Conference Objectives

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will host high level representatives of ASEAN Member States on 2-3 May 2018, providing an opportunity to address the key security challenges posed by the region’s rapid economic expansion. This is a critical juncture at which the coming challenges need to be addressed to ensure that responses are built into ASEAN’s framework for economic development.

The conference will include discussions on current cross-border security issues and pragmatic measures to bolster the regional border management of land, sea and air port crossings, as well as addressing maritime challenges. The aim of the conference is to produce tangible solutions that can be taken forward for implementation by ASEAN Member States and their relevant law enforcement agencies and institutions.

Understanding Transnational Crime and Security Challenges in the Context of ASEAN Connectivity

Policy has been focused mostly on the economic and social components of trade among ASEAN nations with insufficient inclusion of security considerations. This can mean, for example, the construction of a wider road across a border may be planned without consulting those responsible for securing that border with the infrastructure, trained personnel, and cross-border cooperation necessary to deal with the illicit dimension of that increase in trade.

There is also a need to not only evaluate current trends in cross-border crime, but to predict the evolution of those trends as the ASEAN Region is subject to further economic growth and integration. By forecasting the ways in which transnational organised criminal groups will utilise that economic expansion and integration to further their enterprise, member states can begin to plan effective, proactive responses.

Aligning Infrastructure Financing, Trade and Investments with Security and Stability

Given the current extensive scale of infrastructure financing and investment in the region, cross-border security issues become exponentially relevant and therefore need to be taken into consideration, especially in the planning phase. Resources, both financial and technical, for minimizing security-related risks should be included in all infrastructure investments, particularly for projects close to border areas. Project planning should be multi-sectoral and include the input and participation of relevant law enforcement bodies as necessary.

A Preliminary Roadmap to Synchronise Efforts

The conference will host a series of sessions dedicated to establishing proposed solutions, not only for land, port and airport border security, but also for maritime and cyber-crime challenges. The outcomes and recommendations from this conference, that will form a road map for action, will be produced as a result of the collated expertise of participants. The sharing of best practices and lessons learned, both from ASEAN and other regional communities, will contribute significantly to the development of a road map for action. In order to be an effective tool for policymakers, the road map will be a concise action plan that lays out the necessary steps for incorporating cross-border security issues in the planning stages of infrastructural and economic expansion.