U.S. Mission to ASEAN

The United States works with ASEAN to address 21st century challenges that cross borders, such as cyber security, wildlife trafficking, disaster management, trafficking in persons, counterterrorism and countering violent extremism.

• Via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States supports green growth objectives as outlined in the ASEAN-U.S. Joint Statement on Climate Change, with more than $60 million in programs throughout the region.
• USAID has long been a supporter of ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), ASEAN efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, including efforts to reduce consumer demand, strengthen law enforcement, and promote regional cooperation.
• The U.S. has helped train 30,000 ASEAN individuals in natural resources management and biodiversity conservation over the last five years.
• Through USAID, the U.S. has supported regional and national disaster management, including contributing over $1 million for an all-hazard Disaster Monitoring and Response System at the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance. We have also provided assistance with the ASEAN Regional Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Guidelines, which the ASEAN Secretariat will put into practice in 2018 as well as regional contingency plans that will feed into the ASEAN Joint Disaster Response Plan.
• The United States supports ASEAN’s transnational crime officials and human rights bodies to promote victim-centered approaches to combating trafficking-in-persons and raise public awareness to combat human trafficking. The United States is working with ASEAN to support implementation of the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons as well as capacity building workshops and technical assistance to combat human trafficking and address the needs of its victims.
• Since 2012, the U.S. has provided training to nearly 200 ASEAN law enforcement personnel in techniques for countering-terrorism at our regional law enforcement academy.
• The United States continues to support cyber capacity building and confidence building efforts with ASEAN and throughout the region. The 2018 ASEAN-U.S. Leaders’ Statement on Cybersecurity Cooperation reinforced shared commitments to cyber capacity building, confidence-building measures, human rights, and international law in cyberspace.
• The five-year, $11.3 million ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization within the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (ASEAN-USAID PROSPECT) will continue to provide technical assistance to ASEAN in areas such as trafficking in persons, countering violent extremism, cybersecurity, wildlife trafficking, and humanitarian disasters, as well as in good governance, rule of law, and human rights.