Association of Southeast Asian Nations

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Association of Southeast Asian

Nations[show]

Flag

Emblem

Motto:
"One Vision, One Identity, One Community"[1]

Anthem: The ASEAN Way

MENU
0:00

Headquarters
Working language

Jakarta, Indonesiaa
English[show]

10 states[show]
Membership

2 observers[show]
Leaders

- Secretary General

Le Luong Minh[2]

- Summit Presidency

Brunei[3]
Establishment

- Bangkok Declaration

8 August 1967

- Charter

16 December 2008
Area
4,479,210.5 km2

- Total

2,778,124.7 sq mi
Population
- 2011 estimate

602,658,000

- Density

135/km2
216/sq mi

GDP (PPP)

2011 estimate

- Total

US$ 3.574 trillion[4]

- Per capita

US$ 5,930

GDP (nominal)

2011 estimate

- Total

US$ 2.356 trillion

- Per capita

US$ 3,909
0.663b

HDI (2012)

medium
Currency

10 currencies[show]

Time zone

ASEAN (UTC+9 to +6:30)

Calling code

10 codes[show]

Internet TLD

10 TLDs[show]
Website

www.aseansec.org

a.

Address: Jalan Sisingamangaraja No.70A, South Jakarta.

b.

Calculated using UNDP data from member states.

Wikisource has original text

related to this article:
Bangkok Declaration

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations[5] (ASEAN /si.n/ AH-see-ahn,[6] /zi.n/ AH-zee-ahn)[7][8] is
a geo-political and economic organisation of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8
August 1967 byIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.[9] Since then, membership has
expanded to include Brunei,Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include
accelerating economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, protection of regional
peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully. [10]
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 2011, its combined nominal GDP had grown to more than US$
2 trillion.[11] If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the eighth largest economy in the world.
Contents
[hide]

1 History

1.1 Continued expansion

1.2 Environment

1.3 ASEAN Plus Three

1.4 Free Trade

2 The ASEAN way

1.1.1 East Timor and Papua New Guinea

2.1 Critical reception

3 Meetings

3.1 ASEAN Summits

3.2 East Asia Summit

3.3 Commemorative summit

3.4 Regional Forum

3.5 Other meetings

3.5.1 Another Three

3.5.2 AsiaEurope Meeting

3.5.3 ASEANRussia Summit

3.5.4 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting

4 Economic community

4.1 From CEPT to AEC

4.2 Comprehensive Investment Area

4.3 Trade in Services

4.4 Single Aviation Market

4.5 Free-trade agreements with other countries

4.6 ASEAN six majors

4.6.1 Development gap

4.7 From CMI to AMRO

4.8 Foreign Direct Investment

4.9 Intra-ASEAN travel

4.10 Intra-ASEAN trade

5 Charter

6 Cultural activities

7 ASEAN Media Cooperation

7.1 New media and social media

7.2 SEA Write Award

7.3 ASAIHL

7.4 Heritage Parks

7.4.1 ASEAN Heritage Sites

7.5 Songs and music

8 Education and human development

8.1 School enrolment and participation

8.1.1 Primary education

8.1.2 Secondary education

8.2 Tertiary education

8.2.1 University Network

8.3 Public efforts

8.3.1 Financial resources

8.3.2 Scholarship

8.4 Education as a determinant of human development

8.4.1 Literacy rates

9 Sports

9.1 Southeast Asian Games

9.2 ASEAN Para Games

9.3 FESPIC Games / Asian Para Games

9.4 Football Championship

9.5 ASEAN 2030 FIFA World Cup bid

10 ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration

11 Criticism

12 ASEAN competitions

13 See also

14 References

15 External links

History[edit source | editbeta]

See also: Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational Asian organisations.v d e

The member states of ASEAN

Burma
(Myanmar)
Laos
Vietnam
Thailand
Cambodia
Philippines
Brunei
Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia
Singapore
I n d o n e s i a
I n d o n e s i a
I n d o n e s i a

ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly calledASA,
an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself,
however, was established 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 Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines,Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S.
Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand are considered the organisation's Founding
Fathers.[12]
The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members governing elite could concentrate onnation
building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a
desire for economic development.

The bloc grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member on 8 January 1984, barely a week after
gaining independence on 1 January.[13]

Continued expansion[edit source | editbeta]

See also: Enlargement of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became the seventh member.[14] Laos and Myanmar (Burma) joined two years later
on 23 July 1997.[15] 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.[15][16]
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[17] 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.[18][19] This proposal failed, however, because of heavy opposition from the
United States and Japan.[18][20] 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 Crisisof
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).[21]
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.[22]

East Timor and Papua New Guinea[edit source | editbeta]

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.[23][24][25]
Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and Special Observer status in 1981. [26] 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[edit source | editbeta]

Satellite image of the 2006 haze overBorneo.

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.[27] 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,[28] the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network in 2005,[29] 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 nondemocratic members all agreed that it was something all member states should aspire to.[30]

ASEAN Plus Three[edit source | editbeta]

Leaders of each country, particularly Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, felt the need to further integrate the
region. Beginning in 1997, the bloc began creating organizations 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 included these countries as well as India, Australia, and New Zealand. This new grouping acted
as a prerequisite for the planned East Asia Community, which was supposedly patterned after the nowdefunct 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.[31] As a response, the
organization awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the United Nations.[32]

Free Trade[edit source | editbeta]

In 2007, ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary since its inception, and 30 years of diplomatic relations with
the United States.[33] 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
establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.[34][35] 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.[citation needed] 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
promotes energy security by finding energy alternatives to conventional fuels.[citation needed]
On 27 February 2009 a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN regional block of 10 countries and New
Zealand and its close partner Australia was signed, it is estimated that this FTA would boost aggregate GDP
across the 12 countries by more than US$48 billion over the period 20002020.[36][37] ASEAN members
together with the groups six major trading partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South
Korea are slated to begin the first round of negotiations on 26-28 February 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, on
establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.[38]

The ASEAN way[edit source | editbeta]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may
be challenged and removed. (January 2013)

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 noninterference, informality, minimal institutionalisation, 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:[39]

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.

Critical reception[edit source | editbeta]

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".[40]
However, critics argue[who?] 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[which?] within ASEAN.
Michael Yahuda,[41] 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. [42]

Meetings[edit source | editbeta]

ASEAN Summits[edit source | editbeta]

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.[43] Consequently, the fourth meeting was held in Singapore in 1992 where the leaders again agreed to
meet more frequently, deciding to hold the summit every three years.[43] 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 States and the European Union.[44]

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).[citation needed]

ASEAN Formal Summits

No

1st

Date

Country

Host

Host leader

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 20071

Philippines2

Cebu

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

13th

1822 November 2007

Singapore

Singapore

Lee Hsien Loong

14th3

27 February 1 March
2009
1011 April 2009

Thailand

Cha Am, Hua Hin

Pattaya
Abhisit Vejjajiva

15th

16th3

23 October 2009

Thailand

Cha Am, Hua Hin

89 April 2010

Vietnam

Hanoi
Nguyn Tn Dng

17th

18th4

2831 October 2010

78 May 2011

Vietnam

Hanoi

Indonesia

Jakarta
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

19th4

20th

1419 November 2011

Indonesia

Bali

34 April 2012

Cambodia

Phnom Penh
Hun Sen

21st

1720 November 2012

Cambodia

Postponed from 1014 December 2006 due to Typhoon Utor.

Phnom Penh

hosted the summit because Burma backed out due to enormous pressure from US and EU

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.

Indonesia hosted twice in a row by swapping years with

hosting theG20 summit which ultimately fell to Russia) in 2013.

Brunei, as it will play host to APEC (and the possibility of

During the fifth Summit in Bangkok, the leaders decided to meet "informally" between each formal summit:[43]

ASEAN Informal Summits

No

1st

Date

Country

Host

Host leader

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 source | editbeta]

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 16 countries in East Asia
and the region, with ASEAN in a leadership position. The summit has discussed issues including trade, energy
and security and the summit has a role in regional community building.
The members of the summit are all 10 members of ASEAN plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia
and New Zealand. These nations represent nearly half of the world's population. In October 2010, Russia and
the United States were formally invited to participate as full members, with presidents of both countries to
attend the 2011 summit.[45]
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005 and subsequent meetings have been held
after the annual ASEAN Leaders Meeting.
Meeting

Country

Location

Date

First
EAS

Malaysia

Kuala
Lumpur

14
December
2005

Second
EAS

Philippines

Cebu City

15 January
2007

Note

Russia attended as a guest.

Rescheduled from 13 December 2006.

Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security
Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the
Environment[46]

Third
EAS

21
November
Agreed to establish Economic Research Institute for ASEAN
2007
and East Asia

Singapore

Singapore

Fourth
EAS

Thailand

Chaam and Hua

Hin

The date and location of the venue was rescheduled several

times, and then a Summit scheduled for 12 April 2009
25 October
at Pattaya, Thailand was cancelled when protesters stormed the
2009
venue. The Summit has been rescheduled for October 2009 and
transferred again from Phuket[47] to Cha-am and Hua Hin.[48]

Fifth
EAS

Vietnam

Hanoi

30 October Officially invited the US and Russia to participate in future EAS

2010[49]
as full-fledged members[45]

Sixth
EAS

Indonesia

Bali

Seventh
EAS

Cambodia Phnom Penh

19
November The United States and Russia to join the Summit.
2011
2012

Commemorative summit[edit source | editbeta]

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

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment

11, 12 of relations between ASEAN and Japan. The summit
December was also notable as the first ASEAN summit held
2003
between ASEAN and a non-ASEAN country outside
the region.

ASEANChina
Commemorative
Summit

China

Nanning

30, 31
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment
October
of relations between ASEAN and China
2006

Jeju-do

1, 2 June To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment

2009
of relations between ASEAN and Republic of Korea

ASEANRepublic of
Korea Commemorative
Summit

Republic
of Korea

ASEANIndia
Commemorative
Summit

India

20, 21
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment
New Delhi December
of relations between ASEAN and India.
2012

Regional Forum[edit source | editbeta]

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 is consisted of 27 participants. ARF objectives are to foster dialogue and consultation, and promote
confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region.[50] 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.[51] 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[edit source | editbeta]

Aside from the ones above, other regular[52] meetings are also held.[53] These include the annual ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting[54] as well as other smaller committees.[55] Meetings mostly focus on specific topics, such
as defence[52] or theenvironment,[52][56] and are attended by Ministers, instead of heads of government.

Another Three[edit source | editbeta]

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.[57]

AsiaEurope Meeting[edit source | editbeta]

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.[58] 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 sociocultural organisation associated with the Meeting.

ASEANRussia Summit[edit source | editbeta]

The ASEANRussia Summit is an annual meeting between leaders of member states and the President of
Russia.

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting[edit source | editbeta]

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.[59] 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[edit source | editbeta]

ASEAN has emphasised regional cooperation in the three pillars, which are security, sociocultural integration,
and economic integration.[60] The regional grouping has made the most progress in economic integration by
creating an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.[61] 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.[62]

From CEPT to AEC[edit source | editbeta]

A Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme to promote the free flow of goods within ASEAN lead to
the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).[61] 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.[63]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.[64]
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.[65]
Since 2011, AEC has agreed to strengthen the position and increase the competitive edges of small and
medium enterprises (SME) in the ASEAN region.[66]

Comprehensive Investment Area[edit source | editbeta]

The ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Area (ACIA) will encourage the free flow of investment within ASEAN.
The main principles of the ACIA are as follows[67]

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.[67]

Trade in Services[edit source | editbeta]

An ASEAN Framework Agreement on Trade in Services was adopted at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in
December 1995.[68] 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.[69]

Single Aviation Market[edit source | editbeta]

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.[70] 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.[70][71] 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,[72] while from 1 January 2009, full liberalisation of air freight services in the region took effect. [70][71] On
1 January 2011, full liberalisation on fifth freedom traffic rights between all capital cities took effect. [73]
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[edit source | editbeta]

ASEAN has concluded free trade agreements with China (expecting bilateral trade of $500 billion by
2015),[74] Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and India.[75] ASEAN-India bilateral trade crossed the $ 70
billion target in 2012 (target was to reach the level only by 2015).[citation needed] The agreement with People's
Republic of China created the ASEANChina Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which went into full effect on 1
January 2010. In addition, ASEAN is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with theEuropean

Union.[76] Republic of China (Taiwan) has also expressed interest in an agreement with ASEAN but needs to
overcome diplomatic objections from China.[77]

ASEAN six majors[edit source | editbeta]

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)

Indonesia

895,854,000,000

1,211,000,000,000

Thailand

376,989,000,000

602,216,000,000

Malaysia

307,178,000,000

447,980,000,000

Singapore

267,941,000,000

314,906,000,000

Philippines

257,890,000,000

416,678,000,000

Vietnam

137,681,000,000

320,450,000,000

Development gap[edit source | editbeta]

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 principle 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 on infrastructure 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.[78]

From CMI to AMRO[edit source | editbeta]

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.[79] A key component has also
newly been added, with the establishment of a surveillance unit.[80]
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic and Research Office (AMRO) started its operation in Singapore in May
2011.[81] 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.[82]
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.[83] On 3 May 2012 ASEAN+3
finance ministers agreed to double emergency reserve fund to $240 billion.[84]

Foreign Direct Investment[edit source | editbeta]

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[edit source | editbeta]

With free visa among ASEAN countries, a huge intra-ASEAN travel occurred and on the right track to establish
an ASEAN Community in the years to come. In 2010, 47 percent or 34 million from 73 million tourists were
intra-ASEAN travel.[85]

Intra-ASEAN trade[edit source | editbeta]

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.[86]

Charter[edit source | editbeta]

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".[87] 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
withinternational 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.[88]
However, the ongoing global financial crisis was stated as being a threat to the goals envisioned by the
charter,[89] 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. [90] 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[edit source | editbeta]

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-sponsoredASEAN Scholarship.

ASEAN Media Cooperation[edit source | editbeta]

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 peoples 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[91] 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[92] 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:[93]

ASEAN Media Portal, The new ASEAN Media Portal[94] 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.[95]

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,[96] members updated the status on DTV implementation and agreed to inform ASEAN members
on the Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switchover.[97] 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

New media and social media[edit source | editbeta]

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.

SEA Write Award[edit source | editbeta]

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 family.

ASAIHL[edit source | editbeta]

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[edit source | editbeta]

ASEAN Heritage Parks[98] 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.[99]

ASEAN Heritage Sites[edit source | editbeta]

Site

Country

Site

Countr

Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park

Myanmar

Ao Phang-nga Marine National Park

Thaila

Apo Natural Park

Philippines

Imperial City, Hu

Vietna

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park

Indonesia

Gunung Leuser National Park

Indone

Gunung Mulu National Park

Malaysia

Ha Long Bay

Vietna

Hoi An Ancient Town

Vietnam

Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park

Philipp

Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

Myanmar

Inl Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

Myanm

Kaeng Krachan National Park

Thailand

Kerinci Seblat National Park

Indone

Khakaborazi National Park

Myanmar

Khao Yai National Park

Thaila

Kinabalu National Park

Malaysia

Komodo National Park

Indone

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Vietnam

Lampi Kyun Wildlife Reserve

Myanm

Lorentz National Park

Indonesia

Meinmhala Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary

Myanm

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

Cambo

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Philippines

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Singap

Taman Negara National Park

Malaysia

Tarutao Marine National Park

Thaila

Tasek Merimbun Wildlife Sanctuary

Brunei

Thung Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng National Park

Thaila

Tubbataha Reef Marine Park

Philippines

Ujung Kulon National Park

Indone

Virachey National Park

Cambodia

Keraton Yogyakarta

Indone

M Sn

Vietnam

Citadel of Ho Dynasty

Vietna

Mount Malindang

Philippines

Songs and music[edit source | editbeta]

The ASEAN Way, the official regional anthem of ASEAN. Music by

Triudom; lyrics by

Kittikhun Sodprasert and Sampow

Payom Valaiphatchra.

ASEAN Song of Unity or ASEAN Hymn. Music by

Let Us Move Ahead, an ASEAN song. Composed by

ASEAN Rise, ASEAN's 40th Anniversary song. Music by

Ryan Cayabyab.
Candra Darusman.
Dick Lee; lyrics by

Stefanie Sun.

Education and human development[edit source | editbeta]

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.[100] 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
sustainedeconomic growth for the entire region.[101] 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. [100]
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.[102] 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.[100]
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.[103]

School enrolment and participation[edit source | editbeta]

Participation in formal education is usually measured by the metric Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Net
Enrolment 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 enrolment 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.[104]

Primary education[edit source | editbeta]

We can make a few observations based on reported data on primary education enrolment. Brunei Darussalam
had almost reached 100% net enrolment 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 enrolment 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.[105]
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 schoolage 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.[106]
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.[107]

Secondary education[edit source | editbeta]

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 byBig Brother Mouse, a not-forprofit 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."[108]

Tertiary education[edit source | editbeta]

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. [109] 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.[110]

University Network[edit source | editbeta]

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.[111] Currently AUN comprises 26
Participating Universities.[112]

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[edit source | editbeta]

Financial resources[edit source | editbeta]
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, in productivity enhancements by businesses, and especially in the public provision of
education and health services determine the potential for growth.[113]
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.[103]
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.[114]
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.[114]

Scholarship[edit source | editbeta]

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.[115] Scholarship recipients who then perform well in
the GCE Advanced Level Examination may apply for ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarships, which are tailored
specifically for undergraduate institutions in Singapore and in other ASEAN member countries.[116] 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.[117]

Education as a determinant of human development[edit source | editbeta]

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.[118]
It is therefore evident that "universal access to, and completion of, primary or basic education is a selfevident 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 achievingequity, capacity building, access to information, and strengthening science."[114]

Literacy rates[edit source | editbeta]

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.[119] 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.[120][121]

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%

Myanmar

2009

92%

95%

90%

96%

96%

95%

Philippines

2008

95%

95%

96%

98%

97%

98%

Country

Year
(most
recent)

Adult (15+)
Literacy Rate
Total

Adult
Men

Adult
Women

Youth (15-24)
Literacy Rate
Total

Youth
Men

Youth
Women

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.[122]

Sports[edit source | editbeta]

Southeast Asian Games[edit source | editbeta]
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[edit source | editbeta]

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[edit source | editbeta]

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[123] in December 2006 in the 9th FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Games
re-emerged as the 2010 Asian Para Games inGuangzhou, China. The 2010 Asian Para Games debuted
shortly after the conclusion of the 16th Asian Games, using the same facilities and venue made disabilityaccessible. The inaugural Asian Para Games, the parallel event for athletes with physical disabilities, is a multisport event held every four years after every Asian Games.

Football Championship[edit source | editbeta]

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[edit source | editbeta]

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.[124]
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.[125]

ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration[edit source | editbeta]

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).[126] 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.[127]

Criticism[edit source | editbeta]

Non-ASEAN countries have criticised ASEAN for being too soft in its approach to promoting human rights and
democracy in the junta-led Burma.[128] Despite global outrage at the military crack-down on peaceful protesters
in Yangon, ASEAN has refused to suspend Burma as a member and also rejects proposals for economic
sanctions.[129] 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.[130]International observers view it
as a "talk shop",[131] which implies that the organisation is "big on words but small on action". [132][133] However,
leaders such as the Philippines' Foreign Affairs Secretary, Alberto Romulo, said it "is a workshop not a talk
shop".[134] Others have also expressed similar sentiment.[135]
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 Indonesia and Malaysia.[136]
During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups staged anti-globalisation.[137] According to
these leftist activists, the agenda of economic integration would negatively affect industries in the Philippines
and would cause thousands of Filipinos to lose their jobs.[138]

ASEAN competitions[edit source | editbeta]

SEA Games

ASEAN University Games

ASEAN School Games

ASEAN Para Games

ASEAN Football Championship

Miss ASEAN