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INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALAYSIA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALAYSIA
Responses to COVID-19 and ASEAN and Regional Trade. These discussions, along with few seminars, focused on the
critical roles that FTAs and FDIs in the growth and development of our country.
ASEAN-EU Economic Diplomacy Course 2021 reflect the objectives. Among them were Post-COVID
Recovery: Global, Regional and National Challenges,
Despite the constraint of the ongoing pandemic, IDFR EU’s Recovery & Resilience Facility During the Global
successfully conducted the ASEAN-EU Economic Pandemic, Overview and Main Features of EU Free
Diplomacy Course 2021 from 13 to 16 July 2021, Trade Agreements & EU-Malaysia Sustainability Impact
with the support of the office of the Delegation of the Assessment (SIA), Economic Diplomacy: Future Direction
European Union (EU) to Malaysia. The course was aimed for ASEAN-EU & Negotiating FTA’s, Engaging State &
at providing the participants with an understanding of Non-State Actors in Trade Policy Making and FTA’s,
economic diplomacy practices in the real world and how WTO Rules in the Context of Global Health Pandemic:
it has progressed and changed due to COVID-19. Trips & Trims, Access to Vaccines and Essential Drugs:
Pharmaceutical IPR, Production and Import Regimes,
The course received more than 35 participants from Achieving SDGs in ASEAN Countries, and EU-ASEAN
various ministries and agencies including the Ministry Economic Cooperation: The Case of the EU-Vietnam FTA.
of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Ministry
of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Ministry of These important topics were delivered by various
Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Ministry of Health, respected guest speakers, including Former Advisor
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry and Research Director of the Asian Development
of Rural Development, as well as Economic Planning Bank (ADB), Dr Ganeshan Wignaraja; Dr Jorge Nunez-
Unit (EPU), among others. Among the ASEAN member Ferrer, from Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS),
states that participated in the course were Cambodia, Brussels and European Institute of Public Administration
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, (EIPA), Dr Willem Van Der Geest, formerly from United
and Vietnam. Aside from these countries, Timor-Leste Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
also sent representatives to the course. (UN DESA), and EU Policy and Outreach Partnership
(EUPOP), Distinguished Fellow at the IDFR and External
The course’s welcoming remarks were delivered by Fellow of the World Trade Institute (WTI), University of
the then Director-General of IDFR, Dato’ Mohd Zamruni Bern, Switzerland, Dr Sufian Jusoh, Senior Principal
Khalid and Ambassador of the EU to Malaysia, H.E Assistant Director, ASEAN Economic Integration Division,
Michalis Rokas. Several modules were designed to Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia
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2021 ANNUAL REPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT