Initiative for ASEAN integration: policy brief 4: graduation of all ASEAN member states from less developed country status

ASEAN recognises that concerted efforts are required to narrow development gaps between ASEAN countries to ensure that development and the benefits of economic integration are equitably shared by all member states and their citizens. Narrowing development gaps between member states is a cornerstone of the equitable economic development agenda within ASEAN and forms an important part of the ASEAN Roadmap. This agenda translates primarily to a concern for the relatively low development achievements in the CLMV countries compared to those in the ASEAN-6 group. <div><br />Within ASEAN and among its partners, there has been ambiguity over precisely how to define and measure the development gap between ASEAN countries, particularly the gap between ASEAN-6 and CLMV groups. One way of defining the gap is to treat it as an increasing function of the difference in average development achievement between the ASEAN-6 and CLMV countries.</div>