Foreword
Since the formation of REAAA in 1973 the role of roading in the Asia Pacific region has changed dramatically. Rapid economic development and corresponding motorisation have placed considerable pressure on inadequate roading infrastructure, necessitating the adoption of innovative funding strategies, hence the development of this strategic plan.
Introduction to REAAA
Historical
On Friday 15th June 1973, some 300 participants from 19 countries attending the “Conference on Road Engineering in Asia and Australasia” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, unanimously resolved that the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia be formed with a permanent Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur. A Governing Council consisting of 15 persons was elected and the Association began to function.
Current Objectives
- To promote and advance the science and practice of road engineering and related professions; and
- To educate and seek to improve, extend and elevate the technical and general knowledge of persons concerned with road engineering.
Membership
Membership is open to persons or organisations whose duties and/or activities cause them to be interested in the science and practice of road engineering. There are six categories of membership, i.e. Honorary, Life, Ordinary, Institutional, Affiliate and Associate. In 1997, there were 1034 members from some 26 countries.
Current Management
The management of the Association is vested in a Governing Council made up of the following:-
- President, two Vice-Presidents, two Past-Presidents, Honorary Secretary General, and Honorary Treasurer General; plus Council members numbering no more than twelve (12) eight of whom should each be from a different country and co-opted Council members numbering not more than ten (10) at any one time.
Main Activities
The main activities include:-
- conducting the region’s most significant international conference in the field every two to four years.
- publishing a professional journal
- organising technical visits and highway study tours
- facilitating specialist seminars, workshops and training courses, and
- encouraging information exchange directly through professional networking
Publications
The Association publishes newsletter, journal and membership directory. The journal is the only regional publication available specifically for professionals to publish their work in this field. It is continuing to grow in stature as a professional journal. In addition, REAAA publishes special technical guides and manuals from time to time. For example, a Road Safety Resource book was published in 1992 with the purpose of providing ready access to the full range of software, manuals, guidelines and so on in this field for rapidly motorising countries.
Local Chapters
In view of the growing membership in local areas, the establishment of local chapters are allowed outside Malaysia.
REAAA’s Role
Vision
REAAA’s long-term vision is:
“To be the most effective regional organisation providing members with technology interchange, transfer and services to promote a better future in road-related engineering”
Mission
“To meet the needs of members for professional and organisational understanding and co-operation both within and beyond this region”
Value Statement
“To strongly believe in and be committed to professional knowledge sharing across international boundaries”
Goals, Objectives and Actions
Goal 1
Improve delivery of technical and managerial services to members
Objective 1
To facilitate quality workshops or seminars in the region, at least once a year
Action
• Determine the key issues for technology transfer, prioritise them and prepare a forward programme.
• Facilitate a road agency management workshop for senior managers to look at defined non-technical issues facing these agencies.
Objective 2
To improve the technical content and standard of the REAAA conferences.
Action
• Monitor the quality of technical content of future conferences against established criteria.
Objective 3
To encourage more extensive use of the World Interchange Network (WIN) nodes operating in the region. (WIN: Interchange is an international system for putting people with problems in touch with people with solutions.)
Initiated by the World Road Association, nodes are currently operating in the following countries in the REAAA ares: Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Action
• Publicise via each edition of the newsletter the availability of Interchange and how to make use of it.
• Encourage countries to set up Interchange nodes.
• Encourage the use of the Internet for communication between member
Objective 4
To improve the quality of REAAA publications.
Action
• Investigate the need to have both a Newsletter and Journal plus their frequency and content.
• In the interim, require each country Council member to arrange the supply of a minimum of one technical article per annum.
Objective 5
To encourage member countries to set up local chapters.
Action
• Ensure that each country which has not formed a local chapter considers the benefits of taking this action.
Goal 2
Ensure effective relationships with relevant international road related organisations.
Objective
To establish a working relationship with World Road Association (PIARC), International Road Federation (IRF) and Road Transport Research Programme OECD and APEC Transportation Working Group.
Action
• Ensure that a council member is represented on the governing body of the World Road Association (PIARC) and International Road Federation (IRF).
• Improve communications between these international bodies to ensure the best value is obtained when organised events are carried out in the Asia Pacific region.
Goal 3
Goal 4
To be recognised as the leading regional road organisation by relevant international funding agencies e.g. Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, ESCAP and World Health Organisation (WHO).
Objective
To establish an understanding with international funding organisations of the importance of REAAA’s role in the Asia Pacific area.
Action
• Survey the key contacts, structure and methods of operation of each funding institution.
• Ensure that a REAAA Council representative makes a visit to each of the funding agencies listed in the goal, a presentation showing the role REAAA can play in the region in conjunction with funding agencies, and reports back to Council and members.
Goal 5
To increase the membership
Objective 1
To determine the needs of the individual and institutional members.
Action
• Survey a statistical group of both individual and institutional members using a pre-set questionnaire. The results will be used to guide REAAA’s future direction.
Objective 2
To increase total membership especially in those countries with low current membership numbers.
Action
• All countries represented on the Council to set targets for new membership drive and take responsibility to achieve these targets.
Membership of REAAA
Membership is open to persons or organisations from the Asia and Australasia area, who have an interest in roads and related matters. There are six categories of membership, namely Honorary, Life, Ordinary, Institutional, Affiliate and Associate. A description of each class of membership is stated as follows:-Honorary Membership
A person of outstanding eminence and long experience in the science and practice of some phase of road engineering who has contributed outstanding services to the Association may be elected to Honorary Membership by the recommendation of the Council and the approval by members carrying a simple majority vote by ballot.
Life Membership
Life membership can be obtained by payment of an upfront fee, or by being active for more than 15 years and has reached 65 years of age.
Ordinary Membership
A person who is professionally qualified or who has a minimum of five years experience in road-related fields and who is actively involved in the science and practice of road engineering.
Institutional Membership
Professional institutions, associations, firms, companies, organisations or other similar bodies whose activities include the science and practice of road engineering or sho are concerned with road engineering and related professions.
Affiliate Membership
An institution, association or organisation whose main objectives are similar to those of the Association and who are willing to reciprocate a similar class of membership with the Association.
Associate Membership
A person who is keenly interested in the science and practice of road engineering but is not eligible for election to other classes of membership.
Implementation Plan
The following implementation plan is proposed to ensure that the Strategic Plan is achieved :-
Phase I
Plan Timetable
• Preparation of first draft Strategic Plan – November 1996 to March 1997 – completed.
• Consider first draft Strategic Plan by the Strategic Planning Committee and then the Council in April 1997 – completed.
• Circulate the draft Strategic Plan to all members of REAAA by mail – June 1997 to September 1997 and request for comments to be back to the Secretariat by 12 September 1997 – completed.
• Amend draft Strategic Plan at the October 1997 Council Meeting – completed.
• Present the Strategic Plan at the 9th REAAA Conference – May 1998 – completed.
• Commit to implementation of the plan after approval at the 9th REAAA Conference in May 1998.
Phase II
• Obtain membership support and sign off for the plan.
• Review the role and makeup of the governing council and committees.
• Ensure that Council manages the implementation of the plan.
• Assign a time frame and person or committee responsible, including an estimate of resources required, for each action in the plan.
• Determine means of funding and making resources available to implement this plan, including the development of any policy. For instance, current policy requires that: all workshops and seminars sponsored by REAAA be self-funding, and the main conference will be totally underwritten by the host country.
• Ensure that improved services to members will support the achievement of goals for obtaining more members.
• Ensure results of the implementation of this plan by : encouraging the commitment of all Council members; inviting the co-operation of leaders of Institutional members of each country; promoting the participation of active members.