The ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 is characterized by a single market and production base, a region that is highly competitive economically and fully integrated into the global economy and region of equitable economic development. The envisioned single market and production base includes two important components, namely, the priority integration sectors, and food, agriculture and forestry.

Considering the scale and range of actors in the forestry sector within each ASEAN member state as well as in regional level, appropriate approaches and mechanisms should be laid down for community forest enterprises to truly benefit from the AEC and ensure that economic integration will not increase existing inequalities for forest dependent communities but usher in sustained economic benefits within the context of cultural and environmental integrity.

Intellectual Property Rights is an important aspect of the economic integration to protect and promote creativity of ASEAN nationals while promoting trade within and outside the region. In the past years, ASEAN through the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) has been working towards the development of the Intellectual Property system within the region and on increasing capacity of the Member States to respond to Intellectual Property issues. As part of the AEC Blueprint, the AWGIPC prepared an ASEAN Intellectual Property Rights Action Plan for 2011-2015. Under this priority action plan is the establishment of national and regional database on Traditional Knowledge (TK), Genetic Resources (GR) and Traditional Cultural Expressions ( TCE) targeted in 2015 and led by Indonesia, Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Green Intermediaries