Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australi : Grants to support ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018

Media release

3 January 2018

Today I announce that the Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC) will provide grants to support seven innovative projects, to build understanding and opportunity between the people of Australia and Southeast Asia.

These projects will leverage the momentum of this year's historic ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, to be held in Sydney on 16-18 March 2018, bringing together the ASEAN leaders for the first time in Australia.

The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit will provide an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen ASEAN-Australia relations and deepen our strategic and economic partnership with Southeast Asia.

Successful projects awarded grants totalling over $240,000 include:

• A regionally focussed international cyber policy dialogue to develop innovative cyber security measures;
• A tourism workshop to improve the relationship between tourism and poverty reduction, using World Heritage towns such as Hoi An, Vietnam as case studies; and
• Dynamic Digital Citizenship, a project that brings together young online social entrepreneurs to share best practices in promoting social and economic development.

The AAC was established in 2015 to generate opportunities for Australian business, education, science and innovation and the arts to work with partners in Southeast Asia.

For further information on these grants and the work of the Council, visit www.dfat.gov.au/aac

• Minister's office: [phone]
• DFAT Media Liaison: [phone]