In Vientiane, Laos, Prime Minister Trudeau highlighted an over $128 million package of measures to deepen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and build on Canada’s work toward a more peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive future in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Supporting sustainable development and climate resilience
The Monsoon Wind Power Project
Funding: $40.5 million (US$30 million) concessional loan over 17 to 21 years
The Monsoon Wind Power Project is the first large-scale wind energy project in Laos and the first cross-border wind power project in Asia. This loan, through the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia, aims to help reduce carbon emissions by at least 740 kilotons per year. With the clean energy generated flowing to Vietnam, it will help build needed east-west connectivity in the region.
The Lao Landscapes and Livelihoods Project
Funding: $21.6 million (US$ 16 million) concessional loan over 20 years
Through the Canada-World Bank Clean Energy and Forests Climate Facility, Canada is supporting the Lao Landscapes and Livelihoods Project. The project aims to generate jobs in rural areas by promoting investment in environmentally sustainable and socially responsible forest and landscape management. The project will engage stakeholders to maintain or increase the forest cover of five key landscapes, which are critical to reducing climate-related risks and generating livelihood opportunities from sustainable land use and nature-based tourism.
The Carbon Pricing in Asia (CAPRIAS) initiative
Funding: $15 million over five years
Canada, as an internationally recognized leader in carbon pricing, will bring its experience and expertise to help Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam strengthen and establish high-quality carbon pricing approaches while ensuring civil society, communities, and industry have strong voices in shaping its implementation. Through the CAPRIAS initiative, the project will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reinforce Canada’s efforts through the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge.
Building regional resilience through anticipatory action and civil society empowerment
Funding: $5 million over four years
Building on an initial contribution of $2 million, Canada will increase its support for disaster resilience in Southeast Asia through a new partnership with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Member States and civil society organizations on disaster preparedness and management, and increase co-ordination within the ASEAN region. Canadian-based civil society organizations will share their expertise to help countries in the region better prepare for the impacts of disasters before they strike.
Institutional support to the Mekong River Commission
Funding: $2 million over three years
Canada’s institutional support to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) reinforces our shared goals of helping to ensure the Mekong River region continues to be a vital driver of economic growth and a social resource for millions of people. As a new Development Partner to the MRC, Canada’s voice will add value by bringing a unique perspective on managing transboundary water resources and water governance issues in the Mekong region.
Fighting crime, addressing terrorism, and upholding the rule of law
Royal Canadian Mounted Police-led law enforcement capacity building support to Indo-Pacific countries
Funding: $4.68 million over 27 months
This project will support Royal Canadian Mounted Police-led training and mentoring to Indo-Pacific law enforcement agencies at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. Efforts will strengthen frontline operational capacity to reduce threats from transnational organized crime and international terrorism. Project activities include training on investigative, cyber, surveillance, mass casualty victim identification, and leadership skills for law enforcement personnel. This will support law enforcement abilities to address threats impacting Canada and the region, including cybercrime, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons, and illicit financial flows.
Addressing drug and precursor trafficking in Southeast Asia
Funding: $3.72 million over three years
Through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this project aims to strengthen border security and precursor control measures to address the exponential growth of synthetic drug trafficking in Southeast Asia. Project activities include enhancing the use of investigative techniques on border security and precursor (e.g., substances used in the production of synthetic drugs) control, strengthening regional co-operation, increasing the adoption of gender-inclusive human resource policies, and enhancing co-operation between public and private sector stakeholders involved in the manufacturing, trade, and distribution of precursor substances.
Combatting money laundering and financing for terrorism
Funding: $2.98 million over three years
Through the World Bank, this project aims to support Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam in adopting and enhancing risk-based policies, laws, and regulations to address money laundering and terrorist financing. Project activities include legislative and regulatory review for the purposes of risk assessments, developing supervisory and investigative tools and operation manuals, as well as providing workshops, training, and mentoring, including to law enforcement agencies.
Stopping wildlife crime and illegal forest product trafficking
Funding: $2.41 million over three years
Through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this project aims to disrupt transnational organized criminal groups involved in wildlife and forest crime through strengthened co-operation among Southeast Asian countries. Project activities include enhancing regional and inter-regional information sharing networks, prioritizing wildlife and forest crime on stakeholders’ agendas, and improving data collection.
Protecting children in contexts of insecurity associated with terrorism
Funding: $2.26 million over 30 months
Through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this project seeks to better foster rehabilitation and reintegration of children associated with terrorist groups in South and Southeast Asia. Project activities include facilitating cross-border co-operation among policymakers and practitioners, strengthening legal and policy frameworks, and training social workers who provide psychosocial support for children.
Building capacity and improving co-operation mechanisms on countering the financing of terrorism in Southeast Asia
Funding: $1.95 million over 28 months
Through the International Institute of Justice and the Rule of Law, this project aims to deliver specialized training to criminal justice practitioners to help reduce illicit financial flows in the Indo-Pacific region. Project activities include delivering courses on financial crimes related to international terrorism and transnational organized crime, delivering workshops on emerging issues related to illicit financial flows, and developing materials to support public-private co-operation in countering the financing of terrorism.
Enhancing the capacity of Thailand to combat trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants through enhanced border management
Funding: $1.69 million over 27 months
Through the International Organization for Migration’s Thailand office, this project aims to deliver training and resources to Thai border officials, legislative authorities, and civil society to address trafficking in persons (TiP) and the smuggling of migrants (SoM) into cyber scam compounds. Project activities include training frontline border authorities to detect TiP and SoM operations, increasing the connectivity between frontline border officials and cybercrime investigators, engaging the Government of Thailand on migration legislation, and enhancing the ability of vulnerable communities to follow safe migration practices.
Building capacity to implement cyber norms and law in the Indo-Pacific
Funding: $880,000 over 27 months
The Stimson Center will support Cambodia, India, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in examining and reducing the threats posed by malicious cyber activity. Project activities include facilitating training on international law and cyber norms, convening virtual roundtables with global audiences to examine and address the threat of cyberscams, delivering awareness-raising materials on cyber security, and launching the Global Cyber Accountability Report.
Increasing border security in the Philippines
Funding: $421,500 over 27 months
This project will support Canada Border Services Agency-led capacity building to the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command and Intelligence Force. This will help mitigate threats from transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. Project activities include mentorship and support for PCG’s organizational development, intelligence, and investigative skills.
International aviation security assistance in the Indo-Pacific region
Funding: $217,000 over two years
Transport Canada will work with the Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to support enhanced security capabilities of their civil aviation authorities. Project activities include delivering gender-based and analysis-informed workshops on quality control in aviation security and providing knowledge, skills, and complementary equipment to mitigate risks associated with acts of unlawful civil aviation interference.
The Canada—Indo-Pacific Border Management Symposium
Funding: $70,000
Following the success of the Canada—Indo-Pacific Symposium hosted by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), in co-operation with the Cambodian General Department of Customs and Excise, in February 2023, the CBSA plans to host a second Canada—Indo-Pacific Symposium in February 2025 at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation in Indonesia. The symposium aims to bring together officials from both customs and immigration operations to ensure stronger partnerships between Canada and participating countries to facilitate secure trade and travel.
Peace and security
Support for the IAEA’s Regulatory Infrastructure Development Program in the Indo-Pacific region
Funding: $9.46 million over four years
Through the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Regulatory Infrastructure Development Program, this funding aims to strengthen the regulatory infrastructure for nuclear security and radiation safety in 28 countries in the Indo-Pacific region. It will help prevent radioactive material used in civil applications from falling out of regulatory control and into the hands of terrorist groups.
Understanding the risks and designing effective responses to the proliferation of malicious information and communication technology in the Indo-Pacific
Funding: $1.73 million over three years
Through the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), this project aims to reduce the impact of malicious information and communication activities by criminal enterprises and international terrorist organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. To achieve this, UNIDIR will carry out research and expert consultations, develop national cyber threat assessments, facilitate tailored scenario-based exercises, and publish a compendium of best practices for integrating diverse gender perspectives in the cyber sector.
Understanding challenges to the Arms Trade Treaty and universalizing compliance
Funding: $742,000 over two years
Through Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program, this project supports building an evidence base for Arms Trade Treaty compliance in the Indo-Pacific region, including through the research and analysis of trends concerning the legal and illegal trade of weapons and ammunition.
Promoting the rights of women and girls
Trade, labour, and fundamental principles and rights at work in Southeast Asia
Funding: $7 million over five years
Implemented by the International Labour Organization, this project aims to facilitate sustained adherence to international labour standards, particularly fundamental labour rights. The project will help enable better compliance with and enforcement of domestic labour laws, the enhanced protection of women’s access to representation, and the elimination of forced and child labour.
Agricultural-based Growth and Resilience Opportunities for Women (AGROW)
Funding: $2 million over four years
This project aims to support the socio-economic resilience of women and girls in Cambodia’s Battambang province through human, animal, and environmental health programming. Through support to Veterinarians without Borders Canada, AGROW supports the Cambodia National Green Growth Strategy by providing skills training in such areas as climate-smart food production, value-addition, and green technologies.
Prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation services for women and girls
Funding: $42,000 over one year
Building on Canada’s history of support for demining in the region, this Canada Fund for Local Initiatives project aims to support the Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise, a local Lao organization, through mobile clinics and community outreach. This will help increase access to prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation services for women and girls with physical disabilities in rural and remote areas of Laos.
Deepening ties with ASEAN
Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED)
Funding: $2 million top-up over one year
These scholarships enhance long-term people-to-people and institutional ties between Canada and ASEAN. Building on an initial contribution of $10 million, this top-up for the 2024-2025 academic year, will help provide 190 scholarships for students in ASEAN Member States so they can pursue short-term studies or research opportunities in Canada. This is the first time that students from all ASEAN Member States will participate in, and benefit from, the SEED project.
Team Canada Trade Missions to the Indo-Pacific
In February 2023, the Government of Canada announced large-scale Team Canada Trade Missions to the Indo-Pacific. Canada will undertake similar trade missions to the Philippines and Indonesia later this year, and to Thailand and Cambodia in 2025, with the aim of enhancing trade and investment ties with the region, including ASEAN Member States.
Upgrading existing offices to embassies in Cambodia and Laos
Canada will be upgrading its existing offices in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Vientiane, Laos, into full embassies with resident ambassadors in 2025. These offices were initially opened in 2015 and 2016, respectively, with Canada’s Ambassador to Thailand accredited to both. This means that Canada will be represented by full embassies in all 10 ASEAN Member States.