15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting | 17 Sep 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Union Minister of State for Power attended the 15^th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting.

• The theme of the meeting was “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”.

Key Points

• About the Meeting:
  
  • The meeting was aimed at coordinating efforts of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in pursuing the goal of energy security and energy transition that will benefit the people of the region.
  • India confirmed that ASEAN is a region of great importance and engagement with ASEAN has been, and will remain, a critical element of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and strategy.
    
    • Acting East is now a central element in India's Indo-Pacific vision.
  • A brief status of the Indian energy transition plans, policies, challenges and efforts towards decarbonisation was also provided.
    
    • Some of India’s initiatives include National Solar Mission (NSM), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA), Smart City Mission (SCM), etc.

• East Asia Summit:
  
  • About:
    
    • Established in 2005, it is a forum of 18 regional leaders for strategic dialogue and cooperation on the key political, security, and economic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.
    • The concept of an East Asia Grouping was first promoted in 1991 by the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad.
    • There are six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS. These are – Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity.
  • Membership:
    
    • It comprises the ten member states of the ASEAN which are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, along with 8 other countries namely Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the USA.
    • It is an ASEAN-centred forum so it can only be chaired by an ASEAN member.
      
      • Brunei Darussalam is the chair for 2021.
  • EAS Meetings and Processes:
    
    • The EAS calendar culminates in the annual Leaders' Summit, which is usually held alongside ASEAN Leaders' meetings in the fourth quarter of every year.
    • Meetings of EAS Foreign Ministers and Economic Ministers are also held annually.
  • India and EAS:
    
    • India is one of the founding members of the East Asia Summit.
    • At the East Asia Summit in Bangkok in November 2019, India had unveiled India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which is aimed at forging partnerships to create a secure and stable maritime domain.
• Other Related Groupings:
  
  • ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus:
    
    • It is an annual meeting of Defence Ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and eight dialogue partner countries.
    • The ADMM-Plus countries include ten ASEAN Member States and eight Plus countries, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the United States (same as in the EAS).
  • ASEAN Regional Forum:
    
    • Established in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is an important platform for security dialogue in the Indo-Pacific.
    • It comprises 27 members: the 10 ASEAN member states, the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and the United States); Bangladesh, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste; and one ASEAN observer (Papua New Guinea).

Source: PIB