The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN is a political and economic

organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August
1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then,
membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
(Burma) and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social
progress, socio cultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and
stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.
ASEAN covers a land area of 4.46 million km, which is 3% of the total land area of
Earth, and has a population of approximately 600 million people, which is 8.8% of the
world's population. The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land
counterpart. In 2012, its combined nominal GDP had grown to more than US$2.3 trillion.
If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the sixth largest economy in the world,
behind the US, China, India, Japan and Germany.

History


The member states of ASEAN
Burma
(Myanmar)
Laos
Vietnam
Thailand
Cambodia
Philippines
Brunei
Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia

ASEAN was existing before by an organisation called the Association of Southeast
Asia (ASA), a group consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was
formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was inaugurated on 8 August 1967,
when foreign ministers of five countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, and Thailand met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building
in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok
Declaration. The five foreign ministers Adam Malikof Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the
Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, andThanat
Khoman of Thailand are considered the organisation's Founding Fathers.
The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members governing elite could
concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or
mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic development.
The block grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member on 8 January 1984,
barely a week after gaining independence on 1 January.



Continued expansion
On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became the seventh member. Laos and Myanmar (Burma)
joined two years later on 23 July 1997. Cambodia was to have joined together with Laos
and Burma, but was deferred due to the country's internal political struggle. The country
later joined on 30 April 1999, following the stabilisation of its government.
During the 1990s, the bloc experienced an increase in both membership and drive for
further integration. In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic
Caucus comprising the then members of ASEAN as well as the People's Republic of
China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention of counterbalancing the growing
influence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and in
the Asian region as a whole. This proposal failed, however, because of heavy opposition
from the United States and Japan. Despite this failure, member states continued to work
for further integration and ASEAN Plus Three was created in 1997.
In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was signed as a
schedule for phasing tariffs and as a goal to increase the regions competitive advantage
as a production base geared for the world market. This law would act as the framework
for the ASEAN Free Trade Area. After the East Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, a revival
of the Malaysian proposal was established in Chiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai
Initiative, which calls for better integration between the economies of ASEAN as well as
the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea).
Aside from improving each member state's economies, the bloc also focused on peace
and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-
Free Zone Treaty was signed with the intention of turning Southeast Asia into a Nuclear-
Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March 1997 after all but one of the
member states have ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June 2001, after the
Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region.
East Timor and Papua New Guinea
East Timor submitted a letter of application to be the eleventh member of ASEAN at the
summit in Jakarta in March 2011. Indonesia has shown a warm welcome to East Timor.
Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and Special Observer status in
1981. Papua New Guinea is a Melanesian state. ASEAN embarked on a programme of
economic cooperation following the Bali Summit of 1976. This floundered in the mid-
1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai proposal for a regional free trade
area.






Environment

Satellite image of the 2006 haze over Borneo
At the turn of the 21st century, issues shifted to include a regional approach to the
environment. The organisation started to discuss environmental agreements. These
included the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002
as an attempt to control haze pollution in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, this was
unsuccessful due to the outbreaks of the 2005 Malaysian haze and the 2006 Southeast
Asian haze. Other environmental treaties introduced by the organisation include the Cebu
Declaration on East Asian Energy Security, the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement
Network in 2005, and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate,
both of which are responses to the potential effects of climate change. Climate change is
of current interest.
Through the Bali Concord II in 2003, ASEAN has subscribed to the notion of democratic
peace, which means all member countries believe democratic processes will promote
regional peace and stability. Also, the non-democratic members all agreed that it was
something all member states should aspire to.
ASEAN Plus Three
Leaders of each country felt the need to further integrate the region. Beginning in 1997,
the bloc began creating organisations within its framework with the intention of
achieving this goal. ASEAN Plus Three was the first of these and was created to improve
existing ties with the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea. This was
followed by the even larger East Asia Summit, which now includes these countries as
well as India, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia. This new grouping
acted as a prerequisite for the planned East Asia Community, which was supposedly
patterned after the now-defunct European Community. The ASEAN Eminent Persons
Group was created to study the possible successes and failures of this policy as well as
the possibility of drafting an ASEAN Charter.
In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. As
a response, the organisation awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the United
Nations.
Free Trade
2007 was the fortieth anniversary of ASEAN's beginning, and 30 years of diplomatic
relations with the US. On 26 August 2007, ASEAN stated that it aims to complete all
its free trade agreements with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New
Zealand by 2013, in line with the start of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. In
November 2007 the ASEAN members signed the ASEAN Charter, a constitution
governing relations among the ASEAN members and establishing ASEAN itself as an
international legal entity. During the same year, the Cebu Declaration on East Asian
Energy Security was signed in Cebu on 15 January 2007, by ASEAN and the other
members of the EAS (Australia, People's Republic of China, India, Japan, New Zealand,
South Korea), which is in favour of energy security by finding energy
alternatives toconventional fuels.
On 27 February 2009 a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN regional block of 10
countries and Australia and its close partner New Zealand was signed, it is believed that
this FTA would boost combine GDP across the 12 countries by more than US$48 billion
over the period 20002020. ASEAN members together with the groups six major trading
partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea have began the
first round of negotiations on 2628 February 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, on establishment
of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The ASEAN way

ASEAN members' flags in Jakarta
Since the post-independence phases of Southeast Asian states, efforts were made to
implement regional foreign policies, but with a unifying focus to refrain from
interference in domestic affairs of member states.
There was a move to unify the region under what was called the ASEAN Way based on
the ideals of non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalization, consultation and
consensus, non-use of force and non-confrontation. ASEAN members (especially
Singapore) approved of the term ASEAN Way to describe a regional method
of multilateralism.
Thus the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia adopted
fundamental principles:
Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and
national identity of all nations
The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference,
subversion or coercion
Non-interference in internal affairs
Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner
Renunciation of the threat or use of force
Effective regional cooperation
The ASEAN way is said to contribute durability and longevity within the organisation,
by promoting regional identity and enhancing a spirit of mutual confidence and
cooperation. ASEAN agreements are negotiated in a close, interpersonal process. The
process of consultations and consensus is designed to engender a democratic approach to
decision making. These leaders are wary of any effort to legitimise efforts to undermine
their nation or contain regional co-operation.
Other scholars, however, without denying the importance of following the ASEAN Way,
have also stressed the urgency to update some of its principles in order to improve the
groups efficiency and effectiveness (Soesastro 2006; Capannelli 2011b). Needed reforms
are identified in consensus decision-making, equality in financial contributions, and the
absence of sanctions against member countries that do not adhere to commitments
(section 5.3). While the ASEAN Way could evolve through efficiency updates to boost
its relevance and influence in an increasingly multipolar world, over the years ASEAN
has taken center stage in Asian regionalism, especially in its role as honest broker in
security and economic arenas. It has been able to create an ASEAN-Plus framework of
relationships based on pragmatism and flexibility. It has developed an articulated system
of dialogue partnerships and alliances with major powers such as the United States (US),
the PRC, the EU, and Japan. And it has also played a cohesive role among major Asian
economies in providing dynamism and never being perceived as a threat.
Bilaterally, ASEAN maintains strategic relations with Australia, Canada, the PRC, the
EU, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, and the
US (ASEAN 2013b). As discussed in chapter 1, bilateral free trade and investment
agreements have been signed with Australia and New Zealand, the PRC, India, Japan,
and the Republic of Korea; while India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the US have
also created bilateral programs in support of economic cooperation for ASEANs
Mekong River countries Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao
PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Critical reception

Royal Thai Embassy in Helsinki flying its own national flag as well as Asean flag
The ASEAN way can be seen as divergent from the contextual contemporary political
reality at the formative stages of the association. A critical distinction is made by Amitav
Acharya, that the ASEAN Way indicates a process of regional interactions and
cooperation based on discreteness, informality, consensus building and non-
confrontational bargaining styles that contrasts with the adversarial posturing, majority
vote and other legalistic decision-making procedures in Western multilateral
organisations".
However, critics argue that the ASEAN Way serves as the major stumbling-block to it
becoming a true diplomacy mechanism. Due to the consensus-based approach every
member has a veto, so contentious issues must remain unresolved until agreements can be
reached. Moreover, it is claimed that member nations are directly and indirectly
advocating that ASEAN be more flexible and allow discourse on internal affairs of
member countries.
Additionally, the preference for informal discussions to adversarial negotiations limits the
leverage of diplomatic solutions

within ASEAN.
Michael Yahuda, explains, in his book International Politics of the Asia Pacific
(2003) second and revised edition, the limitations of the ASEAN way. In summary of his
argument, unlike the European Union, the ASEAN Way has made ASEAN members
never aspired to an economic and political union. It was designed to sustain the
independence and sovereignty of member states and to encourage regional and national
stability. ASEAN differed in assessment of external threat and they operated within
conditions in which legality and the rule of law were not generally consolidated within
member states. ASEAN wasnt a rule making body subjecting its members to the
discipline of adhering its laws and regulations. It was operated through consensus and
informality. Also, the member states avoided to confront certain issues if they were to
result in conflicts.
ASEAN Identity
ASEAN has formulated a planned integration among its ten member nations and has
challenged its citizens to embrace a regional identity. The call for ASEAN identity
delivers a challenge to construct dynamic institutions and foster sufficient amounts of
social capital. The underlying assumption is that the creation of a regional identity is of
special interest to ASEAN and the intent of the 2020 Vision policy document was to
reassert the belief in a regional framework designed as an action plan related to human
development and civic empowerment. Accordingly, these assumptions will be the basis
for recommendations and strategies in developing a participatory regional identity.
Meetings
ASEAN Summits

A billboard in Jakarta welcoming ASEAN Summit 2011 delegates
The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of
government of each member meet to discuss and resolve regional issues, as well as to
conduct other meetings with other countries outside of the bloc with the intention of
promoting external relations.
The ASEAN Leaders' Formal Summit was first held in Bali, Indonesia in 1976. Its third
meeting was held in Manila in 1987 and during this meeting, it was decided that the
leaders would meet every five years. Consequently, the fourth meeting was held
in Singaporein 1992 where the leaders again agreed to meet more frequently, deciding to
hold the summit every three years. In 2001, it was decided to meet annually to address
urgent issues affecting the region. Member nations were assigned to be the summit host
in alphabetical order except in the case of Burma which dropped its 2006 hosting rights
in 2004 due to pressure from the United Statesand the European Union.
By December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN
Summit will be held twice in a year.
The formal summit meets for three days. The usual itinerary is as follows:
Leaders of member states would hold an internal organisation meeting.
Leaders of member states would hold a conference together with foreign ministers of
the ASEAN Regional Forum.
A meeting, known as ASEAN Plus Three, is set for leaders of three Dialogue
Partners (People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea)
A separate meeting, known as ASEAN-CER, is set for another set of leaders of two
Dialogue Partners (Australia, New Zealand).
ASEAN Formal Summits
No Date Country Host Host leader
1st
2324 February
1976
Indonesia Bali Soeharto
2nd 45 August 1977 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Hussein Onn
3rd
1415 December
1987
Philippines Manila Corazon Aquino
4th 2729 January 1992 Singapore Singapore Goh Chok Tong
5th
1415 December
1995
Thailand Bangkok Banharn Silpa-archa
6th
1516 December
1998
Vietnam Hanoi Phan Vn Khi
7th 56 November 2001 Brunei
Bandar Seri
Begawan
Hassanal Bolkiah
8th 45 November 2002 Cambodia Phnom Penh Hun Sen
9th 78 October 2003 Indonesia Bali
Megawati
Soekarnoputri
10th
2930 November
2004
Laos Vientiane Bounnhang Vorachith
11th
1214 December
2005
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi
12th
1114 January
2007
1

Philippines
2
Cebu
Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo
13th
1822 November
Singapore Singapore Lee Hsien Loong
2007
14th
3

27 February 1
March 2009
1011 April 2009
Thailand
Cha Am, Hua
Hin
Pattaya
Abhisit Vejjajiva
15th 23 October 2009 Thailand
Cha Am, Hua
Hin
16th
3
89 April 2010 Vietnam Hanoi
Nguyn Tn Dng
17th 2831 October 2010 Vietnam Hanoi
18th
4
78 May 2011 Indonesia Jakarta
Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono
19th
4

1419 November
2011
Indonesia Bali
20th 34 April 2012 Cambodia Phnom Penh
Hun Sen
21st
1720 November
2012
Cambodia Phnom Penh
22nd 2425 April 2013 Brunei
Bandar Seri
Begawan
Hassanal Bolkiah
23rd 910 October 2013 Brunei
Bandar Seri
Begawan
24th 1011 May 2014 Burma Nay Pyi Taw
Thein Sein
25th
1012 November
2014
Burma Nay Pyi Taw
1
Postponed from 1014 December 2006 due to Typhoon Utor.
2
hosted the summit because Burma backed out due to enormous pressure from US and
EU
3
This summit consisted of two parts.
The first part was moved from 1217 December 2008 due to the 2008 Thai political
crisis.
The second part was aborted on 11 April due to protesters entering the summit venue.
4
Indonesia hosted twice in a row by swapping years with Brunei, as it will play
host to APEC (and the possibility of hosting the G20 summit which ultimately fell
to Russia) in 2013.
During the fifth Summit in Bangkok, the leaders decided to meet "informally" between
each formal summit:
ASEAN Informal Summits
No Date Country Host Host leader
1st 30 November 1996 Indonesia Jakarta Soeharto
2nd 1416 December 1997 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Mahathir Mohamad
3rd 2728 November 1999 Philippines Manila Joseph Estrada
4th 2225 November 2000 Singapore Singapore Goh Chok Tong
East Asia Summit[edit]
Main article: East Asia Summit

Participants of the East Asia Summit
ASEAN
ASEAN Plus Three
ASEAN Plus Six
Observer
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a pan-Asian forum held annually by the leaders of 18
countries in the East Asian region, with ASEAN in a leadership position. Membership
was initially all 10 members of ASEAN plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia,
and New Zealand, but expanded to include the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS
in 2011.
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005 and subsequent
meetings have been held after the annual ASEAN Leaders Meeting. The summit has
discussed issues including trade, energy and security and the summit has a role
in regional community building.
Meeting Country Location Date Note
First
EAS
Malaysia
Kuala
Lumpur
14
December
2005
Russia attended as a guest.
Second
EAS
Philippines Cebu City
15 January
2007
Rescheduled from 13 December
2006.

Cebu Declaration on East Asian
Energy Security
Third
EAS
Singapore Singapore
21
November
2007
Singapore Declaration on Climate
Change, Energy and the
Environment
[48]


Agreed to establish Economic
Research Institute for ASEAN
and East Asia
Fourth
EAS
Thailand
Cha-
am and Hua
Hin
25
October
2009
The date and location of the
venue was rescheduled several
times, and then a Summit
scheduled for 12 April 2009
at Pattaya, Thailand was
cancelled when protesters
stormed the venue. The Summit
has been rescheduled for October
2009 and transferred again from
Phuket
[49]
to Cha-am and Hua
Hin.
[50]

Fifth
EAS
Vietnam Hanoi
30
October
2010
[51]

Officially invited the US and
Russia to participate in future
EAS as full-fledged members
[52]

Sixth
EAS
Indonesia Bali
19
November
2011
The United States and Russia to
join the Summit.
Seventh
EAS
Cambodia
Phnom
Penh
20
November
2012

Eighth
EAS
Brunei
Bandar Seri
Begawan
10
October
2013

Ninth
EAS
Burma(Myanmar)
Naypyidaw TBA

Commemorative summit
Main article: ASEAN Free Trade Area
A commemorative summit is a summit hosted by a non-ASEAN country to mark a
milestone anniversary of the establishment of relations between ASEAN and the host
country. The host country invites the heads of government of ASEAN member countries
to discuss future cooperation and partnership.
Meeting Host Location Date Note
ASEANJapan
Commemorative
Summit
Japan Tokyo
11, 12
December
2003
To celebrate the 30th anniversary
of the establishment of relations
between ASEAN and Japan. The
summit was also notable as the
first ASEAN summit held
between ASEAN and a non-
ASEAN country outside the
region.
ASEANChina
Commemorative
Summit
China Nanning
30, 31
October
2006
To celebrate the 15th anniversary
of the establishment of relations
between ASEAN and China
ASEANRepublic
of Korea
Commemorative
Summit
Republic
of Korea
Jeju-do
1, 2 June
2009
To celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the establishment of relations
between ASEAN and Republic of
Korea
ASEANIndia
Commemorative
Summit
India
New
Delhi
20, 21
December
2012
To celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the establishment of relations
between ASEAN and India.
Regional Forum

ASEAN full members
ASEAN observers
ASEAN candidate members
ASEAN Plus Three
East Asia Summit
ASEAN Regional Forum
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is a formal, official, multilateral dialogue in Asia
Pacific region. As of July 2007, it consists of 27 participants. ARF objectives are to foster
dialogue and consultation, and promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in
the region. The ARF met for the first time in 1994. The current participants in the ARF
are as follows: all the ASEAN members, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the People's
Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea,
Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, United States
and Sri Lanka. The Republic of China(also known as Taiwan) has been excluded since
the establishment of the ARF, and issues regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither
discussed at the ARF meetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman's Statements.
Other meetings
Aside from the ones above, other regular meetings are also held. These include the
annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting as well as other smaller committees. Meetings
mostly focus on specific topics, such as defence or the environment, and are attended
by Ministers, instead of heads of government.
ASEAN Plus Three
The ASEAN Plus Three is a meeting between ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea,
and is primarily held during each ASEAN Summit. Until now China, Japan and South
Korea have not yet formed Free Trade Area (FTA), the meeting about FTA among them
will be held at end of 2012.
AsiaEurope Meeting
The AsiaEurope Meeting (ASEM) is an informal dialogue process initiated in 1996 with
the intention of strengthening cooperation between the countries of Europe and Asia,
especially members of the European Union and ASEAN in particular. ASEAN,
represented by its Secretariat, is one of the 45 ASEM partners. It also appoints a
representative to sit on the governing board of Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a socio-
cultural organisation associated with the Meeting.
ASEANRussia Summit
The ASEANRussia Summit is an annual meeting between leaders of member states and
the President of Russia.
ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
The 44th annual meeting was held in Bali on 16 to 23 July 2011. Indonesia proposed a
unified ASEAN travel visa to ease travel within the region for citizens of ASEAN
member states. The 45th annual meeting was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For the
first time in the history of ASEAN there was no diplomatic statement issued by the bloc
at the end of the meeting. This was due to tensions over China's claim of ownership over
near the entirety of the South China Sea and the counterclaim to such ownership by
neighbouring states.
Economic community
ASEAN has emphasised regional cooperation in the three pillars, which are security,
sociocultural integration, and economic integration. The regional grouping has made the
most progress in economic integration by creating an ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC) by 2015. The average economic growths of ASEAN's member nations during
19892009 was Singapore with 6.73 percent, Malaysia with 6.15 percent, Indonesia with
5.16 percent, Thailand with 5.02 percent, and the Philippines with 3.79 percent. This
economic growth was greater than the average Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) economic growth, which was 2.83 percent. ASEAN has in recent years become a
hub for digital adoption. Asia Briefing reported in E-Commerce Across Asia: Trends and
Developments 2014, that e-commerce in the region, specifically in Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, and the Philippines have seen dramatic gains, with Singapore and Malaysia
leading the pack, accounting for 50 percent of total online sales for ASEAN.
From CEPT to AEC
A Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme to promote the free flow of
goods within ASEAN lead to the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). The AFTA is an
agreement by the member nations of ASEAN concerning local manufacturing in all
ASEAN countries. The AFTA agreement was signed on 28 January 1992 in Singapore.
When the AFTA agreement was originally signed, ASEAN had six members, namely,
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Vietnam joined in
1995, Laos and Burma in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999. The latecomers have not fully
met the AFTA's obligations, but they are officially considered part of the AFTA as they
were required to sign the agreement upon entry into ASEAN, and were given longer time
frames in which to meet AFTA's tariff reduction obligations.
The next step is ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) with main objectives are to create
a:
single market and production base
highly competitive economic region
region of equitable economic development
region fully integrated into the global economy
Since 2007, the ASEAN countries gradually lower their import duties among them and
targeted will be zero for most of the import duties at 2015.
Since 2011, AEC has agreed to strengthen the position and increase the competitive
edges of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the ASEAN region.
Comprehensive Investment Area
The ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Area (ACIA) will encourage the free flow of
investment within ASEAN. The main principles of the ACIA are as follows
All industries are to be opened up for investment, with exclusions to be phased out
according to schedules
National treatment is granted immediately to ASEAN investors with few exclusions
Elimination of investment impediments
Streamlining of investment process and procedures
Enhancing transparency
Undertaking investment facilitation measures
Full realisation of the ACIA with the removal of temporary exclusion lists in
manufacturing agriculture, fisheries, forestry and mining is scheduled by 2010 for most
ASEAN members and by 2015 for the CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Burma, and
Vietnam) countries.
Trade in Services
An ASEAN Framework Agreement on Trade in Services was adopted at the ASEAN
Summit in Bangkok in December 1995. Under AFAS, ASEAN Member States enter into
successive rounds of negotiations to liberalise trade in services with the aim of submitting
increasingly higher levels of commitments. The negotiations result in commitments that
are set forth in schedules of specific commitments annexed to the Framework Agreement.
These schedules are often referred to as packages of services commitments. At present,
ASEAN has concluded seven packages of commitments under AFAS.
Single Aviation Market
The ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASEAN-SAM), is the region's major aviation
policy geared towards the development of a unified and single aviation
market in Southeast Asia by 2015. The aviation policy was proposed by the ASEAN Air
Transport Working Group, supported by the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting,
and endorsed by the ASEAN Transport Ministers. The ASEAN-SAM is expected to fully
liberalise air travel between member states in the ASEAN region, allowing ASEAN
countries and airlines operating in the region to directly benefit from the growth in air
travel around the world, and also freeing up tourism, trade, investment and services flows
between member states. Since 1 December 2008, restrictions on the third and
fourth freedoms of the air between capital cities of member states for air passengers
services have been removed, while from 1 January 2009, full liberalisation of air freight
services in the region took effect. On 1 January 2011, full liberalisation on fifth freedom
traffic rights between all capital cities took effect.
The ASEAN Single Aviation Market policy will supersede existing unilateral, bilateral
and multilateral air services agreements among member states which are inconsistent
with its provisions.
Free-trade agreements with other countries
ASEAN has concluded free trade agreements with China (expecting bilateral trade of
$500 billion by 2015) Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
[79]
ASEAN-India
bilateral trade crossed the $70 billion target in 2012 (target was to reach the level only by
2015). The agreement with People's Republic of China created theASEANChina Free
Trade Area (ACFTA), which went into full effect on 1 January 2010. In addition,
ASEAN is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the European
Union. Republic of China (Taiwan) has also expressed interest in an agreement with
ASEAN but needs to overcome diplomatic objections from China.
ASEAN six majors
ASEAN six majors refer to the six largest economies in the area with economies many
times larger than the remaining four ASEAN countries.
Country GDP (nominal) GDP (PPP)
GDP (Per
Capita)
Indonesia
867,468,000,000 1,284,789,000,000 5,214
Thailand 400,916,000,000 674,344,000,000 9,875
Malaysia 312,413,000,000 525,039,000,000 17,748
Singapore
297,941,000,000 348,700,000,000 64,584
Philippines
278,260,000,000 471,254,000,000 4,682
Vietnam 170,020,000,000 358,889,000,000 4,012
Development gap
ASEAN members by
Human Development Index
[82]

Country HDI (2013)
Singapore 0.901 very high
Brunei 0.852 very high
Malaysia 0.773 high
Thailand 0.722 high
Indonesia 0.684 medium
ASEAN 0.669 medium
Philippines 0.660 medium
Vietnam 0.638 medium
Cambodia 0.584 medium
Laos 0.569 medium
Myanmar 0.524 low
When Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia joined ASEAN in the late 1990s,
concerns were raised about a certain developmental divide regarding a gap in average per
capita GDP between older and the newer members. In response, the Initiative for ASEAN
Integration (IAI) was formed by ASEAN as a regional integration policy with the
principal goal of bridging this developmental divide, which, in addition to disparities
in per capita GDP, is manifested by disparities in dimensions of human development such
as life expectancy and literacy rates. Other than the IAI, other programmes for the
development of the Mekong Basin - where all four newer ASEAN members are located -
that tend to focus oninfrastructure development have been effectively enacted. In general,
ASEAN does not have the financial resources to extend substantial grants or loans to the
new members. Therefore, it usually leaves the financing of these infrastructure projects
to international financial institutions and to developed countries. Nevertheless, it has
mobilised funding from these institutions and countries and from the ASEAN-6
(Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and Thailand)
themselves for areas where the development gap needs to be filled through the IAI
programme. Other programmes intended for the development of the ASEAN-4 take
advantage of the geographical proximity of the CLMV countries and tend to focus on
infrastructure development in areas like transport, tourism, and power transmission.
From CMI to AMRO
Due to Asian financial crisis of 1997 to 1998 and long and difficult negotiations
with International Monetary Fund, ASEAN+3 agreed to set up a mainly bilateral
currency swap scheme known as the 2000 Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) to anticipate
another financial crisis or currency turmoil in the future. In 2006 they agreed to make
CMI with multilateralisation and called as CMIM. On 3 May 2009, they agreed to make a
currency pool consist of contribution $38.4 billion each by China and Japan, $19.2 billion
by South Korea and totally $24 billion by all of ASEAN members, so the total currency
pool was $120 billion. A key component has also newly been added, with the
establishment of a surveillance unit.
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic and Research Office (AMRO) started its operation in
Singapore in May 2011. It performs a key regional surveillance function as part of the
$120 billion of Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) currency swap facility
that was established by Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors of ASEAN
countries plus China, Japan and South Korea in December 2009.
According to some analysts, the amount of $120 billion is relatively small (cover only
about 20 percent of needs), so coordination or help from International Monetary Fund is
still needed. On 3 May 2012 ASEAN+3 finance ministers agreed to double emergency
reserve fund to $240 billion.
Foreign Direct Investment
In 2009, realised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was $37.9 billion and increase by two-
fold in 2010 to $75.8 billion. 22 percent of FDI came from the European Union, followed
by ASEAN countries themselves by 16 percent and then followed by Japan and US.
Intra-ASEAN travel
With the institutionalisation of visa-free travel between ASEAN member states, intra-
ASEAN travel has boomed, a sign that endeavours to form an ASEAN Community shall
bear fruit in years to come. In 2010, 47 percent or 34 million out of 73 million tourists in
ASEAN member-states were from other ASEAN countries.
Intra-ASEAN trade
Until end of 2010, Intra-Asean trade were still low which mainly of them were mostly
exporting to countries outside the region, except Laos and Myanmar were ASEAN-
oriented in foreign trade with 80 percent and 50 percent respectively of their exports went
to other ASEAN countries.
ASEAN Capital Market Forum
ASEAN Capital Market Forum (ACMF) consist of:
ASEAN Linkage, until end of 2013 only has 3 stock exchange members: Bursa
Malaysia, Singapore Exchange and Stock Exchange of Thailand, but cover 70
percent of transaction values of 7 ASEAN Stock Exchanges, with objective to
integrate ASEAN Stock Exchanges to compete with International Stock Exchanges
Mutual Recognition of Disclosure Standards, with objective to harmonise and equal
of ASEAN Standards
Mutual Recognition of Collective of Investment Scheme (CIS), with objective to
harmonise all regulations in ASEAN which related with CIS, some countries are still
categorised as Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Non-Cooperative Country which
are not maximum to do with money laundering and terrorism
Charter
Main article: ASEAN Charter

The Secretariat of ASEAN at Jalan Sisingamangaraja No.70A, South Jakarta, Indonesia
On 15 December 2008, the members of ASEAN met in the Indonesian capital
of Jakarta to launch a charter, signed in November 2007, with the aim of moving closer to
"an EU-style community". The charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and aims to
create a single free-trade area for the region encompassing 500 million people. President
of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that "This is a momentous development
when ASEAN is consolidating, integrating and transforming itself into a community. It is
achieved while ASEAN seeks a more vigorous role in Asian and global affairs at a time
when the international system is experiencing a seismic shift", he added, referring to
climate change and economic upheaval, and concluded "Southeast Asia is no longer the
bitterly divided, war-torn region it was in the 1960s and 1970s". The fundamental
principles include:
a) respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national
identity of all ASEAN Member States;
b) shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security
and prosperity;
c) renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or other actions in any
manner inconsistent with international law;
d) reliance on peaceful settlement of disputes;
e) non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member States;
f) respect for the right of every Member State to lead its national existence free from
external interference, subversion and coercion;
g) enhanced consultations on matters seriously affecting the common interest of ASEAN;
h) adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy and
constitutional government;
i) respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and
the promotion of social justice;
j) upholding the United Nations Charter and international law, including international
humanitarian law, subscribed to by ASEAN Member States;
k) abstention from participation in any policy or activity, including the use of its territory,
pursued by an ASEAN Member State or non-ASEAN State or any non-State actor, which
threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political and economic stability of
ASEAN Member States;
l) respect for the different cultures, languages and religions of the peoples of ASEAN,
while emphasising their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity;
m) the centrality of ASEAN in external political, economic, social and cultural relations
while remaining actively engaged, outward-looking, inclusive and non-discriminatory;
and
n) adherence to multilateral trade rules and ASEAN's rules-based regimes for effective
implementation of economic commitments and progressive reduction towards elimination
of all barriers to regional economic integration, in a market-driven economy.
However, the ongoing global financial crisis was stated as being a threat to the goals
envisioned by the charter, and also set forth the idea of a proposed human rights body to
be discussed at a future summit in February 2009. This proposition caused controversy,
as the body would not have the power to impose sanctions or punish countries who
violate citizens' rights and would therefore be limited in effectiveness. The body was
established later in 2009 as the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human
Rights(AICHR). In November 2012, the Commission adopted the ASEAN Human Rights
Declaration.
Cultural activities
The organisation hosts cultural activities in an attempt to further integrate the region.
These include sports and educational activities as well as writing awards. Examples of
these include the ASEAN University Network, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity,
the ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award, and the Singapore-
sponsored ASEAN Scholarship.
ASEAN Media Cooperation
The ASEAN Media Cooperation (AMC) set digital television standards, policies and
create in preparation for broadcasters to transition from analogue to digital broadcasting,
better promote media collaboration and information exchange to enhance voice,
understanding, and perspective between ASEAN people on the international stage.
The ASEAN member countries aim media sector towards digitalisation and further
regional media coaction. AMC establishes partnerships between ASEAN news media,
and cooperate on information sharing, photo swapping, technical cooperation, exchange
programmes, and facilitating joint news coverage and exchange of news footage.
The concept was stressed during the 11th AMRI Conference adopting the theme: Media
Connecting Peoples and Bridging Cultures Towards One ASEAN Nation. ASEAN
Ministers believed that the new and traditional media are important mediums to connect
ASEAN people and bridging the cultural gap.
Accessing information towards the goal of creating a One ASEAN nation requires
participation among the nation members and its citizens. During the 18th ASEAN
Summit in May 2011, the Chair stated the important role of a participatory approach
among people and stakeholders of ASEAN towards a people-oriented , people centred
and rule-based ASEAN.
Several key initiatives that were initiated under the AMC:
ASEAN Media Portal, The new ASEAN Media Portal was launched 16 November
2007 by the ASEAN Secretary-General, Mr Ong Keng Yong, and witnessed by
Singapores Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon
Yang. The said portal aims to provide a one-stop site that contains documentaries,
games, music videos, and multimedia clips on the culture, arts and heritage of the
ASEAN countries to showcase the rich ASEAN culture and the capabilities of its
media industry.
ASEAN NewsMaker Project, an initiative launched in 2009 that trains students and
teachers to produce informational video clips about the lifestyle in their country. The
project was initiated by Singapore to work closely with 500 primary and secondary
students, aging from 9 to 16 years old, along with their mentors from the 10 ASEAN
countries to produce informative videos promoting their respective countrys culture.
Students underwent training for the NewsMaker software use, video production and
responsible internet use and hope to develop the language skills and story narration
among the said students. Engaging the youth using new media is an approach to
create a One Asean Community as stressed by Dr Soeung Rathchavy, Deputy
Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community: Raising
ASEAN awareness amongst the youth is part and parcel of our efforts to build the
ASEAN Community by 2015. Using ICT and the media, our youths in the region will
get to know ASEAN better, deepening their understanding and appreciation of the
cultures, social traditions and values in ASEAN.
ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting, an annual forum for ASEAN members to set
digital television standards and policies, and to discuss progress in the
implementation of the blueprint to switchover from analogue to digital TV
broadcasting by 2020. During the 11th ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting,
members updated the status on DTV implementation and agreed to inform ASEAN
members on the Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switchover. An issue was raised on
the availability and affordability of Set Top Boxes (STB), thus ASEAN members
were asked to make policies to determine funding for the STB, methods of allocation,
subsidies and rebates and other methods for the allocation of STB. It was also agreed
in the meeting to form a task force to develop STB specifications for DVB-T2 to
ensure efficiency.
ASEANs Next Top Chef and The Legend of the Golden Talisman, two interactive
games developed to raise awareness about ASEAN, and its people, places and
cultures
ASEAN AMRI (ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information)
ASEAN Member States promote cooperation in information to help build an ASEAN
identity. One of the main bodies in ASEAN cooperation in information is the ASEAN
Committee on Culture and Information (COCI). Established in 1978, its mission is to
promote effective cooperation in the fields of information, as well as culture, through its
various projects and activities. The COCI comprises representatives from national
institutions like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of Culture and Information,
national radio and television networks, museums, archives and libraries, among others.
Together, they meet once a year to formulate and agree on projects to fulfil their mission.
The 10th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI)
The 10th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information
(AMRI)
[105]
was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 2-7 November 2009, attended by
ministers responsible for Information and senior officials from all ASEAN Member
States, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.
H.E. Dr Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Lao PDR, officially opened the 10th Conference of AMRI while H.E. Mounkeo
ORABOUN, Minister of Information and Culture of Lao PDR, acted as the chair.
The Ministers noted that the information sector plays an important role in creating a sense
of belonging and enhancing deeper mutual understanding among ASEAN Member States
about their culture, history, religion and civilisation. They agreed on the need to deepen
media cooperation to support community building through closer coordination, projects,
media networking and human resources development.
The Ministers explored ways in which the information sector could enhance the
effectiveness of the existing programmes to further support ASEAN community building.
The Ministers noted the ongoing projects to increase ASEAN awareness, such as the
television and radio news exchanges (ASEAN Television News and ASEAN-in-Action
respectively).
The Ministers supported the use of the ASEAN Anthem, titled "The ASEAN Way", and
other ASEAN symbols, including the ASEAN motto One Vision, One Identity, One
Community, to raise ASEAN awareness. The Ministers also noted that a compilation of
ASEAN pop songs has been produced and will be distributed to enhance appreciation of
our cultures.
The Ministers emphasized the role of ASEAN youths as future leaders to reinforce the
sense of ASEAN Community. The Ministers commended the following activities to
engage the youths in ASEAN, namely, ASEAN Regional Quiz, where students from the
region compete against each other on their knowledge of ASEAN; the ASEAN Computer
Game, to foster a sense of regional identity in an entertaining way will be completed by
end January 2010; and the ASEAN Newsmaker project, which provided students with
skills to create content about life in their country that promoted cross-cultural
understanding among ASEAN youths through digital media.
The Ministers viewed the ASEAN Media Portal and the ASEAN Culture and Information
Portal as important platforms to create awareness on ASEAN and enhance media
cooperation.
National Communication Plans on ASEAN Awareness and Understanding The Ministers
noted the reports from Member States on the implementation of the National
Communication Plans on ASEAN Awareness and Understanding leading up to the
10th AMRI. The Ministers agreed on the need to realign the National Communication
Plans with the three communication plans of the APSC, AEC and ASCC. The Ministers
also agreed to explore the idea of having public information centres on ASEAN in each
Member State. They agreed on the need for greater collaboration with ASEAN Dialogue
Partners to promote ASEAN to the international community.
ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Cooperation The Ministers endorsed the progress in
ASEAN Digital Broadcasting cooperation. Since the 9th AMRI, ASEAN Member States
have made progress on the roadmap for the implementation of digital broadcasting in the
region. ASEAN Member States affirm the importance of early digitalization to reap the
benefits of the digital dividend and to ensure that terrestrial broadcasting remains relevant
in the face of competition from new media platforms such as mobile and IPTV.
Recognizing that Member States are at different stages of readiness for digital TV
implementation, the Ministers agreed that ASEAN adopts a phased approach towards
Analogue Switch-off over a period of time from 2015 to 2020. Guidelines will be
developed for digital switch-on. There will be a common set of technical specifications
for Standard digital set-top boxes for ASEAN, thereby helping to lower the price of set-
top boxes for regional consumers.
To meet the demand for digital content, the Ministers called for more collaboration
among ASEAN Member States to co-produce digital content and promote exchanges of
content. They agreed on the need to train personnel with the necessary skills set for HD
production.
Realizing that ASEAN Dialogue Partners, namely China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India
and the European Union have moved ahead in digital broadcasting implementation, the
Ministers agreed that ASEAN would explore collaboration with these dialogue partners
on digital terrestrial TV deployment and capacity building.
Attendees: 1. H.E. Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (RTD) Dato Seri
Pahlawan Awang Hj Mohammad Bin Hj Daud, Minister of Energy at the Prime
Ministers Office, Brunei Darussalam;
2. H.E. Mr Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information, Kingdom of Cambodia;
3. H.E. Sutjiptohardjo Donokusumo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Lao
PDR, Indonesia;
4. H.E. Mounkeo ORABOUN, Minister of Information and Culture, Lao PDR;
5. H.E. Dato Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, Minister of Information Communications and
Culture, Malaysia;
6. H.E.Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, Minister of Information, Myanmar;
7. H.E. Mr Conrado A. Limcaoco, Jr, Secretary, Philippine Information Agency and
Government Mass Media Group, Philippines;
8. Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications
and the Arts, Singapore;
9. H.E. Mr Satit Wongnongtaey, Minister to the Prime Ministers Office, Thailand;
10. H.E. Mr Le Doan Hop, Minister of Information and Communications, Viet Nam;
11. H.E. Mr Sayakane Sisouvong, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Political-
Security Community.

11th ASEAN AMRI
During the 11th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information meeting held in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, ASEAN leaders recognised the emergence of new and social media as
an important tool for communications and interaction in ASEAN today. The Ministers
agreed that efforts should be made to leverage on social media to promote ASEAN
awareness towards achieving an ASEAN community by 2015. Initially, ASEAN will
consolidate the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal and the ASEAN Media Portal to
incorporate new media elements.
Joint Media Statement
1. Malaysia hosted the Eleventh Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for
Information (11th AMRI) and the Second Conference of ASEAN Plus Three Ministers
Responsible for Information (2nd AMRI+3) in Kuala Lumpur, on 1 March 2012.
2. The conferences were preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting for the 11th AMRI on
28 February 2012 and the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting for the 2nd
AMRI+3 on 29 February 2012.
Opening Ceremony
3. The Conference was officiated by the Honourable Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin bin
Haji Mohd Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia at the Royale Chulan Hotel,
Kuala Lumpur. In his Opening Address, the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister
emphasized the need to lay out a multi-platform framework, engaging both the main
stream and the social media to facilitate the free flow of information to enlighten the
ASEAN people. He urged this be given utmost priority so that the people of the ASEAN
region are not left in the dark as to this important development and are empowered with
the right kind of information. The Malaysian National Anthem 'Negaraku' and ASEAN
Anthem 'The ASEAN Way' were played at the opening ceremony.
4. The Conference was chaired by His Excellency (HE) Dr. Rais Yatim, Minister of
Information, Communications and Culture, Malaysia. The list of Ministers from all
ASEAN Member States as well as Plus Three Countries is presented in Annex 1.
11th AMRI's Theme: "Media: Connecting Peoples and Bridging Cultures Towards One
ASEAN Community"
5. The Chairman in his opening statement highlighted that ASEAN should leverage on
the popularity of social media that would keep it current and relevant as a disseminator of
information. He expressed his view that the Information Ministers should re-look their
engagement through new media and the social network, especially with the younger
generation, otherwise they may not be able to play an effective role in promoting ASEAN
awareness or building the ASEAN Community.
6. At the Conference, the Ministers agreed to adopt the theme "Media: Connecting
Peoples and Bridging Cultures Towards One ASEAN Community". The Ministers
recognized that the theme was highly relevant as both the new and traditional media
would continue to play a significant role in the dissemination of information to the
peoples of ASEAN, subsequently connecting them beyond their borders and bridging the
cultural gap.
ASEAN Digital Broadcasting
7. The ASEAN Ministers noted the progress in the implementation of digital
broadcasting in ASEAN Member States towards Analogue Switch-Off from 2015 to
2020. The Ministers also endorsed the 'Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switch-Over'
which will serve as a shared blueprint to aid all Member States in their transition towards
digital broadcasting. This guideline is based on the best practices of the various ASEAN
Member States and referencing the "Guidelines for the transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting" developed by the ITU.
8. In addition, the Ministers supported the ADB's initiatives to embark on the joint
production of a television series entitled, 'Colours of ASEAN' in High Definition (HD) to
be completed by December 2013. The Ministers noted that ADB will seek funding from
the ASEAN-COCI to support this project.
9. In the area of technical standards, the Ministers noted that ADB recognizes that Digital
Video Broadcasting Terrestrial Second Generation (DVB-T2) is a more advanced
technology compared to DVB-T and acknowledges the benefits of migrating directly to
DVB-T2. The Ministers also noted that the ADB will be developing common
specifications for DVB-T2 receivers to enjoy economies of scale.
10. The Ministers also took note of Japan's input on the constantly evolving digital
technology and that adoption of the standard may vary under different socio-economic
situations.
New and Social Media
11. The Ministers recognised the emergence of new and social media as an important tool
for communications and interaction in ASEAN today. The Ministers agreed that efforts
should be made to leverage on social media to promote ASEAN awareness towards
achieving an ASEAN Community by 2015.
12. To this end, the Ministers called for active discussion among ASEAN Member States
to identify appropriate programmes and activities that would utilise social media
positively to inculcate cultural values, understanding and solidarity among the peoples of
ASEAN.
13. To reflect current realities of social media, the Ministers considered the proposal to
consolidate the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal and the ASEAN Media Portal,
incorporating new media elements. The Ministers concurred that both portals could be
integrated and requested the ASEAN Secretariat to study and make recommendations on
improvements to be made.
14. In addition, the Ministers considered the proposal to review the current format of the
successful ASEAN Quiz programme. After a decade of implementation, the Ministers
recognised that it is timely to have a more structured and standardised format both at
national and regional levels as well as, a repository of quiz questions based on a
complementary curriculum developed by the Education Sector. By including an online
element, the proposal will provide easier access to ASEAN resources, with a view to
enhancing knowledge and increasing awareness of ASEAN among the younger
generation.
The role of AMRI in the ASEAN Community Building Efforts
15. The Ministers noted with satisfaction the progress in the implementation of the
ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint, in particular the ongoing projects
to increase ASEAN awareness such as the television and radio news exchanges (ASEAN
TV News and ASEAN-In-Action) and the implementation of the ASEAN Quiz.
16. Appreciating the need to implement a comprehensive communications plan to meet
the vision of One ASEAN Community by 2015, the Ministers directed a technical
working group to study the immediate communications need and recommend an effective
communications plan, using media channels that are available in Member States. It is
envisioned that this plan will promote a clearer understanding on what One ASEAN
Community means for the entire region and its peoples.
Development of ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation on Information
17. ASEAN Plus Three Ministers endorsed the Work Plan on Enhancing ASEAN Plus
Three Cooperation Through Information and Media 2012 2017, which listed out
programmes ASEAN and the Plus Three countries could collaborate on. ASEAN
Member States have agreed to take the lead in coordinating 17 concrete activities listed in
the Work Plan. ASEAN Ministers appreciated the support provided by the Plus Three
Countries towards the implementation of these projects.
Closing and Acknowledgment
18. The Ministers agreed to convene the 12th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers
Responsible for Information (12th AMRI) and its related meetings with Dialogue
Partners in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in 2014.
19. The Ministers expressed their sincere appreciation to the Government and people of
Malaysia for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements made for the 11th AMRI
Conference. The Conference was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN solidarity and
cordiality.
List of Ministers Attended
1. HE Dr. Rais Yatim, Minister of Information, Communications and Culture, Malaysia
Chairperson of 11th AMRI and 2nd AMRI+3
2. HE Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (R) Dato Seri Setia (Dr.) Awang Haji
Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office,
Brunei Darussalam
3. HE Dr. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information, Kingdom of Cambodia
4. HE Mr. Freddy Herman Tulung, Director General of Information and Public
Communication, Republic of Indonesia
5. HE Mr. Savankhone Razmountry, Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism,
Lao PDR
6. HE Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz, Deputy Minister of Information, Communications
and Culture, Malaysia
7. HE Mr. Soe Win, Deputy Minister of Information, the Republic of the Union of
Myanmar
8. HE Mr. Herminio B. Coloma Jr., Secretary, Presidential Communications Operations
Office, the Philippines
9. HE Ms. Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the
Arts & the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore
10. HE Tongthong Chandransu, Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office,
Thailand
11. HE Nguyen Thanh Hung, Vice Minister of Information, Socialist Republic of Viet
Nam
12. HE Mr. Wang Chen, Minister of State Council Information Office, People's Republic
China
13. HE Mr. Tetsuo Yamakawa, Vice Minister for Policy Coordination, Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan
14. HE Mr. Kim Yong Hwan, Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of
Korea
15. HE Dato' Misran Karmain, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural
Community
12th ASEAN AMRI
Twelfth Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information and Third
Conference of ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information (Venue: Nay
Pyi Taw, Myanmar, 12 June 2014)
Joint Media Statement
1. The Republic of the Union of Myanmar hosted the Twelfth Conference of the ASEAN
Ministers Responsible for Information (12th AMRI) and the Third Conference of
ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information (3rd AMRI+3) in Nay Pyi
Taw, on 12 June 2014.
2. The Conferences were preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting for the 12th AMRI on
10 June 2014, and the ASEAN Plus three Senior Officials Meeting for the 3rd AMRI+3
on 11 June 2014.
Opening Ceremony
3. The Conference was officiated by the Vice President Dr. Sai Mauk Kham. In his
Opening Address, the Honourable Vice President emphasized that as we are moving
forward to set up a people-centred ASEAN Community and enhancing connectivity for
an ASEAN Community, media cooperation plays an important role in linking our
societies and encouraging civil society to participate in regional-community building. He
referred to the outcomes of the 11th AMRI Meeting held in Malaysia in 2012 on the
positive role that social media can contribute to enhance cultural values, understanding
and solidarity amongst peoples of ASEAN. As such, he concluded that the theme for the
12th AMRI MeetingSocial Responsible Media for a Peaceful and Prosperous
Communityis timely to further promote media development and cooperation in
building the ASEAN Community.
4. The ASEAN Anthem The ASEAN Way was played at the opening ceremony.
5. The Conference was chaired by His Excellency (HE) U Aung Kyi, Union Minister,
Ministry of Information of Myanmar. The list of Ministers from all ASEAN Member
States and the Plus Three Countries is presented in ANNEX 1.
6. The Chairman in his opening statement stated that the year 2014 is an important year
for Myanmar as she is taking the rotating chair of ASEAN for the first time after joining
ASEAN in 17 years. 2014 is also a key timeline towards marking the establishment of an
ASEAN Community by 2015. He further highlighted the Myanmar is taking all necessary
steps to implement the responsibilities of ASEAN Chair in accordance with the theme for
2014 ASEAN Chair as Moving Forward in Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous
Community. In this regard, he stressed that the information and media sector shall be
engaged and cooperated with the governments and other stakeholders to ensure sufficient
information about ASEAN will reach our peoples, and to provide an opportunity to
educating peoples about the benefits of ASEANs integration and ASEAN community
building process.
Steady Progress of Information and Media Cooperation
7. Appreciating the need to implement a comprehensive communications plan to meet the
vision of One ASEAN Community by 2015, the Ministers called for stronger
coordination and effective communication among the different sectoral bodies in
implementation of the ASCC Blueprint, optimizing opportunities for cross-sectoral
cooperation to inform the public about the benefit of ASEANs integration and
community building.
8. The Ministers noted a steady progress and outcomes of key projects aiming to increase
ASEAN awareness and mutual understanding through the ASEAN information and
media cooperation process, such as the television and radio news exchanges (ASEAN
Television News and ASEAN-in-Action respectively), and the ASEAN Quiz (regional
and national levels), etc.
9. The Ministers noted with satisfactions that several initiatives have been taken up to
address the requirement of a growing population using social media, amongst those
which include the new website for ASEANs culture and information which replaces the
ASEAN Media Portal and the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal, social media and
an ASEAN Virtual Learning Resources Centre (AVLRC). All of which will serve as
resourceful platforms that enable online users seamless navigations on culture, history
and place of interest in ASEAN.
10. With regard to digital broadcasting, the Ministers welcomed initiatives that were
identified to benefit leapfrogging to Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial Second
Generation (DVB-T2), and noted regional efforts in the implementation of the
Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switch-Over (2015-2020). The Ministers commended
the completion of the first-ever TV co-production programme on Rice: Seed of Life in a
series of Color of ASEAN in High Definition format.
11. In the area of technical standards, the Ministers endorsed a recommendation on the
development of an ASEAN-wide DVB-T2 Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD)
specification to reap the benefits of economics of scale for affordable DVB-T2 IRDs in
ASEAN Member States who already adopted DVB-T2 for DTTB.
Social Responsible Media for a Peaceful and Prosperous ASEAN Community
12. The Ministers agreed that the information and media shall cover more cross-sectoral
and multi-stakeholder issues to support creating a sense of belonging and enhancing
deeper mutual understanding among ASEAN Member States about their culture, history,
religion and civilization. The Ministers also highlighted the need to deepen media
cooperation to support communication building through closer coordination, joint
projects, media networking and human resources development especially the younger
generation, to support ASEANs concerted efforts in promoting ASEAN awareness and
building the ASEAN Community.
13. At the Conference, the Ministers agreed to adopt the Declaration on Social
Responsible Media for a Peaceful and Prosperous Community. The Declaration
(appeared as ANNEX 2) is a guiding document to further strengthen cooperation in the
fields of information and media through undertaking programmes and joint activities, and
by leveraging on all forms of media.
14. The Ministers shared positive views on the necessary expansion and improvement of
the information and media cooperation in ASEAN so that it will effectively enhance the
existing programmers in disseminating information on ASEAN, and educate our peoples
on the progress of the ASEAN community building process. In this regard, the Ministers
noted the set up of three Working Groups, namely ASEAN Digital Broadcasting (ADB),
Working Group on Information, Media, and Training; and Working Group on Content
and Production, to strengthen the information and media cooperation in ASEAN.
Enhancing Cooperation with Dialogue Partners
15. The Ministers exchanges views on the progress of ASEAM Plus Three cooperation
and possible measures to further enhance cooperation between ASEAN and the Plus
Three countries in the field of information and media.
16. The ASEAN Plus Three Minister reviewed the progress of the ASEAN-China Work
Plan on Enhancing ASEAN-China Cooperation through information and Media (2010-
2015), and the Work Plan on Enhancing ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Through
Information and media (2012-2017). The Ministers noted that several initiatives are being
discussed to further enhance cooperation between ASEAN and the Plus Three countries.
17. The ASEAN Ministers appreciated Chinas efforts to use broadcasting and
publications for fostering the ASEAN-China friendly ties and good-neighbourly
relationships. The ASEAN Ministers noted that China pay s great attention to the friendly
exchanges and cooperation in the field of information and media within the ASEAN Plus
Three framework with the understanding that the AMRI-3 is an important mechanism for
pragmatic cooperation aimed at promotion mutual understanding and trust and
maintaining peace, stability and development in the region.
18. The ASEAN Minister welcomed the progress of cooperation with Japan on digital
content, especially local content development and human resource development. The
ASEAN Ministers expressed their appreciation for Japans plan on cooperation to
promote authorized distribution of broadcast content, shared knowledge of content, and
strength people and cultural exchanged based on the recognition that information and
media could contribute to enhancing ASEAN connectivity including people-to-people
connectivity.
19. The ASEAN Ministers noted a proposal from the Republic of Korea on possible ways
in which ASEAN and the ROK could collaborate, in addition to the ASEAN Plus Three
framework. The ASEAN Ministers welcomed the furtherance of media exchanges with
the ROK, including exchanges in digital broadcasting technology as well as co-
production of digital content, exchanges and training of journalists and the development
of human resources.
Closing and Acknowledgement
20. The Ministers agreed to convince the 13th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers
Responsible for Information (13th AMRI) and its related meetings with Dialogue
Partners in the Philippines in 2016.
21. The Minister expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Government and
people of Myanmar for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements made for the
12th AMRI Conference. The Conference was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN
solidarity and cordiality.
List of Ministers Attended
1. H.E Dato Paduka Haji Abd. Wahab bin Juned. Deputy Minister in the Prime Ministers
Office, Brunei Darussalam
2. H.E Dr. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information, Cambodia
3. Dr. Suprawoto, Secretary-General, representing Minister of Communication and
Information Technology, Indonesia
4. H.E Mr.Savankhone Razmoutry, Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism,
Lao PDR
5. H.E Mr. Jailani bin Johari, Deputy Minister of Communication and Multimedia,
Malaysia
6. H.E U Aung Kyi, Union Minister of Information, the Republic of the Union of
Myanmar
7. H.E.Mr.Sonny Coloma, Secretary, Presidential Communications Operations Office,
Philippines
8. H.E. Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore
9. H.E. Mr. Pisanu Suvanajata, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar, representing
Minister attached to the Prime Ministers Office
10. H.E. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung,Vice Minister of Information and Communications,
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
11. H.E.Mr.Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN
12. H.E.Mr. Cai Mingzhao, Minister of State Council Information Office, Peoples
Republic of China
13. Mr. Soichiro Seki, Director General for International Affairs, Global ICT Strategy
Bureau, representing Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan
14. H.E.Mr. Sun Gyu Bang, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of
Korea
Citizen Involvement in One ASEAN Community In building the Asean Community by
2015, the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (Amri) Technical Working Group
call for citizen involvement in connectivity master plan. Presidential Communications
Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma said the interaction must not only
come from government officials at the political levels but also from the citizens
themselves. He stressed the importance of the participation of students, saying the way to
build Asean consciousness and awareness is through the youth. Asean saw the need for
breaching digital divide, increasing internet penetration and harmonizing technology to
enhance ties. In Malaysia, Balakrishnan Kandasamy said this has been actively executed
in his country, where usage of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter has been
increasing. Communication plan focused on the three key pillars of the Asean
Community, namely political-security community, economic community and socio-
cultural community.
SEA Write Award

Logo of the SEA Write Award
The S.E.A. Write Award is a literary award given to Southeast Asian poets and writers
annually since 1979. The award is either given for a specific work or as a recognition of
an author's lifetime achievement. Works that are honoured vary and have included
poetry, short stories, novels, plays, folklore as well as scholarly and religious works.
Ceremonies are held in Bangkok and are presided by a member of the Thai royal)
ASAIHL
ASAIHL or the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning is a non-
governmental organisation founded in 1956 that strives to strengthen higher learning
institutions, espescially in teaching, research, and public service, with the intention of
cultivating a sense of regional identity and interdependence.
Heritage Parks
ASEAN Heritage Parks is a list of nature parks launched 1984 and relaunched in 2004. It
aims to protect the region's natural treasures. There are now 35 such protected areas,
including the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the Kinabalu National Park.


ASEAN Heritage Sites
Site Country Site Country
Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park Burma Ao Phang-nga Marine National Park Thailand
Apo Natural Park
Philippines
Imperial City, Hu Vietnam
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park Indonesia Gunung Leuser National Park Indonesia
Gunung Mulu National Park Malaysia Ha Long Bay Vietnam
Hoi An Ancient Town Vietnam Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park
Philippines
Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Burma Inl Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Burma
Kaeng Krachan National Park Thailand Kerinci Seblat National Park Indonesia
Khakaborazi National Park Burma Khao Yai National Park Thailand
Kinabalu National Park Malaysia Komodo National Park Indonesia
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long Vietnam Lampi Kyun Wildlife Reserve Burma
Lorentz National Park Indonesia Meinmhala Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary Burma
Mu Ko Surin-Mu Ko Similan Marine
National Park
Thailand Nam Ha Protected Area Laos
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Vietnam
Preah Monivong (Bokor) National
Park
Cambodia
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
National Park
Philippines
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Singapore
Taman Negara National Park Malaysia Tarutao Marine National Park Thailand
Tasek Merimbun Wildlife Sanctuary Brunei
Thung Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng
National Park
Thailand
Ujung Kulon National Park Indonesia

Virachey National Park Cambodia Keraton Yogyakarta Indonesia
M Sn Vietnam Citadel of Ho Dynasty Vietnam
Mount Malindang
Philippines
Vigan City
Philippines
Taal Volcano
Philippines
Mayon Volcano
Philippines
Songs and music
The ASEAN Way, the official regional anthem of ASEAN. Music by Kittikhun
Sodprasert and Sampow Triudom; lyrics by Payom Valaiphatchra.
ASEAN Song of Unity or ASEAN Hymn. Music by Ryan Cayabyab.
Let Us Move Ahead, an ASEAN song. Composed by Candra Darusman.
ASEAN Rise, ASEAN's 40th Anniversary song. Music by Dick Lee; lyrics
by Stefanie Sun.
Education and human development
As the "collective entity to enhance regional cooperation in education", the ASEAN
Education Ministers have determined four priorities that ASEAN efforts toward
improved education would address: (1) Promoting ASEAN awareness among ASEAN
citizens, particularly youth; (2) Strengthening ASEAN identity through education; (3)
Building ASEANhuman resources in the field of education; and (4) Strengthening
ASEAN university networking.
[112]
Nations such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Thailand, and the Philippines have experienced rapid development over the past 20 years,
and this has been visibly evident in their educational systems. Each country has
developed unique - yet interconnected through ASEAN initiatives - human and physical
infrastructure to provide youth education, a primary determinant in future capabilities and
sustained economic growth for the entire region. Various programmes and projects have
been and are currently in the process of being developed to fulfil these directives and to
reach these future goals.
At the 11th ASEAN Summit in December 2005, ASEAN Leaders set new directions for
regional education collaboration when they welcomed the decision of the ASEAN
Education Ministers to convene the ASEAN Education Ministers Meetings (ASED) on a
regular basis. The Leaders also called for ASEAN Education Ministers to focus on
enhancing regional cooperation in education.
[114]
The ASEAN Education Ministers
Meeting, which meets annually, oversees ASEAN cooperation efforts on education at the
ministerial level. With regard to implementation, such programmes and activities
resulting from such efforts are for the most part carried out by the ASEAN Senior
Officials on Education (SOM-ED), which reports to the ASEAN Education Ministers
Meeting. SOM-ED also manages cooperation on higher education through the ASEAN
University Network (AUN). The AUN was established to assist ASEAN in (1) promoting
cooperation among ASEAN scholars, academics, and scientists in the region; (2)
developing academic and professional human resources in the region; (3) promoting
information dissemination among the ASEAN academic community; and (4) enhancing
the awareness of regional identity and the sense of "ASEAN-ness" among members.
Education indicators outlined hereafter belong to primary, secondary, and tertiary
levels. Primary education is generally defined as the level of education where children are
provided with basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills together with elementary
understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art,
and music. Secondary education continues to build up on the knowledge provided by
primary education and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human
development with more advanced material and learning mechanisms. Tertiary education,
whether or not leading to an advanced research qualification, requires minimally the
successful completion of secondary education for admission and entails the level of
education within some college or university.
School enrollment and participation
Participation in formal education is usually measured by the metric Gross Enrollment
Ratio (GER) and Net Enrollment Ratio (NER). The NER demonstrates the extent of
participation in a given age-specific level of education. The purpose of the GER is to
show the total enrollment in a level of education regardless of age. The GER is expressed
as a percentage of the official school-age population corresponding to the same level of
education.
Primary education
We can make a few observations based on reported data on primary education
enrollment. Brunei Darussalam had almost reached 100% net enrollment by 2001, while
Indonesia has slowly moved downward from close to that enrolment percentage
thereafter. The Philippines has been inching closer and closer to this target in recent
years. The data indicate two groups of countries - one which has consistently attained a
net enrollment ratio of more than 90% (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, the Philippines,
and Singapore) and the other group with around 80% (Cambodia, Lao PDR and
Myanmar). Vietnam started in the lower group and has moved to the upper group in the
last few decades. Thailand has not provided data for both sexes, but the separate net
enrolment ratio for girls and boys indicates that the overall ratio would be between 86%
and 87%, and as such would be closer to the higher group. The primary net enrolment
ratios of boys were almost always higher than those of girls for all reporting countries
except Malaysia. For Singapore and Indonesia since 1998, however, the net enrolment
ratios for girls and boys were not significantly different. A marked widening of gender
gap was noticeable in the Philippines in 1997 but in 1999 the net enrolment ratios for
girls exceeded that for boys.
It is also useful to look at retainment and efficiency rates in education throughout
ASEAN. The effectiveness of efforts to extend literacy depends on the ability of the
education system to ensure full participation of school-age children and their successful
progression to reach at least grade 5, which is the stage when they are believed to have
firmly acquired literacy and numeracy. The usual indicator to measure the level of this
efficiency achievement is the proportion of pupils starting grade 1 reaching grade 5 of
primary education.
Most reporting countries in ASEAN have steadily improved retention rates of pupils
through 5th grade. At the top are Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, which have shown
consistent survival rates of close to 100%, indicating a very high retention of children in
school through at least 5th grade. Among the rest of the countries with rates ranging from
57% to 89% towards the end of the past century, Myanmar has maintained the largest
improvements over the years.
Secondary education

High school students in Laos assemble a jigsaw puzzle map of Southeast Asia. Laos is a
member of ASEAN but most students know little about the other 9 member countries.
The map is one of many hands-on activities offered by Big Brother Mouse, a not-for-
profit literacy and education project.
By 2001, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines had
achieved improvements in net enrolment ratios for secondary education of 11%-19%
over those of 1990 or 1991. Vietnam experienced the fastest growth rate in net enrolment
between the years 1993 and 1998. Singapore, the country with the highest overall
achievement, has maintained consistently high net enrolment rates of above 90% since
1994. With regard to gender differences, the difference in the ratios of females to males
ranges from 0.2%-6% (for the six countries for which these ratios are available:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). "The overall
pattern is that girls seem to exhibit appreciably higher net enrolment ratios for secondary
education, except in the case of Singapore where the ratios for girls and boys converged
in the second half of the reporting period."
Tertiary education
While the HPAEs (High Performing Asian Economies) and ASEAN-6 (the 6 oldest
ASEAN members) have invested heavily in public education, and, unlike many other
developing nations, have concentrated on primary and secondary schooling, tertiary
education has been left largely to the private sector.
[121]
Tertiary education in Southeast
Asia is, in general, relatively weak. In most cases universities are focused on teaching
and service to government rather than academic research. Additionally, universities in
Southeast Asia, both in terms of academic salaries and research infrastructure (libraries,
laboratories), tend to be nancially handicapped and poorly supported. Moreover,
regional academic journals cater to their 'home' informed audiences and respond less to
international standards which makes universal or regional benchmarking difcult.


University Network
The ASEAN University Network (AUN) is a consortium of Southeast
Asian universities. It was originally founded in November 1995 by 11 universities
within the member states. Currently AUN comprises 26 Participating Universities.
The Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (SEED-NET)
Project, was officially established as an autonomous sub-network of the ASEAN
University Network (AUN) in April 2001'. AUN/SEED-Net aimed at promoting
human resources development in engineering in ASEAN. The Network consists of 19
leading Member Institutions (selected by the Ministries in charge of higher education
of respective countries) from 10 ASEAN countries with the support of 11
leading Japanese Supporting Universities (selected by Japanese Government).
AUN/SEED-Net is mainly supported by the Japanese Government through the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and partially supported by the ASEAN
Foundation. AUN/SEED-Net activities are implemented by the AUN/SEED-Net
Secretariat with the support of the JICA Project for AUN/SEED-Net, now based at
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Public efforts
Financial resources
Governments have a vested interest in investing in education and other aspects of human
capital infrastructure, especially those governments of rapidly developing nations such as
those within ASEAN. In the short run, investment spending directly supports aggregate
demand and growth. In the longer term, investments in physical infrastructure,
inproductivity enhancements by businesses, and especially in the public provision of
education and health services determine the potential for growth.
To measure the investments in education by governments, we use the metrics of public
current expenditure on primary education as a percent of GDP and expenditure per pupil
as a percent of GDP. These two indicators are based on public current expenditure at all
government levels on all public primary schools and subsidies to private educational
institutions, teachers and pupils. In some instances regarding figures used in these
calculations, data on current public expenditure on education may refer only to the
Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries that spend a part of their budget on
educational activities.
Primary education expenditure in the reporting ASEAN countries is usually lower than
3% of GDP, with the exception of Indonesia, which reported 5%. Two countries that
show noticeable rising trends are the Philippines and Lao PDR. Malaysia has experienced
a gradual downward trend throughout the 1990s but stabilised around the year 2000.
Indonesia experienced a sharp decline in primary education expenditure as a percent of
GDP between 1995 and 1999 from almost 10% to 5%. Singapore has maintained a stable
0.6% up until 2000 and increased slightly to 0.7% in 2001.
While the public current expenditure on primary education as percentage of GDP can
never be close to 100%, it is theoretically possible to have the public current expenditure
per pupil as percentage of GDP per capita to reach or exceed 100%. Except for
Singapore, this indicator fluctuates somewhat, but seems to have stabilised at around 10%
for two reporting countries of ASEAN at the end of the 1990s decade. Since 1996, the
indicator has steadily risen in the Philippines reaching almost 14% by 1998. Upward or
downward trend for this indicator can have many causes which include sharp changes in
enrolment rates of government expenditures on primary education.
Scholarship
The ASEAN Scholarship is a scholarship programme offered by Singapore to the 9
other member states for secondary school, junior college, and university education. It
covers accommodation, food, medical benefits & accident insurance, school fees, and
examination fees. Scholarship recipients who then perform well in the GCE Advanced
LevelExamination may apply for ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarships, which are
tailored specifically for undergraduate institutions in Singapore and in other ASEAN
member countries. Singapore has effectively used this programme to attract many of the
best students from the ASEAN region over the past several years, and scholars for the
most part tend to remain in Singapore to pursue undergraduate studies through the
ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship programme.
Education as a determinant of human development
Statistically, educational attainment (as measured by average years of schooling) strongly
correlates with subsequent income levels and development capabilities. An improvement
in educational attainment will have a positive effect on a country's income and human
development (humanity) growth.
It is therefore evident that "universal access to, and completion of, primary or basic
education is a self-evident goal upon which the foundations for building the human
capacity rests. Increased participation, regardless of sex, in secondary and tertiary levels
of education is a necessary step to be able to move forward in the process of
achieving equity,capacity building, access to information, and strengthening science."
Literacy rates
Literacy indicators provide us with a measure of the number of literate persons within the
population who are capable of using written words in daily and to continue to
learn.
[131]
The literacy rate essentially reflects the cumulative accomplishment of
education in spreading literacy. The literacy rate is usually linked to school enrolment
ratios and school retainment rates (through at least grade 5) of primary education, both of
which contribute to the literate population.
The data of literacy rates in reporting countries of 15 to 24 years old reflect outcomes of
the basic education process and is therefore considered an accepted measure of the
effectiveness of that country's education system's investment in children. Among the
eight ASEAN countries reporting six have made significant progress towards 100%
literacy by 2000. This progress is comprable with member countries of the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an impressive accomplishment.
Overall, there is not much disparity between male and female literacy with the exceptions
of Cambodia and Lao PDR, where the literacy rate for females is about 10% lower than
that of males in 1999. The results of overall improvement in literacy rates, though,
indicate positive effectiveness of the primary education systems of these countries
throughout the 1990s.
Country
Year
(most
recent)
Adult
(15+)
Literacy
Rate
Total
Adult
Men
Adult
Women
Youth
(15-24)
Literacy
Rate
Total
Youth
Men
Youth
Women
Brunei 2009 95% 97% 94% 100% 100% 100%
Cambodia
2008 78% 85% 71% 87% 89% 86%
Indonesia
2008 92% 95% 89% 99% 100% 99%
Laos 2005 73% 82% 63% 84% 89% 79%
Malaysia
2009 92% 95% 90% 99% 98% 99%
Country
Year
(most
recent)
Adult
(15+)
Literacy
Rate
Total
Adult
Men
Adult
Women
Youth
(15-24)
Literacy
Rate
Total
Youth
Men
Youth
Women
Burma 2009 92% 95% 90% 96% 96% 95%
Philippines
2008 95% 95% 96% 98% 97% 98%
Singapore
2009 95% 97% 92% 100% 100% 100%
Thailand
2005 94% 96% 92% 98% 98% 98%
Vietnam
2009 93% 95% 91% 97% 97% 96%
Looking at adult (defined as the entire population 15 and older) literacy rates, we can see
that most reporting countries have made significant progress in this demographic as well.
All but two reporting countries reached adult literacy rates of around 90% or better.
Looking at the differences in literacy rates by sex, we can see a visible gender gap. This
gap is most apparent in Cambodia and Laos, with percentage differences between adult
men and adult women literacy rates of 14% and 19%, respectively. Only in the
Philippines is the literacy rate among women higher than among men.
ASEAN Integration 2015
The Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) was launched 2000 by ASEAN Heads of
States to contribute to the objectives of Narrowing the Development Gap and accelerating
integration of CLMV as the newer members of ASEAN. IAI aims to provide support to
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV), ASEANs newer and lesser
developed member states. By augmenting the capacity of CLMV to implement regional
agreements, the IAI hopes to accelerate the regional integration process as a whole.
The IAI has set-up four human resource development training centers in the new member
States and by 2002 there were more than 10,000 participants in the program in various
fields such as English Language, Information and Communication Technology, Trade
and Tourism.
The ASEAN Community was originally envisioned by the Leaders to commence in 2020.
It was during the 30th anniversary of ASEAN when the ten Heads of State/Government
adopted the ASEAN Vision 2020. The ASEAN Vision 2020 agreed on a shared vision
of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace,
stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a
community of caring societies. However, during the 12th ASEAN Summit held in
January 2007 in Cebu, Philippines, the Leaders decided to accelerate the regional
integration to 2015. One of the primary reasons for the decision to fast track regional
integration was to reinforce ASEANs centrality and to ensure that ASEAN remains as
the driving force in drawing the continuously evolving regional architecture.
During the 12th ASEAN summit held in Cebu, Philippines in 1215 January 2007, the
member States signed the 5 agreements aimed in further strengthening the integration of
ASEAN and further enhancing political, economic and social cooperation in the region.
Among those issues drafted in the agreement includes the "Cebu Declaration on the
Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015."
On the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore, from 1822 November 2007 with the theme
"One ASEAN at the Heart of Dynamic Asia" leaders of the member States endorsed the
ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint on a plan to establish a single market and
production base in the ASEAN region by 2015. The ASEAN Member States adopted the
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint, a comprehensive document that lays
out the overall vision as well as the goals, implementing plans and strategies (actions) as
well as the strategic schedule (timeline) for achieving the establishment of the AEC by
2015.
Focus of integration
The integration is focused on seven components that ensures free trade and the
promotion of a single market and production base. It consists of the following:
1.free flow of goods
2.free flow of services
3.free flow of investment
4.free flow of capital
5.free flow of skilled labour
6.development of priority integration sectors
7. competitiveness of food, agriculture, and forestry sectors
There are 11 priority integration sectors which consist of the following:
1. Agro-based products
2. Fisheries
3. Wood-based products
4. Rubber-based products
5. Textiles & Apparels
6. Automotive
7. Electronics
8. Air Travel
9. Tourism
10. Health care
11. e-ASEAN (ICT)
ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint
The ASEAN Leaders adopted the ASEAN Economic Blueprint at the 13th ASEAN
Summit on 20 November 2007 in Singapore to serve as a coherent master plan guiding
the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community
2015<http://www.asean.org/communities/asean-economic-community>.
The declaration of ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint
<http://www.asean.org/archive/5187-10.pdf>:
WE, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia,
the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union
of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of
Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member Countries of ASEAN, on the
occasion of the 40th Anniversary of ASEAN and the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore;
Do Hereby:
1. ADOPT the AEC Blueprint which each ASEAN Member Country shall abide by and
implement the AEC by 2015. The AEC Blueprint will transform ASEAN into a single
market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable
economic development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy. The AEC
Blueprint including its strategic schedule is annexed to this Declaration.
2. TASK concerned Ministers, assisted by the ASEAN Secretariat, to implement the AEC
Blueprint and to report to us regularly, through the Council of the ASEAN Economic
Community, on the progress of its implementation.
The ASEAN Economic Community is the goal of regional economic integration by 2015.
Its characteristics include: (1) a single market and production base, (2) a highly
competitive economic region, (3) a region of fair economic development, and (4) a region
fully integrated into the global economy. The areas of cooperation include human
resources development; recognition of professional qualifications; closer consultation on
macroeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures; enhanced infrastructure
and communications connectivity; development of electronic transactions through e-
ASEAN; integrating industries across the region to promote regional sourcing; and
enhancing private sector involvement. Through the free movement of skilled labor,
goods, services and investment, the ASEAN will rise globally as one market with each
member gaining from each other's strength, thus will increase its total competitiveness
and opportunities for development. The ASEAN Economic Community or AEC is the
embodiment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations vision of a stable,
prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN economic region in which there is a free flow
of goods, services, investment and a freer flow of capital, equitable economic
development and reduced poverty and socio-economic disparities. AEC 2015 is a tagline
or catchphrase that came about as a means to remind people that the target date for
establishing the AEC is in 2015 thus AEC 2015.
The formulation of an AEC Blueprint (with clearly stated goals, timelines and
implementing strategies) which the ASEAN Leaders ratified during the 13th ASEAN
Summit in Singapore in November 2007, established the members commitment to a
common goal as well as ensuring compliance with stated objectives and timelines. The
AEC Blueprint lays out the overall vision as well as the goals, implementing plans and
strategies (actions) as well as the strategic schedule (timeline) for achieving the
establishment of the AEC by 2015.
The AEC is the realization of the end goal of economic integration as espoused in the
Vision 2020 (brought forward to 2015), which is based on a convergence of interests of
ASEAN Member States to deepen and broaden economic integration through existing
and new initiatives with clear timelines. In establishing the AEC, ASEAN shall act in
accordance to the principles of an open, outward-looking, inclusive, and market-driven
economy consistent with multilateral rules as well as adherence to rules-based systems
for effective compliance and implementation of economic commitments. The value of an
AEC Blueprint is that it showed the world that ASEAN was serious about its plans and
goals.
ASEAN will officially declare the establishment of an ASEAN Economic Community by
end December 2015. For the ASEAN economies and citizens, it will be business as usual
mainly because the key agreements and regulations that will govern the business and
economic relationships under the AEC are already in place and operational.
Reception and Criticisms
One late criticism is from former Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board
(NSCB) Secretary General Romulo A. Virola, who said in 2012 that the Philippines does
not appear to be ready to benefit from ASEAN integration due to its wobbly economic
performance compared to other ASEAN member countries. According to Virola, the
Philippines continues to lag behind in terms of employment rate, tourism, life
expectancy, and cellular subscription.
David Lozada of the 2012 ASEAN Student Forum echoes the position of economic
experts that the region is not yet ripe for economic integration as not all member-
countries are on the same level of economic growth, with some having unstable
economies due to political contexts.
In 2014, The U.S. Chamber of Commerces ASEAN Business Outlook Survey
2015
[141]
highlighted the widespread concern that the much-anticipated ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) would not be launched by the end-2015 deadline.
Ji Xianbai, in his article Why ASEAN Economic Community Will Struggle. Serious
weaknesses within ASEAN threaten the realization of the blocs regional project, points
out what he believes to be significant causes of the delayed ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC) implementation:
1. The structural incapacity of the ASEAN to pull the AEC as its Secretariat lacks the
financial and intellectual resources to act in that capacity. Astonishingly, the resources at
its disposal have remained unchanged for 15 years, even though the regions GDP had
more than quadrupled. Comparing the ASEAN Secretariat to the European Commission,
the former is understaffed with about 300 employees compared to the latters 34,000.
2. The ASEAN member-states inability or unwillingness to see themselves as a true
single market. One example is Indonesia refraining from ratifying the ASEAN
Multilateral Agreement for Full Liberalization of Air Freight Services (MAFLAFS), to
protect its domestic aviation industry from regional competitors, primarily from
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Without the participation of Indonesia, the single
aviation or open sky market exists in name only. Another is Malaysia, which has been
reluctant to liberalize auto trade barriers for fear of competition from regional car-
manufacturing powerhouse Thailand. The Philippines has also kept in place heavy
restrictions on foreign investors that critics say are aimed at shielding domestic
businesses from competition.
3. The general awareness deficit of ASEAN and AEC across the region. An ASEAN
Secretariat survey in 2013 found that three out of four ASEAN citizens lack even a basic
understanding of ASEAN. This is party owed to the use of English as the ASEANs only
working language. The very low English proficiency in the region makes it very hard for
ordinary ASEAN citizens to follow regional agendas.
In January 2014, Former ASEAN Secretary-General, Rodolfo C. Severino, wrote: While
ASEAN should not be condemned for its members failure to make good on their
commitments, any failure to deliver will likely lead to a loss of credibility and could
mean that member countries fall further behind in the global competition for export
markets and foreign direct investment (FDI).
This is not the first time that AEC faces a probable delay: In 2012, the commencement of
the AEC was postponed to December 31, 2015 from the original plan of January 1, 2015.
Despite ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwans firm reassurance that [t]here will
be no more delays and that all ten ASEAN countries will participate, even the most
fervent proponents of AEC are beginning to worry about the increasingly diminishing
chance of delivering AEC on time as 2015 closes in.
One Market Economy
The ASEAN Integration 2015 will see member-nations converge with one market
economy, where trade is done with less restrictions (like no tariffs). The business playing
field is flowing with goods (raw materials and products) and services (manpower).
Nationalities are given a wide array of product choices which range from low end to high
end. The integration encourages competition (showcasing the best) and complementarity
(providing unique products).
Member-nations will place the right infrastructure to keep up with the fast changing
ASEAN economic landscape. It also poses challenges, especially to member-nations like
the Philippines whose economy is starting to boom. Journalist-businessman Wilson Lee
Flores in his column titled Bull Market, Bull Sheet interviewed tycoons and identified
different challenges that ASEAN businessmen face. They are the challenge of size or
scale (family businesses can survive or flourish by becoming big or remaining small); the
challenge of competitive spirit (market players should work harder); the challenge of
speed (increase in transactions and productivity and developing new ideas); the challenge
of efficiency (investment in technology and human resources); and the challenge of
having a global mindset (thinking the international way).
Manila Bulletin writer Reynaldo Lugtu Jr. in his article titled ASEAN 2015 challenges
and opportunities adds Entry of imported products and The challenge to innovate as
the other challenges entrepreneurs in the region will face when the integration is fully
implemented next year. The former will see local manufacturers compete in the market
share, where cheaper and competitive products are made available. On the other hand, the
latter will see companies invest in research and development, market research, and new
technologies of production. This is inevitable and expected since the business sector
needs to deliver goods to consumers in a faster way (The challenge of speed). As Lugtu
Jr. shares the ASEAN single market comprises 600 million consumers and with $1.9
trillion in combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP). On top of these challenges, he sees
opportunities such as Access to a bigger market, and Supply of human capital, where
member-nations with large population, like the Philippines whose population is now at
100 million and most members of workforce speak English, can take advantage.
The report written by Mia Aznar further discusses the challenges the Philippines will
encounter when the integration takes place in 2015. According to Mias interview with
Philippine Stock Exchange president and CEO Hans Sicat, ASEAN only constitutes
(the) 17 percent share of (the Philippines) exports as compared to East Asia with 50.1
percent export share. It is a question whether the integration will become beneficial to the
country? China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North and South Korea and
Taiwan compose the East Asia group. Other points raised by Sicat in the article titled
Asean integration in 2015 will be challenge for PH: PSE president are Philippines has
a small economy, its citizens have a low awareness about the integration initiative, it has
limited products and a small investor base. Sicat also offers solutions to lessen the
challenges that lie ahead. These include having political will, implementing
arrangements, coordinating and mobilizing resources, capacity building, strengthening
institutions and consulting with public and private sectors.
Lessening the vulnerabilities of Phl to foreign competition and exposure to market risks
is also the concern of Rafael Alunan III in his article 2015: Asean Integration, ready or
not?. The sectors which will be affected are the agribusiness and manufacturing
industries. This is extra challenging to the agricultural industry which has to work double
time in achieving its self-sufficiency status and surplus growth for export. Like Sicat,
Alunan III also shares his two cents on making these identified sectors ready for the
Asean integration in 2015. The author shares that by providing adequate incentives,
critical infrastructures and universal access to know-how capital and addressing high
business costs, low import duties and extensive technical smuggling the agribusiness
and manufacturing sectors, respectively, will improve. The present manufacturing
industry should be developed into an industry capable of producing dual purpose
factories producing for the domestic and export markets, supported by vital infra and
systems, to spur industrialization. It is also implied that the Phls defense should be built
up to its minimum desired level to make the economy more competitive.
The AEC Scorecard
To track the progress of the AEC, the AEC Scorecard, a compliance tool developed based
on the EU Internal Market Scorecard, was adopted by ASEAN. This regional economic
scorecard is the only scorecard in effect and is expected to serve as an unbiased
assessment tool to measure the extent of integration among its members and the
economic health of the region. It is expected to provide relevant information about
regional priorities and in this way foster productive, inclusive and sustainable growth.
Moreover, scores create incentives for improvement by highlighting what is working and
what is not.
The AEC Scorecard is also a compliance tool that makes it possible to monitor the
implementation of ASEAN agreements and the achievement of milestones indicated in
the AEC Strategic Schedule. The Scorecard outlines specific actions that must be
undertaken by ASEAN collectively and by its member states individually to establish an
AEC by 2015.
To date, two official scorecards have been published, one in 2010 and the other in 2012.
According to the AEC Scorecard 2012, the implementation rates of AECs four primary
objectives: (a) single market and production base; (b) competitive economic region; (c)
equitable economic development; and (d) integration into the global economy were 65.9
percent, 67.9 percent, 66.7 percent, and 85.7 percent, respectively, with 187 out of 277
measures being fully implemented by 2011.
The AEC Scorecard is purely quantitative. It only examines whether an ASEAN member
state has performed the AEC task or not. The more yes answers, the higher the AEC
Scorecard score.
Narrowing the Development Gap (NDG)
Narrowing the Development Gap (NDG) is ASEANs framework for addressing various
forms of disparities among and within Member States where pockets of
underdevelopment exist. Under NDG, ASEAN has continued coordinating closely with
other subregional cooperation frameworks in the region (e.g., BIMP-EAGA, IMT-GT,
GMS, Mekong programmes), viewing them as equal partners in the development of
regional production and distribution networks in the AEC, and as a platform to
mainstream social development issues in developing and implementing projects, in the
context of the ASCC.
The six-year IAI Work Plans have been developed to assist the CLMV countries as well
as ASEAN's other sub-regions to ensure that the economic wheels of their economies
move at an accelerated pace. IAI Work Plan I was implemented from 2002 to 2008, prior
to the development of the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015). IAI Work
Plan II (2009-2015) supports the goals of the ASEAN Community and is composed of
182 prescribed actions, which includes studies, training programmes and policy
implementation support conducted through projects supported by ASEAN-6 countries,
and ASEANs Dialogue partners and external parties. The IAI Work Plan is patterned
after and supports the key programme areas in the three ASEAN Community Blueprints:
ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, ASEAN Economic Community
Blueprint and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint.
The IAI Task Force, composed of representatives of the Committee of Permanent
Representatives and its working group from all ten ASEAN member states, is in charge
of providing general advice and policy guidelines and directions in the design and
implementation of the IAI Work Plan. All 10 ASEAN Member States are represented in
the IAI Task Force, with the Task Force chaired by representatives of the four CLMV
countries. Chairmanship is rotated annually in alphabetical order. The chair for 2014 is
Cambodia.
ASEAN Secretariat - IAI and NDG Division
The ASEAN Secretariat, in particular through the IAI and NDG Division, supports the
implementation and management of the IAI Work Plan and coordinates activities related
to sub-regional frameworks. This includes servicing meetings, assisting in the
formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of projects, resource mobilization
and overall operational coordination among various IAI&NDG-related stakeholders. The
Division works closely with the Dialogue Partners and international agencies to develop
strategies and programmes to assist in promoting and implementing IAI and NDG
activities in ASEAN.
Double Digit Growth for Franchising Sector
The franchising industry in the Philippines eyed strong growth as it begins expanding to
international markets.
There are currently 12 Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) members who are
global franchisors with 76 overseas outlets.
The upcoming ASEAN 2015 integration is expected to act as a further impetus for AFFI
members to go overseas. The integration opens up the regions capital and labor markets
to competition. This is expected to lead an influx of foreign franchise brands into the
country, said AFFI.
[151]

AFFI President Victor Fernando announced that there will be a Franchisee Conference
this year for the first time as part of the Filipino Franchise Show which will be held on
October 3 to 5, 2014. The Franchisee Conference will be a venue to empower, recognize,
and showcase the best practices of franchisees. Representatives from ASEAN countries
are invited to the conference to share their franchisee experiences.
Fernando said that Filipino companies should try to be at par with their neighbors not just
within the region but also globally. Ricardo Cuna, Chairman of the 2014 Filipino
Franchise Show, said that the ASEAN integration is more of a challenge for Filipino
entrepreneurs to compete worldwide.
The Filipino Franchise Show will be held at the World Trade Center with this years
show bears the theme ASEAN Integration through franchising. The event will be
composed of exhibits of franchises, product and services of support industries, regional
products and services, retailers and distributors. The Filipino ASEAN Franchise
Conference is also a part of the show along with the ASEAN Pavilion and other special
events.
Food Security
Part of the aim for ASEAN Integration is collectively achieve food security via trade in
rice and maze. Trade facilitation measures and the harmonization/equivalency of food
regulation and control standards will reduce the cost of trade in food products. While
specialization and revealed comparative and competitive indices point to
complementarities between trade patterns among the ASEAN member countries, intra-
ASEAN trade in agriculture is quite small. However, integration could address this
problem.
In a case study by Amelia Bello from the University of the Philippines Los Banos,
Philippines suggested the following:
If regional integration and cooperation means moving towards a common goal using a
common strategy, then it is essential that the ASEAN member countries agree on what
food security collectively means to them, and what food items are important to each of
them and the region in general, so that regional integration and cooperation under the
auspices of ASEAN can be better promoted.
Food supply security can be enhanced through cooperation and interdependence among
the ASEAN member countries. In this scenario, ASEAN countries would be producing
and trading food in such a manner that trade complements domestic production and
reserves as a means of assuring supply. ASEAN countries should agree not to restrict
food trade through embargoes, export taxes, and other restraints except in highly
exceptional cases.
Implications for Supply Chain Management (SCM)
The supply chain industry should prepare for the shift towards a bigger services sector in
the ASEAN economics.
A study by Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific; as shared by Vinod K. Aggarwal and Boa
Park found that the greatest impediment that the SCM industry faced is in customs
procedures and inspections, which include time consuming documentation requirements,
and different classification of goods in different countries. Land transportation barriers
continue to exist owing to regulations on the operation of trucks in cross-boarder and in-
country transportation. In ASEAN, Singapore ranked very good in logistics friendliness
followed by Brunei and Thailand which were ranked good; Philippines, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Malaysia on the average rank while Indonesia were
ranked weak. Many of the issues facing SCM stem from the lack of business
representation and dialogue with government officials. Aside from facing the barriers to
finance, logistics, technology development and human development in the region, it also
lack opportunities to provide input into policy making or update information on policies
that affect their enterprises.
The biggest challenge and opportunity for the SCM industry in gearing up for AEC 2015
is the industrial shift from manufacturing to services. With the services sector growing
rapidly and accounting for an ever larger share of the GDP of countries in the region,
services liberalization is crucial. In terms of SCM, it present challenges for the free
movement of labour and demands for the new and adaptive processes for certification,
customs, transportation, and other logistics especially with respect to the issue of
transparency a core element of AEC 2015. If the SCM industry can provide logistics for
professional services and basic services such as finance, health care, travel, and real
estate, the interconnected and people-to-people community of AEC 2015 could provide
more opportunities than challenges.
The manufacturing sector also has areas for improvement in transportation, storage,
customs and payment services. Countries like Singapore and Indonesia, have one of the
highest internet penetration rates in Asia, whereas, countries like Cambodia and
Myanmar have very low rates of internet penetration. The supply chain industry and the
member governments could pool resources to enhance connectivity and the flow of goods
and services in the region.
Tourism
In an article by Danessa O. Rivera for GMA News, the Tourism Congress of the
Philippines is holding a series of workshops and creating awareness among its
stakeholders for the upcoming Asean integration in 2015. In an email statement by the
TCP(Tourism Congress of the Philippines) President Rosanna Tuason-Fores her
objectives of the consultative meetings are to increase awareness level of the implications
of the economic integration to tourism enterprises and to identify the market access
opportunities for the business in the Philippines and other ASEAN economies.
The ASEAN integration will have more impact to smaller and medium enterprises not
only in terms of competitiveness but also in terms of manpower," she said.
"This is just some of the issues we will look into in these series of consultative meetings.
We need to mitigate any adverse effects brought about by the integration, Tuason-Fores
said.
ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will establish a single market economy by
2015 to attract more investments and facilitate intra-ASEAN trade and investments.
Through the consultative meetings, Tuason-Fores said the Departments of Tourism and
of Trade and Industry will be able to get inputs for the roadmap of Philippine Tourism in
AEC 2015 and Beyond, an activity supported by the USAID Advancing Philippine
Competitiveness or COMPETE Project.
The TCP is a national organization of tourism enterprises created by virtue of the
Tourism Act of 2009.
The consultative meetings, dubbed as Tourism Integration Briefing and Consultative
Meeting, will run from July 21 to 22 in Marco Polo Hotel in Lahug, Cebu.
The next consultative meetings will be held on July 2324 at the Waterfront Hotel in
Davao City, on August 1213 in Clark, Pampanga and will culminate in Manila also
sometime in September.
Europe and China are the main sources of tourists in the last 4 years.
Education in ASEAN Integration
One of the priority areas under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) pillar is
education as the ASEAN Charter emphasizes the need to develop human resources
through closer cooperation in education and life-long learning, and in science and
technology, for the empowerment of the people of ASEAN and for the strengthening of
the ASEAN Community."
In the presentation of ASEAN Secretariat in Chiang Mai, Thailand last January 2014, it
pointed out that the establishment of an ASEAN Community by the end of 2015, and a
Truly People-Centred ASEAN in the Post-2015 period encompass:
More commitments towards building an ASEAN Community (e.g. people to people
connectivity, institutional frameworks, pooling of resources, political-security and
socio-cultural policies to support social and regional cohesion)
Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI Work Plan) emphasizes the role of education
in narrowing the development gap between ASEAN-6 and CLMV countries
Higher demand for skilled labour & Increased cross-border flows of labor - and
deepen ASEANs position in the global value chains
Continuing cross-sectoral cooperation in education
The development/promotion of partnerships in education sector
ASEAN 5-Year Work Plan on Education (2011-2015): 4 Priorities
1. ASEAN Awareness;
2. (a) Increasing Access to, and increasing Quality Primary and Secondary
Education; (b) Increasing Access to, and Quality of Education-Performance
Standards, Lifelong Learning and Professional Development;
3. Strengthening Cross-Border Mobility and Internationalization of Education;
4. Support for other ASEAN Sectoral Bodies with an Interest in Education
Challenges in Education
1. The gaps among Member States are still wide
Access to/continuation of education
Quality of education (e.g. teacher education, number of teachers & pedagogy)
Finance, Governance & Management
2. Effective synergies between different mechanisms (ASEAN/AUN and SEAMEO), and
Dialogue Partners, International Agencies
3. A Holistic Approach to education:
Formal vs. non-formal /informal education (SOM-ED, PPP)
Basic & Higher education
Vocation and Technical Training - TVET (EAS Education Plan of Action (2012-
2015): (i) a regional TVET quality assurance framework, (ii) development of a
network of TVET providers in the EAS, (ii) facilitating TVET teacher and student
mobility; and (iv) a feasibility study of a register of TVET providers in the EAS.
Education of transversal skills and other needed skills (related to life, environment,
socio-cultural)
4. Monitoring tool (statistics and ASCC scorecard, e.g. consolidated data for ASEAN in
the UNESCO EFA Reports)
Enhancing K to 12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines in lieu with ASEAN
Integration
According to the World Bank, education equips and can be the strongest instruments of
every individual. With the absolute knowledge and skills that he/she gained from school,
an individual can be a functional member of the society in reducing poverty and
improving of the well-being. Although, in maintaining and establishing a powerful
education system, thorough venture must be considered. In the Philippine context,
education remains a top priority. Despite the various development plans and projects
formulated by the government and different sectors, the quality of Philippine education
still leaves much room for improvement. As part of the efforts of the present
administration to respond to the perceived needs of the education sector, the Department
of Education (DepEd) had pushed for the implementation of the Enhanced K to 12 Basic
Education Program.
DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro presented the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda
(BESRA) last March in the annual membership meeting of the Philippine Business for
Education (PBEd). BESRA, as a package of reform initiatives, considers K to 12 as the
flagship reform strategy. The objective of the program is to be able to produce more
productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and skills
for both lifelong learning and employment. From among various proposals and studies
conducted to come up with an enhanced model that is suitable to the Philippine context,
DepEd proposed the K-6-4-2 model or the K to 12 model. This model involves required
completion of kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of junior high
school (Grades 7-10), and two years of senior high school (Grades 11-12). The two years
of senior high school intend to provide time for students to consolidate acquired
academic skills and competencies. The curriculum will allow specializations in science
and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and
entrepreneurship. Students will be guided to choose a specialization based on aptitude,
interests, and school capacity. In lieu with this, the governments expanded basic
education program and the decision of some universities to shift the start of their
academic calendars from June to August would be good for a proposed educational
integration among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in
2015.
Dr. Sauwakon Ratanawijitrasin, outgoing center director of Southeast Asian Ministers of
Education OrganizationRegional Center for Higher Education and Development, said
Southeast Asian countries were trying to harmonize and internationalize their education
systems by 2015, which is part of a process of developing a regional economic
community.
Sports
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-
sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The
games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia.
ASEAN Para Games

Logo of the ASEAN Para Games.
The ASEAN Para Games is a biennial multi-sport event held after every Southeast Asian
Games for athletes with physical disabilities. The games are participated by the 11
countries located in Southeast Asia. The Games, patterned after the Paralympic Games,
are played by physically challenged athletes with mobility disabilities, visual disabilities,
FESPIC Games / Asian Para Games
The FESPIC Games, also known as the Far East and South Pacific Games for the persons
with disability, was the biggest multi-sports games in Asia and South Pacific region. The
FESPIC Games were held nine times and bowed out, a success in December 2006 in the
9th FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Games re-emerged as the 2010
Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China. The 2010 Asian Para Games debuted shortly
after the conclusion of the 16th Asian Games, using the same facilities and venue
made disability-accessible. The inaugural Asian Para Games, the parallel event for
athletes with physical disabilities, is a multi-sport event held every four years after
every Asian Games.
Football Championship
The ASEAN Football Championship is a biennial Football competition organised by
the ASEAN Football Federation, accredited by FIFA and contested by the national teams
of Southeast Asia nations. It was inaugurated in 1996 as Tiger Cup, but after Asia Pacific
Breweries terminated the sponsorship deal, "Tiger" was renamed "ASEAN".
ASEAN 2030 FIFA World Cup bid
January 2011: As a result of ASEAN Foreign ministers at Lombok meeting, they agreed
bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 as a single entity.
May 2011: ASEAN will go ahead with its bid for the FIFA 2030 World Cup. It was a
follow up to the agreement reached in January before.
ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have established defence industries. To cut
cost and plan to be self-sufficient by 2030, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to
promote the creation of the ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC). The United
States military reportedly has said that ADIC could have additional benefits beyond cost
savings for ASEAN members, including facilitating a set of standards, similar to NATO,
that will improve interoperability among ASEAN and U.S. militaries and increase the
effectiveness of regional response to threats to Asia-Pacific peace and stability.
Criticism
Non-ASEAN countries have criticised ASEAN for being too soft in its approach to
promoting human rights and democracy in the junta-led Burma. Despite global outrage at
the military crack-down on unarmed protesters in Yangon, ASEAN has refused to
suspend Burma as a member and also rejects proposals for economic sanctions. This has
caused concern as the European Union, a potential trade partner, has refused to conduct
free trade negotiations at a regional level for these political reasons. International
observers view it as a "talk shop",which implies that the organisation is "big on words but
small on action". However, leaders such as the Philippines' Foreign Affairs
Secretary, Alberto Romulo, said it "is a workshop not a talk shop". Others have also
expressed similar sentiment.
Head of the International Institute of Strategic Studies Asia, Tim Huxley cites the
diverse political systems present in the grouping, including many young states, as a
barrier to far-reaching cooperation outside the economic sphere. He also asserts that in
the absence of an external threat to rally against with the end of the Cold War, ASEAN
has begun to be less successful at restraining its members and resolving border disputes
such as those between Burma and Thailand and that of Indonesia and Malaysia.
During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups staged anti-
globalisation protests. According to the activists, the agenda of economic integration
would negatively affect industries in the Philippines and would cause thousands of
Filipinos to lose their jobs.

ASEAN Security Blueprint
The ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism (ACCT) is a result of ASEANs counter-
terrorism efforts as it serves as a framework for regional cooperation to counter, prevent
and suppress terrorism and deepen counter-terrorism cooperation.
ACCT was signed by the ASEAN Leaders in 2007. Its sixth ASEAN Member State,
Brunei Darussalam, submitted its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of
ASEAN on April 28, 2011 and on the 27th of May 2011, the convention came into force.
Malaysia became the tenth Member State of ACCT on January 11, 2013.
ASEAN competitions
SEA Games
ASEAN University Games
ASEAN School Games
ASEAN Para Games
ASEAN Football Championship
See also

Geography portal

Asia portal

Southeast Asia portal
ASEANIndia Commemorative Summit
ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012
ASEAN Common Time
ASEAN Exchanges
ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
ASEAN Sculpture Garden
Asia Pacific Forum
Asian Monetary Unit
Chiang Mai Initiative
Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia
List of ASEAN countries by GDP (nominal)
List of economic communities
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation
Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation
Blue card system, the ASEAN motor insurance scheme.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership