The Regional Initiatives recipient category captures both funding allocated to regional organisations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and projects implemented across multiple countries.
From 2015 to 2024, 3,151 projects were implemented in the Regional Initiatives category by 60 development partners, totalling $2.9 billion in official development finance (ODF). This represents less than 1% of all ODF recorded in the Southeast Asia Aid Map.
This analysis excludes one very large commitment to the region from China in 2023: a $15.4 billion commitment for special loans on China–ASEAN common development. Due to the exceptionally large scale of this commitment, and lack of further detail, it has not been included in this report’s analysis, though it does appear in the database.
Key trends
ODF disbursements including grants, loans, and other forms of assistance to Regional Initiatives have increased over time, growing steadily from 2015 to 2022 and then sharply in 2023, but decreasing in 2024.
ODF in this category is most often delivered as grants (82%), with occasional use of concessional and non-concessional loans.
New commitments to Regional Initiatives increased slightly in 2024.
- Spent
- Committed
Development partners
The top contributors to Regional Initiatives from 2015 to 2024 are China, the EU Institutions, the United States, and Australia.
China is not a regular provider of ODF to Regional Initiatives, but the 2023 establishment of the China–ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund II with a $512 million disbursement has placed it as the largest donor.
The EU Institutions have averaged a $27.1 million annual contribution to Regional Initiatives from 2015 to 2024, targeting the government and civil society sector.
The United States’ ODF to Regional Initiatives has averaged $31.1 million a year with a focus on general environmental protection and government and civil society.
Australia’s contributions to Regional Initiatives, averaging $32.6 million per year, target the government and civil society and health sectors, particularly focusing on regional cooperation programs. Australia’s ODF to Regional Initiatives grew from 2015 to 2024.
Sectors
The Regional Initiatives category receives below the regional average ODF for the communications, education, energy, government and civil society, industry, mining, and construction, transport and storage, and water and sanitation sectors. Above-average spending as a proportion of total ODF received was recorded in the general environmental protection, agriculture, forestry, and fishing, banking and financial services, health, and humanitarian aid sectors.
- Regional initiatives
- Regional average
Policy goals
The Southeast Asia Aid Map tracks ODF with integrated policy goals across three policy domains or cross-cutting themes (as distinct from sectors): climate action, gender equality, and disability inclusion.
Over 2015–24, 34% of regional or multilateral ODF to Southeast Asia was directed to gender equality and 51% to climate action, both above the regional average. The share targeting disability inclusion was below average, at 6%.