ASEAN-USAID Inclusive Growth in ASEAN through Innovation, Trade, and E-Commerce (ASEAN-USAID IGNITE)

Nathan is implementing the ASEAN-USAID Inclusive Growth in ASEAN through Innovation, Trade, and E-Commerce (ASEAN-USAID IGNITE, or IGNITE), a five and a half-year program designed to promote a well-integrated and inclusive ASEAN Economic Community by strengthening the enabling environment for cross-border trade to benefit consumers and workers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

IGNITE builds upon achievements of the US-ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (US-ACTI) project and provides technical assistance across three work streams:

• ▶ Trade facilitation
• ▶ the digital economy
• ▶ Science, Technology, and Innovation

Through its support to the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN-USAID IGNITE aims to achieve the following objectives:

➡ Objective 1: Harmonized, transparent, internationally-accepted standards, rules, and procedures known to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and services expanded while reducing non-tariff barriers to trade.

➡ Objective 2: Improved environment for increasing the availability within and among ASEAN Member States of relevant, affordable, and secure digitally-enabled services that reflect international standards and practices and facilitate e-commerce, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

➡ Objective 3: Enabling environment strengthened that provides incentives for using science, technology, and innovation to drive open and inclusive economic growth.

In all of its work, the program seeks to promote a more inclusive environment for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and strengthen conditions for women’s economic empowerment, including through the promotion of gender equality and women’s participation in trade.

About ASEAN-USAID IGNITE

ASEAN-USAID IGNITE is designed to promote a well-integrated and inclusive ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by strengthening the enabling environment for cross-border trade to benefit consumers and workers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States. The project is organized around three workstreams—(i) Trade Facilitation; (ii) the Digital
Economy; and (iii) Science, Technology, and Innovation—providing technical assistance to
relevant counterparts in ASEAN to implement policies of mutual interest to ASEAN and the
U.S.

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