For Asean, sustainability is key to unlocking development potential

THE recent Asean Summit held in Singapore saw robust discussions on issues of sustainable regional growth. Access to reliable, affordable infrastructure is key for countries to create jobs and grow sustainably.

As a region, Asean is diverse in many ways, with different capacities to fund infrastructure. Developing countries would need to spend 2 to 7 per cent of their gross domestic product (US$532 billion to US$1.6 trillion) per year for water, sanitation, electricity, transport and more.

To sustain economic growth and continue poverty reduction through greater integration, Asean will need to tackle the infrastructure gaps in the region's economies.