The 4th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology (IAMMST) was held in Kuantan, Malaysia, on 28 August 2006. The Meeting, chaired by H.E. Dato’ Sri Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia, was attended by all ASEAN Member Countries.

At the Meeting, the Ministers endorsed in principle the new ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology (APAST) 2007-2011 and supported the following four flagship programmes, each will be led by a country, that the COST will embark on for the said period in the fields of (i) environment and disaster management (Indonesia), (ii) new and renewable energy (Malaysia), (iii) open source software system (Indonesia) and (iv) food safety and security (Thailand). The flagships projects will be implemented under a cost-sharing arrangement. In addition to the four flagship projects, the Ministers welcomed the proposals of Thailand on the following:

In view of the cross-cutting nature of the various initiatives put forward by Member Countries, the Ministers requested the Committee on Science and Technology (COST) to consult other relevant ASEAN bodies so as to ensure that the efforts of the S&T sector in these undertakings would compliment and contribute to the existing programmes of other ASEAN bodies.

The Ministers realised that the involvement of private sector would be critical in realising the S&T components of the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP) and the ASEAN Vision 2020. In this regard, the Minister agreed to organise a side event for the ASEAN private sector at their next meeting. The Ministers also tasked the COST to find innovative ways and means to attract the participation of the private sector in its activities.

Myanmar will host the 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on S&T (AMMST) in the second half of 2006. The date and venue of the 12th AMMST will be announced at a later date.
Alongside the informal AMMST, the Ministers met with their counterparts from the Plus Three countries (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), India, Australia and New Zealand. The Chairman’s Statement appears as APPENDIX 1.

Prior to the Ministerial Meetings, the Senior S&T Officials from ASEAN and their counterparts from China, Japan and ROK also convened the following Meetings:

1. The 52nd Meeting on the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology, 24-26 August 2006;
2. The 1st ASEAN COST Plus Three Meeting, 26 August 2006.

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4th IAMMST in Kuantan, Malaysia

28 August 2006

1	IAMMST-4.doc - (uploaded by aalim on 26September2006)
2	ChairmanPS4thIAMMST.doc - (uploaded by aalim on 27September2006)

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