The Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP) is an intergovernmental platform for geoscience in East and Southeast Asia which promotes cooperation among its 16 Member Countries, 14 Cooperating Countries and 18 Cooperating Organizations. In the Strategic Plan 2021-2025, CCOP chases the objective “To Be the Leading Intergovernmental Geoscience Organization for Sustainable Development in East and Southeast Asia” by working together on advancing geoscience for better lives on a future earth, in line with the goals of international conventions including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework, and the Paris Agreement. CCOP Technical Secretariat, which is based in Bangkok Thailand, currently has 10 full-time staff.

CCOP pursues the new 5-year strategic plan by spotlighting three Strategic Aims, namely 1) Provision of Geoscience Solutions, Advice and Reliable Information through Cooperation and Partnership; 2) Adapting to Digital Transformation in Geoscience Solutions, Advice and Reliable Information through Cooperation and Partnership; and 3) Promotion of Geoscience Education, Capacity Building and Outreach. 11 objectives and 38 sub-objectives were highlighted with the focuses on Mineral Resources, Petroleum Resources, Groundwater, Climate Change Mitigation, Geohazards, Urban Geology, Coastal and Marine Geology, Information & Digital Technology, Geoheritage/Geopark and Geothermal/Alternative green energy.

As the majority of CCOP member countries, 10 ASEAN Member States have a long history with CCOP in fostering and conducting regional cooperation in geoscience-related projects/activities. For instance, the CCOP-ASEAN Seamless Geology Project, with the goals of standardization of the geological legend, compilation of 1:1 million seamless geology maps and to be operated by the web-GIS system, CCOP/ASEAN Integrated Geoscience Data Processing and Geophysical Compilation Project, and Minerals Information and Database (MID) Programme cooperation, etc. In the meantime, CCOP holds a close relationship with ASCE and AFMA and regularly attends the ASEAN meetings in minerals, including ASOMM, ASOMM+3 and JWG. Additionally, every activity that CCOP hosts every year (average 10 times/yr) will invite and fully sponsor participant(s) from all 10 ASEAN Member States, and degree-education opportunities provided by China, South Korea and Japan will be offered to AMS through CCOP, and the recent Master/Doctor scholarship provided by Hanyang University accepted 9 students from AMS recommended by CCOP.