6. Growing world economic activity and industrial production in the past four decades has resulted in a significant increase in the demand of minerals globally. In recent years, increased consumption by Asian countries such as China and India has further boosted world minerals demand and prices. Thus creating incentives and opportunities for ASEAN member countries to commercialise their mineral reserves.
7. The ASEAN leaders in their 1995 Bangkok Summit Declaration called for the implementation of a programme of action that will further enhance trade and investment in industrial minerals to support the industrialization of Member countries and complement ASEAN's thrust in realizing the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), and continue to create a conducive environment for private sector participation by making rules and procedures transparent, and further set in place and operationalise a mineral database to support the cooperation programme. The ASEAN Heads of State and Government in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 15 December 1997 resolved in the ASEAN Vision 2020 to enhance intra-ASEAN trade and investment in the minerals sector and to contribute towards a technologically competent ASEAN through closer networking and sharing of information on minerals and geosciences as well as to enhance cooperation and partnership with dialogue partners to facilitate the development and transfer of technology in the minerals sector, particularly in the downstream research and the geosciences and to develop appropriate mechanism for these activities.
8. In recent years, various cooperative activities in ASEAN minerals cooperation were implemented, particularly in the areas of training, trade and investment; mineral database and environmental-friendly mining and mineral processing. Key accomplishments included finalization of the ASEAN Minerals Database, continued information exchange on mineral trade and investment, environmental management and the conduct of the training project on groundwater management. The first Forum for ASEAN Private Sector Cooperation in Minerals was successfully convened during the 6th ASOMM in Vientiane, Lao PDR in July 2004. The Forum serves as a platform for continuous dialogue among the relevant private sector organizations and corporate bodies in the ASEAN minerals sector, providing opportunities for discussion and deliberation on trade and investment matters and issues pertaining to minerals in the region.