most frequently, making
it necessary to promote WPS in disaster response. Enhancing women’s participation andcontribution is necessary and indispensable to establish more effective, more inclusive, andmore robust policies, plans, and management in disaster response. The following are key
policy recommendations:
1)2)

Enhancing female participation in politics, economy, and social activities frompeacetime: To promote WPS in Disaster, it is important to create an environment inwhich women can be actively and proactively involved in the decision-making
process at all levels of politics, economy, and society. Countries, where women playessential roles in political, economic, and social management and decision-making,are not only proactive in promoting WPS but also have introduced highly effective
measures. We must increase the number of females who join the political, economic,
and social activities and give them equal rights and opportunities to decide and set
up policies and rules, especially in the field of disaster management and response.
Establishing an educational program to eliminate unconscious biases of gender rolesand discrimination: One of the reasons for the lack of progress in WPS in Disaster isthe existence of gender roles and prejudices that have been historically, politically,socially, and culturally constructed. It is essential to eliminate these biases and tocreate a society in which all people have consideration and imagination for not only3)

3.

women but also children, the elderly, foreigners, and sexual minorities, who are often
placed in vulnerable positions when natural disasters occur.
Enhancing research on WPS and sharing good practices and lessons: Various
policies and practices have been made in East and Southeast Asia to promote WPSin Disasters. It would be beneficial to identify good practices, lessons, and challenges
through academic research and share and utilize them to prepare and improvedisaster response measures while taking care of women, children, elders, and allother vulnerable people and unleashing women’s strengths and potential tocontribute to disaster management.

East Asian Cooperation for SDGs: Sustainable Cities and Communities
To integrate these goals into national policies and regional cooperation frameworks andreaffirm their commitment to implementing SDGs, particularly Agenda 11, which
encompasses the goals related to Sustainable Cities and Communities, the APT
governments are required to1) Strengthen the capabilities of local and sub-national governments for sustainable
development through capacity-building and financial support. This should include
urban planning, resource management, climate adaptation, and improvements inhousing and living conditions.
2) Promote city-to-city cooperation through regional networks to enhance learning,facilitate exchange programs, and develop collaborative projects on urbanization,
environmental management, and economic development. Utilize fourth industrial
technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and space technology,
to support decision-making.
3) Strengthen multi-stakeholder engagement in urban planning and development
processes. This involves promoting inclusive decision-making, fostering publicprivate partnerships for infrastructure projects, and establishing knowledge-sharing
platforms. These measures aim to address challenges such as population decline,
economic instability, and environmental sustainability by leveraging local resources
and fostering collaboration among cities.
The detailed recommendations refer to the WG reports in the Annexes.

IV.CONCLUSIONNEAT greatly appreciates serious consideration by the APT SOM, Ministers and Leaders ofthe recommendations in this Memorandum, and welcomes opportunities to interface furtherwith decision-makers. We reiterate our continued support to build a sounder, healthier andflourishing East Asian Community. We look forward to making further contribution towards
the socio-economic development of the community in the region.

V. Annexes
1) Report of the NEAT Working Group Meeting on Strengthening the Connectivity of Supply
Chains in East Asia Sponsored by NEAT China
2) Annexes of Report of the NEAT Working Group Meeting on Strengthening the Connectivityof Supply Chains in East Asia Sponsored by NEAT China : NEAT Recommendations on APTAction Plan for Developing New Energy Vehicles (NEV) Ecosystem in East Asia
3) NEAT Working Group on Promoting Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in DisasterResponse Draft Final Report by NEAT Japan4) NEAT Working Group on East Asian Cooperation for SDGs: Sustainable Cities andCommunities by NEAT Korea