ASEAN Economic Community or AEC embodies the aspiration of regional economic integration by the 10 member states1 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by 31 December 2015. The AEC will have the following key characteristics: a) a single market and production base; b) a highly competitive region; c) a region of equitable economic development; and d) a region fully integrated into the global economy.

It is envisioned that the ASEAN region will become one ASEAN Community that is founded on strong economic, political, and socio-cultural partnerships among the ASEAN member states (AMS). Thus, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is one the pillars of the ASEAN Community alongside the Political-Security Community (APSC) and the Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). The economic aspects of integration will entail liberalization of trade among the AMSs including measures that will eliminate all tariffs and non-tariff barriers, enhance interconnectivity, and other measures that will allow free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor.

The study was conducted by the Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) with support from the ASEAN Swiss Partnership for Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC). It determined the impacts (both positive and negative) of the planned economic integration on social forestry stakeholders in the ASEAN member states.

Green Intermediaries