ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 6 February 2016]
http://www.asean.org/news
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

ASEAN Leaders Programme Demonstrates True Potential of the ASEAN Community
JAKARTA, 1 February 2016 – Demonstrating how the potential benefits of the ASEAN Community are more than just economic, a new initiative has been launched to bring together senior leaders from all ten ASEAN countries. The ASEAN Leaders Programme is being launched to bring together 70 senior leaders from across the ASEAN, from all sectors and walks of life, to work on a challenge relevant to the region. The inaugural programme will be held in Singapore in May 2016 and will pose the challenge: “What makes a city smart?”

The programme will act as a catalyst, bringing together leaders from the world of finance, manufacturing, civil service, statutory bodies, academia, the not-for-profit sector and more, to spark a robust exchange of ideas. It aims to help leaders build strong connections, share knowledge and develop the Cultural Intelligence needed to grow ASEAN both in the context of its cities and as a region…