BIMP-Facilitation Centre Head Susan Pudin (center) says there is an urgent need to better manage convergence initiatives among the clusters and working groups. Photo credit: BIMP-FC.
Created in 2003, BIMP Facilitation Centre (BIMP-FC) has been serving as the BIMP-EAGA secretariat for more than 2 decades. Holding office in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, BIMP-FC provides a wide range of coordinative functions across different subregional institutions, including monitoring the implementation of the BIMP-EAGA development plans and programs as well as project facilitation work. It also actively initiates cooperation activities. BIMP-EAGA leaders recognizes the need to institutionalize and strengthen the BIMP-FC as a full-fledged subregional facilitation center and central secretariat.
Dr. Susan Pudin, who took over as head of BIMP-FC in December 2023, says “BIMP-FC has a significant role, often acting as the strong link that holds together the various members of the BIMP-EAGA family.”
As the BIMP-EAGA Central Secretariat, BIMP-FC is key to advancing the BIMP-EAGA agenda. It coordinates cooperation initiatives, facilitates prioritization of projects, and monitors achievements of the subregion. It maintains close rapport and communication with BIMP-EAGA’s nine clusters and 14 working groups, the national secretariats, the BIMP-EAGA Business Council, and development partners.
“One of the key tasks of BIMP-FC is to monitor the status of implementation of related agreements, as well as progress of projects and activities,” Susan says. “For example, we monitor, together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the projects that have received grants under the BIMP-EAGA-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (BKCF), which supports the development priorities of the subregion. We also organize capacity building workshops with GGGI for grant recipients.”
Launched in 2021, the BKCF has had four grant cycles and approved 30 projects in connectivity, environment, tourism, and agriculture and fisheries, amounting to $10 million. The fund was established by the Korean government to help promote inclusive and balanced growth in Southeast Asia and contribute to ASEAN Connectivity. Seoul-based GGGI serves as the depository and manager of the fund.
BIMP-FC also helps ensure programs and projects of the different clusters and working groups are aligned and supportive of each other. Susan says there is an urgent need to better manage convergence initiatives among the clusters and working groups. “We do our best to assist the clusters and working groups to facilitate their efforts.”
BIMP-FC is expected to play an even larger role as BIMP-EAGA prepares for the next phase of development after its BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 strategy document. The midterm review of Vision 2025 sees several pathways for accelerating cooperation in the subregion to achieve its long-term goals. These include exploring the reconfiguration and expansion of economic corridors in the subregion to better spread the benefits of development to marginalized areas and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth; pursuing green and blue approaches to support climate action and low-carbon development; strengthening partnerships and institutional arrangements for greater effectiveness; accelerating digital transformation for inclusive growth; and future-proofing the workforce, among others.
“Strengthening BIMP-FC by institutionalizing it is pertinent and urgently needed to enable the center to cope with increasing demands and carry out its tasks effectively and efficiently,” says Susan. “With increased number of staff, focus can also be given to each cluster and each working group for better support and coordination.”
A future role of BIMP-FC would be within the proposed BIMP-EAGA Economic Corridors Task Force, she says. The center will be tasked to lead the overall subregional coordination and provide secretariat support to economic corridor development and the task force, including updating the priority infrastructure projects within the economic corridors.