Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Flag Emblem

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

Anthem: The ASEAN Way

Headquarters Jakarta, Indonesiaa

Working language

Membership

Leaders

- Secretary General L Lng Minh[2]

- Summit Presidency Burma

(Myanmar)[3]

Establishment

- Bangkok Declaration 8 August 1967

- Charter 16 December 2008

Area

- Total 4,479,210.5 km2

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

HDI (2012) 0.663b

Association of Southeast Asian NationsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Asean)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations[5] (ASEAN /si.n/ AH-see-ahn,[6] /zi.n/

AH-zee-ahn)[7][8] is a political and economic organisation of ten countries located in SoutheastAsia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore

and Thailand.[9] Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress,sociocultural evolution 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, andhas 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.[11] If ASEAN were a singleentity, it would rank as the eighth largest economy in the world.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Continued expansion

1.1.1 East Timor and Papua New Guinea

1.2 Environment

1.3 ASEAN Plus Three

1.4 Free Trade

2 The ASEAN way

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

English

10 states

2 observers

0:00 MENU



medium

Currency

Time zone ASEAN(UTC+9 to +6:30)

Calling code

Internet TLD

Website

www.asean.org (http://www.asean.org)

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

Calculated using UNDP data from member states.

Wikisource has originaltext related to this article:

Bangkok Declaration

4.11 ASEAN Capital Market Forum

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 enrollment 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 Literature

15 References

16 Further reading

17 External links

History

ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia andThailand 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 ASEANDeclaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of thePhilippines, 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 on nation building, the common fear ofcommunism, 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.[13]

10 currencies

10 codes

10 TLDs

a.

b.



v d e (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Template:Supranational_Asian_Bodies&action=edit)

A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between

various Asian regional organisations

Satellite image of the 2006 haze over

Borneo

Continued expansion

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 tohave 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 theintention 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 statescontinued 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 aschedule for phasing tariffs and as a goal to increase the regions competitiveadvantage as a production base geared for the world market. This law wouldact as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade Area. After the East AsianFinancial Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was established inChiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which calls for better integrationbetween 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 onpeace and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast AsianNuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed with the intention of turningSoutheast Asia into a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28March 1997 after all but one of the member states have ratified it. It became fullyeffective on 21 June 2001, after the Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all

nuclear weapons in the region.[22]

East Timor and Papua New Guinea

East Timor submitted a letter of application to be the eleventh member of ASEANat 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 cooperationfollowing the Bali Summit of 1976. This floundered in the mid-1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thaiproposal for a regional free trade area.

Environment

At the turn of the 21stcentury, issues shiftedto include a regionalapproach to theenvironment. Theorganisation started todiscuss environmentalagreements. Theseincluded the signing ofthe ASEANAgreement onTransboundary Haze

Pollution in 2002 as an attempt to control haze pollution in Southeast Asia.[27] Unfortunately, this wasunsuccessful due to the outbreaks of the 2005 Malaysian haze and the 2006 Southeast Asian haze. Other environmental treaties introduced by the

The member states of ASEAN

Burma(Myanmar)Laos

VietnamThailand

Cam-bodia Philippines

BruneiMalaysiaMalaysia

Malaysia

Singapore

I n d o n e s i aI n d o n e s i a

I n d o n e s i a



ASEAN members' flags in Jakarta

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 ofcurrent interest.

Through the Bali Concord II in 2003, ASEAN has subscribed to the notion of democratic peace, which means all member countries believe democraticprocesses will promote regional peace and stability. Also, the non-democratic members all agreed that it was something all member states should aspire

to.[30]

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 withthe 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 ofChina, 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 supposedlypatterned after the now-defunct European Community. The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group was created to study the possible successes and failuresof 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 organisation awarded the status of

"dialogue partner" to the United Nations.[32]

Free Trade

In 2007, ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary since its inception, and 30 years of diplomatic relations with the United States.[33] On 26 August2007, 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 ASEANCharter, a constitution governing relations among the ASEAN members and establishing ASEAN itself as an international legal entity. During the sameyear, 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 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 wassigned, it is estimated that this FTA would boost aggregate GDP across the 12 countries by more than US$48 billion over the period 2000

2020.[36][37] 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.[38]

The ASEAN way

Since the post-independence phases of Southeast Asian states, efforts were made to implementregional foreign policies, but with a unifying focus to refrain from interference in domestic affairsof member states.

There was a move to unify the region under what was called the ASEAN Way based on theideals of non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalisation, consultation and consensus,non-use of force and non-confrontation. ASEAN members (especially Singapore) approved ofthe 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



Royal Thai Embassy in Helsinki flying

its own national flag as well as Asean

flag

A billboard in Jakarta welcoming ASEAN

Summit 2011 delegates

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.[40] ASEAN agreements are negotiated in a close, interpersonal process. The process of consultations and consensus isdesigned to engender a democratic approach to decision making. These leaders are wary of any effort to legitimise efforts to undermine their nation orcontain regional co-operation.

Critical reception

The ASEAN way can be seen as divergent from the contextual contemporary political reality at the formativestages of the association. A critical distinction is made by Amitav Acharya, that the ASEAN Way indicatesa process of regional interactions and cooperation based on discreteness, informality, consensus buildingand non-confrontational bargaining styles that contrasts with the adversarial posturing, majority vote and

other legalistic decision-making procedures in Western multilateral organisations".[41]

However, critics argue that the ASEAN Way serves as the major stumbling-block to it becoming a truediplomacy mechanism. Due to the consensus-based approach every member has a veto, so contentiousissues must remain unresolved until agreements can be reached. Moreover, it is claimed that member nationsare directly and indirectly advocating that ASEAN be more flexible and allow discourse on internal affairs ofmember countries.

Additionally, the preference for informal discussions to adversarial negotiations limits the leverage ofdiplomatic solutions within ASEAN.

Michael Yahuda,[42] explains, in his book International Politics of the Asia Pacific (2003) second andrevised 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 wasdesigned to sustain the independence and sovereignty of member states and to encourage regional andnational stability. ASEAN differed in assessment of external threat and they operated within conditions inwhich legality and the rule of law were not generally consolidated within member states. ASEAN wasnt arule 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.[43]

Meetings

ASEAN Summits

The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of government of eachmember meet to discuss and resolve regional issues, as well as to conduct other meetings with othercountries 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.[44]

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.[44] In 2001, it was decided to meetannually to address urgent issues affecting the region. Member nations were assigned to be the summithost 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.[45]

By December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN Summit will be heldtwice 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 20071 Philippines2 Cebu Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

13th 1822 November 2007 Singapore Singapore Lee Hsien Loong

14th327 February 1 March 2009

1011 April 2009 Thailand

Cha Am, Hua HinPattaya Abhisit Vejjajiva

15th 23 October 2009 Thailand Cha Am, Hua Hin

16th3 89 April 2010 Vietnam HanoiNguyn Tn Dng

17th 2831 October 2010 Vietnam Hanoi

18th4 78 May 2011 Indonesia JakartaSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono

19th4 1419 November 2011 Indonesia Bali

20th 34 April 2012 Cambodia Phnom PenhHun Sen

21st 1720 November 2012 Cambodia Phnom Penh

22nd 2425 April 2013 Brunei Bandar Seri BegawanHassanal Bolkiah

23rd 910 October 2013 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan

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 summitwhich ultimately fell to Russia) in 2013.

During the fifth Summit in Bangkok, the leaders decided to meet "informally" between each formal summit:[44]

ASEAN Informal Summits

No Date Country Host Host leader

1st 30 November 1996 Indonesia Jakarta Soeharto

2nd1416 December

1997 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Mahathir Mohamad

3rd2728 November

1999 Philippines Manila Joseph Estrada

4th2225 November

2000 Singapore Singapore Goh Chok Tong

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 EastAsia and the region, with ASEAN in a leadership position. The summit has discussed issues includingtrade, 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 October2010, Russia and the United States were formally invited to participate as full members, with presidents

of both countries to attend the 2011 summit.[46]

The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005 and subsequent meetings have beenheld after the annual ASEAN Leaders Meeting.

Meeting Country Location Date Note

First EAS Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur14 December

2005Russia attended as a guest.

Second

EAS PhilippinesCebu City 15 January 2007

Rescheduled from 13 December

2006.

Cebu Declaration on East AsianEnergy Security

Third EAS Singapore

Singapore21 November

2007

Singapore Declaration on Climate

Change, Energy and the

Environment[47]

Agreed to establish EconomicResearch Institute for ASEAN andEast Asia

FourthEAS

ThailandCha-am and Hua

Hin25 October 2009

The date and location of the venue

was rescheduled several times, andthen a Summit scheduled for 12 April

2009 at Pattaya, Thailand wascancelled when protesters stormed

the venue. The Summit has beenrescheduled for October 2009 and

transferred again from Phuket[48] to

Cha-am and Hua Hin.[49]

Fifth EAS Vietnam Hanoi30 October

2010[50]

Officially invited the US and Russiato participate in future EAS as full-

fledged members[46]

Sixth EAS Indonesia

Bali19 November

2011

The United States and Russia to join

the Summit.

SeventhEAS Cambodia

Phnom Penh20 November

2012

Eighth EAS BruneiBandar Seri

Begawan10 October 2013

Ninth EAS Burma

(Myanmar)Naypyidaw TBA

Commemorative summit

A commemorative summit is a summit hosted by a non-ASEAN country to mark a milestone anniversary of the establishment of relations betweenASEAN and the host country. The host country invites the heads of government of ASEAN member countries to discuss future cooperation andpartnership.



ASEAN full members

ASEAN observers

ASEAN candidate members

ASEAN Plus Three

East Asia Summit

ASEAN Regional Forum

Meeting Host Location Date Note

ASEANJapan Commemorative Summit Japan Tokyo11, 12 December

2003

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of theestablishment of relations between ASEAN

and Japan. The summit was also notable asthe first ASEAN summit held between

ASEAN and a non-ASEAN countryoutside the region.

ASEANChina Commemorative Summit China Nanning 30, 31 October 2006

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the

establishment of relations between ASEANand China

ASEANRepublic of Korea

Commemorative Summit

Republic of

KoreaJeju-do 1, 2 June 2009


establishment of relations between ASEANand Republic of Korea

ASEANIndia Commemorative Summit India New Delhi20, 21 December

2012


establishment of relations between ASEANand India.

Regional Forum

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is a formal, official, multilateral dialogue in Asia Pacific region. Asof 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.[51] The ARF met for the first timein 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.[52] The Republic of China (also known as Taiwan) has been excluded since theestablishment of the ARF, and issues regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither discussed at the ARFmeetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman's Statements.

Other meetings

Aside from the ones above, other regular[53] meetings are also held.[54] These include the annual

ASEAN Ministerial Meeting[55] as well as other smaller committees.[56] Meetings mostly focus on

specific topics, such as defence[53] or the environment,[53][57] and are attended by Ministers, instead of heads of government.

Another 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.[58]

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.[59] ASEAN, represented by its Secretariat, is oneof the 45 ASEM partners. It also appoints a representative to sit on the governing board of Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a socio-culturalorganisation 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.[60] The 45th annual meeting was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For the first time in the history of ASEAN therewas 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 theentirety 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.[61] The

regional grouping has made the most progress in economic integration by creating an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.[62] The averageeconomic growths of ASEAN's member nations during 19892009 was Singapore with 6.73 percent, Malaysia with 6.15 percent, Indonesia with 5.16percent, 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.[63]

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).[62] 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.[64] 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. Thelatecomers 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.[65]

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.[66]

Since 2011, AEC has agreed to strengthen the position and increase the competitive edges of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the ASEAN

region.[67]

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[68]

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.[68]

Trade in Services

An ASEAN Framework Agreement on Trade in Services was adopted at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in December 1995.[69] Under AFAS,ASEAN Member States enter into successive rounds of negotiations to liberalise trade in services with the aim of submitting increasingly higher levels ofcommitments. 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.[70]

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 singleaviation 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.[71] The ASEAN-SAM is expected to fully liberaliseair 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.[71][72] Since 1December 2008, restrictions on the third and fourth freedoms of the air between capital cities of member states for air passengers services have been

removed,[73] while from 1 January 2009, full liberalisation of air freight services in the region took effect.[71][72] On 1 January 2011, full liberalisation on

fifth freedom traffic rights between all capital cities took effect.[74]

The ASEAN Single Aviation Market policy will supersede existing unilateral, bilateral and multilateral air services agreements among member stateswhich 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),[75] Korea, Japan, Australia, New

Zealand, and India.[76] ASEAN-India bilateral trade crossed the $ 70 billion target in 2012 (target was to reach the level only by 2015). The agreementwith 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 the European Union.[77] Republic of China (Taiwan) has also expressed interest in an

agreement with ASEAN but needs to overcome diplomatic objections from China.[78]

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)

Indonesia 867,468,000,000 1,284,789,000,000

Thailand 400,916,000,000 674,344,000,000

Malaysia 312,413,000,000 525,039,000,000

Singapore 287,374,000,000 339,019,000,000

Philippines 278,260,000,000 471,254,000,000

Vietnam 170,020,000,000 358,889,000,000

Development gap

ASEAN members by

Human Development Index[79]

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 divideregarding a gap in average per capita GDP between older and the newer members. In response, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) was formedby ASEAN as a regional integration policy with the principal goal of bridging this developmental divide, which, in addition to disparities in per capitaGDP, is manifested by disparities in dimensions of human development such as life expectancy and literacy rates. Other than the IAI, other programmesfor the development of the Mekong Basin - where all four newer ASEAN members are located - that tend to focus on infrastructure development havebeen 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 hasmobilised funding from these institutions and countries and from the ASEAN-6 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, andThailand) themselves for areas where the development gap needs to be filled through the IAI programme. Other programmes intended for thedevelopment 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.[80]

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 mainlybilateral currency swap scheme known as the 2000 Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) to anticipate another financial crisis or currency turmoil in the future. In2006 they agreed to make CMI with multilateralisation and called as CMIM. On 3 May 2009, they agreed to make a currency pool consist ofcontribution $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.[81] A key component has also newly been added, with the establishment of a surveillance unit.[82]

The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic and Research Office (AMRO) started its operation in Singapore in May 2011.[83] It performs a key regionalsurveillance 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.[84]

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.[85] On 3 May 2012 ASEAN+3 finance ministers agreed to double emergency reserve fund to $240

billion.[86]

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 fromthe 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 anASEAN 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.[87]

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.[88]

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,[89] with objective to integrate ASEAN Stock Exchanges to compete

with International Stock Exchanges

Mutual Recognigtion 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

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".[90] The charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and aims to create a single free-trade area for the regionencompassing 500 million people. President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that "This is a momentous development when ASEAN is



The Secretariat of ASEAN at Jalan

Sisingamangaraja No.70A, South Jakarta, Indonesia

consolidating, integrating and transforming itself into a community. It is achieved while ASEAN seeks a more vigorous role in Asian and global affairs ata 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 andprosperity;

c) renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or other actions in any mannerinconsistent 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 externalinterference, 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 constitutionalgovernment;

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 Stateor 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 indiversity;

m) the centrality of ASEAN in external political, economic, social and cultural relations while remaining actively engaged, outward-looking, inclusive andnon-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.[91]

However, the ongoing global financial crisis was stated as being a threat to the goals envisioned by the charter,[92] and also set forth the idea of aproposed 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.[93] The body was establishedlater in 2009 as the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). In November 2012, the Commission adopted the ASEANHuman 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 writingawards. Examples of these include the ASEAN University Network, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, the ASEAN Outstanding Scientist andTechnologist 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 analogueto digital broadcasting, better promote media collaboration and information exchange to enhance voice, understanding, and perspective betweenASEAN people on the international stage.

The ASEAN member countries aim media sector towards digitalisation and further regional media coaction. AMC establishes partnerships betweenASEAN news media, and cooperate on information sharing, photo swapping, technical cooperation, exchange programmes, and facilitating joint newscoverage and exchange of news footage.



The concept was stressed during the 11th AMRI Conference[94] adopting the theme: Media Connecting Peoples and Bridging Cultures Towards OneASEAN Nation. ASEAN Ministers believed that the new and traditional media are important mediums to connect ASEAN people and bridging thecultural 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[95] in May 2011, the Chair stated the important role of a participatory approach among people and stakeholders of ASEANtowards a people-oriented , people centred and rule-based ASEAN.

Several key initiatives that were initiated under the AMC:[96]

ASEAN Media Portal (http://www.aseanmedia.net/SitePages/MDAHome.aspx), The new ASEAN Media Portal[97] 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 (http://www.aseanmedia.net/SitePages/ContentList.aspx?Category=ASEAN%20NewsMaker%20Project), 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.[98]

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,[99] members updated the status on DTV implementation and agreed to inform ASEAN members on the Guidelines for

ASEAN Digital Switchover.[100] 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 (http://www.aseanmedia.net/SitePages/ContentListDetail.aspx?MID=1096&Category=Games) and The Legend of

the Golden Talisman (http://www.aseanmedia.net/SitePages/ContentListDetail.aspx?MID=1332&Category=Games), two interactive games

developed to raise awareness about ASEAN, and its people, places and cultures

New media and social media

During the 11th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information meeting (http://www.asean.org/news/item/joint-media-statement-eleventh-conference-of-the-asean-ministers-responsible-for-information-11th-amri-and-second-conference-of-asean-plus-three-ministers-responsible-for-information-2nd-amri3-kuala-lumpur-1st-march-2012) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ASEAN leaders recognised the emergence of new and social media as animportant tool for communications and interaction in ASEAN today. The Ministers agreed that efforts should be made to leverage on social media topromote ASEAN awareness towards achieving an ASEAN community by 2015. Initially, ASEAN will consolidate the ASEAN Culture andInformation Portal and the ASEAN Media Portal to incorporate new media elements.

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 specificwork 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

ASAIHL or the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1956 that strives tostrengthen higher learning institutions, espescially in teaching, research, and public service, with the intention of cultivating a sense of regional identity andinterdependence.



Logo of the SEA

Write Award

Heritage Parks

ASEAN Heritage Parks[101] is a list of nature parks launched 1984 and relaunched in 2004. It aims to protect the region'snatural treasures. There are now 35 such protected areas, including the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the Kinabalu

National Park.[102]

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 VietnamPreah Monivong (Bokor) NationalPark

Cambodia

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

National Park PhilippinesSungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Singapore

Taman Negara National Park Malaysia Tarutao Marine National Park Thailand

Tasek Merimbun Wildlife Sanctuary BruneiThung Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng NationalPark

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 ASEANefforts toward improved education would address: (1) Promoting ASEAN awareness among ASEAN citizens, particularly youth; (2) StrengtheningASEAN identity through education; (3) Building ASEAN human resources in the field of education; and (4) Strengthening ASEAN university

networking.[103] Nations such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines have experienced rapid development over the past 20years, 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.[104] 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.[103]

At the 11th ASEAN Summit in December 2005, ASEAN Leaders set new directions for regional education collaboration when they welcomed thedecision 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.[105] The ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting, whichmeets annually, oversees ASEAN cooperation efforts on education at the ministerial level. With regard to implementation, such programmes andactivities resulting from such efforts are for the most part carried out by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Education (SOM-ED), which reports to theASEAN Education Ministers Meeting. SOM-ED also manages cooperation on higher education through the ASEAN University Network (AUN). TheAUN was established to assist ASEAN in (1) promoting cooperation among ASEAN scholars, academics, and scientists in the region; (2) developingacademic 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.[103]

Education indicators outlined hereafter belong to primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Primary education is generally defined as the level of educationwhere 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 educationand aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development with more advanced material and learning mechanisms. Tertiaryeducation, 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.[106]

School enrollment and participation

Participation in formal education is usually measured by the metric Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrollment Ratio (NER). The NERdemonstrates 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 ofeducation regardless of age. The GER is expressed as a percentage of the official school-age population corresponding to the same level of

education.[107]

Primary education

We can make a few observations based on reported data on primary education enrollment. Brunei Darussalam had almost reached 100% netenrollment by 2001, while Indonesia has slowly moved downward from close to that enrolment percentage thereafter. The Philippines has been inchingcloser and closer to this target in recent years. The data indicate two groups of countries - one which has consistently attained a net enrollment ratio ofmore than 90% (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore) and the other group with around 80% (Cambodia, Lao PDR andMyanmar). Vietnam started in the lower group and has moved to the upper group in the last few decades. Thailand has not provided data for bothsexes, 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 becloser to the higher group. The primary net enrolment ratios of boys were almost always higher than those of girls for all reporting countries exceptMalaysia. 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.[108]

It is also useful to look at retainment and efficiency rates in education throughout ASEAN. The effectiveness of efforts to extend literacy depends on theability of the education system to ensure full participation of school-age children and their successful progression to reach at least grade 5, which is thestage 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.[109]

Most reporting countries in ASEAN have steadily improved retention rates of pupils through 5th grade. At the top are Malaysia, Singapore, andThailand, 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.[110]

Secondary education

By 2001, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines had achieved improvements in net enrolment ratios for secondaryeducation 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



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.

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 enrolmentratios 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."[111]

Tertiary education

While the HPAEs (High Performing Asian Economies) and ASEAN-6 (the 6 oldest ASEAN members) haveinvested 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.[112] Tertiary educationin Southeast Asia is, in general, relatively weak. In most cases universities are focused on teaching and serviceto government rather than academic research. Additionally, universities in Southeast Asia, both in terms ofacademic salaries and research infrastructure (libraries, laboratories), tend to be nancially handicapped andpoorly supported. Moreover, regional academic journals cater to their 'home' informed audiences and

respond less to international standards which makes universal or regional benchmarking difcult.[113]

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.[114] Currently AUN

comprises 26 Participating Universities.[115]

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

(http://www.seed-net.org/) aimed at promoting human resources development in engineering in ASEAN. The Network consists of 19 leading

Member Institutions (http://www.seed-net.org/info_members.php) (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 (http://www.seed-net.org/info_jsuc.php)

(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 rapidlydeveloping nations such as those within ASEAN. In the short run, investment spending directly supports aggregate demand and growth. In the longerterm, 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.[116]

To measure the investments in education by governments, we use the metrics of public current expenditure on primary education as a percent of GDPand expenditure per pupil as a percent of GDP. These two indicators are based on public current expenditure at all government levels on all publicprimary schools and subsidies to private educational institutions, teachers and pupils. In some instances regarding figures used in these calculations, dataon 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.[106]

Primary education expenditure in the reporting ASEAN countries is usually lower than 3% of GDP, with the exception of Indonesia, which reported5%. Two countries that show noticeable rising trends are the Philippines and Lao PDR. Malaysia has experienced a gradual downward trendthroughout 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.[117]

While the public current expenditure on primary education as percentage of GDP can never be close to 100%, it is theoretically possible to have thepublic current expenditure per pupil as percentage of GDP per capita to reach or exceed 100%. Except for Singapore, this indicator fluctuatessomewhat, but seems to have stabilised at around 10% for two reporting countries of ASEAN at the end of the 1990s decade. Since 1996, theindicator 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.[117]

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.[118] Scholarshiprecipients 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.[119] Singapore has effectively used this programme toattract 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.[120]

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.[121]

It is therefore evident that "universal access to, and completion of, primary or basic education is a self-evident goal upon which the foundations forbuilding 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."[117]

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.[122] The literacy rate essentially reflects the cumulative accomplishment of education in spreading literacy. The literacy rate isusually linked to school enrolment ratios and school retainment rates (through at least grade 5) of primary education, both of which contribute to theliterate 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 anaccepted measure of the effectiveness of that country's education system's investment in children. Among the eight ASEAN countries reporting six havemade 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 theexceptions 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.[123][124]

CountryYear (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%

Cambodia2008 78% 85% 71% 87% 89% 86%

Indonesia2008 92% 95% 89% 99% 100% 99%

Laos 2005 73% 82% 63% 84% 89% 79%

Malaysia2009 92% 95% 90% 99% 98% 99%

Burma 2009 92% 95% 90% 96% 96% 95%

Philippines2008 95% 95% 96% 98% 97% 98%

Singapore2009 95% 97% 92% 100% 100% 100%

Thailand2005 94% 96% 92% 98% 98% 98%

Vietnam2009 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 progressin this demographic as well. All but two reporting countries reached adult literacy rates of around 90% or better. Looking at the differences in literacyrates 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.[125] Only in the Philippines is the literacy rate among women higher than among men.



Logo of the ASEAN Para Games.

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 ofSoutheast 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

The ASEAN Para Games is a biennial multi-sport event held after every Southeast Asian Games for athleteswith physical disabilities. The games are participated by the 11 countries located in Southeast Asia. TheGames, patterned after the Paralympic Games, are played by physically challenged athletes with mobilitydisabilities, 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[126] 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 AsianPara Games debuted shortly after the conclusion of the 16th Asian Games, using the same facilities and venue made disability-accessible. The inauguralAsian 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 andcontested by the national teams of Southeast Asia nations. It was inaugurated in 1996 as Tiger Cup, but after Asia Pacific Breweries terminated thesponsorship 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.[127]

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.[128]

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).[129] The United States military reportedly hassaid that ADIC could have additional benefits beyond cost savings for ASEAN members, including facilitating a set of standards, similar to NATO, thatwill improve interoperability among ASEAN and U.S. militaries and increase the effectiveness of regional response to threats to Asia-Pacific peace and

stability.[130]

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.[131] 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.[132] 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.[133] International observers view it as a "talk shop",[134] which implies that

the organisation is "big on words but small on action".[135][136] However, leaders such as the Philippines' Foreign Affairs Secretary, Alberto Romulo,

said it "is a workshop not a talk shop".[137] Others have also expressed similar sentiment.[138]

Head of the International Institute of Strategic Studies Asia, Tim Huxley cites the diverse political systems present in the grouping, including manyyoung states, as a barrier to far-reaching cooperation outside the economic sphere. He also asserts that in the absence of an external threat to rallyagainst 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.[139]



During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups staged anti-globalisation protests.[140] 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.[141]

ASEAN competitions

SEA Games

ASEAN University Games

ASEAN School Games

ASEAN Para Games

ASEAN Football Championship

See also

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)

Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation

Blue card system, the ASEAN motor insurance scheme.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Literature

ASEAN Community in Figures (ACIF) 2012 (http://www.asean.org/images/2013/resources/publication/2013_ACIF_2012%20Mar.pdf),

Jakarta: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 2012, ISBN 978-602-7643-22-2

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0-415-46052-1

Fry, Gerald W. (2008), The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, New York: Chelsea House, ISBN 978-0-7910-9609-3

Lee, Yoong Yoong, ed. (2011), ASEAN Matters! Reflecting on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Singapore: World Scientific

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Haacke, Jrgen; Morada, Noel M., eds. (2010), Cooperative Security in the Asia-Pacific: The ASEAN Regional Forum, Abingdon

Oxon/New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-46052-1

Severino, Rodolfo (2008), ASEAN, Singapore: ISEAS Publications, ISBN 978-981-230-750-7

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