ASEAN

 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:

• To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors’ in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
• To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
• To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
• To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
• To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
• To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

In their relations with one another, the ASEAN Member States have adopted the following fundamental principles, as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976:

• 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 the internal affairs of one another;
• Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;
• Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and
• Effective cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN COMMUNITY

The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on a shared vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.

At the 9th ASEAN Summit in 2003, the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall be established.

At the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007, the Leaders affirmed their strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Each pillar has its own Blueprint, and, together with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Strategic Framework and IAI Work Plan Phase II (2009-2015), they form the Roadmap for and ASEAN Community 2009-2015.

ASEAN Summit

• Twentyfirst ASEAN Summit, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 18 November 2012
• Twentieth ASEAN Summit, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 03-04 April 2012
• Nineteenth ASEAN Summit, Bali, Indonesia, 14-19 November 2011
• Eighteenth ASEAN Summit, Jakarta, 7-8 May 2011
• Seventeenth ASEAN Summit, Ha Noi, 28-30 October 2010
• Sixteenth ASEAN Summit, Ha Noi, 8-9 April 2010
• Fifteenth ASEAN Summit, Cha-Am Hua Hin, Thailand, 23-25 October 2009
• Fourteenth ASEAN Summit, Cha-am, Thailand, 26 February - 1 March 2009
• Thirteenth ASEAN Summit, Singapore, 18-22 November 2007
• Twelfth ASEAN Summit, Cebu, Philippines, 9-15 January 2007
• Eleventh ASEAN Summit, Kuala Lumpur, 12-14 December 2005
• Tenth ASEAN Summit, Vientiane, 29-30 November 2004
• Ninth ASEAN Summit, Bali, 7-8 October 2003
• Eighth ASEAN Summit, Phnom Penh, 4-5 November 2002
• Seventh ASEAN Summit, Bandar Seri Begawan, 5-6 November 2001
• Fourth Informal Summit, Singapore, 22-25 November 2000
• Third Informal Summit, Manila, 27-28 November 1999
• Sixth ASEAN Summit, Ha Noi, 15-16 December 1998
• Second Informal Summit, Kuala Lumpur, 14-16 December 1997
• First Informal Summit, Jakarta, 30 November 1996
• Fifth ASEAN Summit, Bangkok, 14-15 December 1995
• Fourth ASEAN Summit, Singapore, 27-29 January 1992
• Third ASEAN Summit, Manila, 14-15 December 1987
• Second ASEAN Summit, Kuala Lumpur, 4-5 August 1977
• First ASEAN Summit, Bali, 23-24 February 1976

ASEAN Chair

According to Article 31 of the ASEAN Charter, the Chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States. A Member State assuming the Chairmanship shall chair the ASEAN Summit and related summits, the ASEAN Coordinating Council, the three ASEAN Community Councils, relevant ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and senior officials, and the Committee of Permanent Representatives.

Brunei Darussalam theme for its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2013 is "Our People, Our Future Together".

ASEAN plus Three

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 now-defunct European Community. The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group was created to study the possible successes and failures of this policy as well as the possibility of drafting an ASEAN Charter.

In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. As a response, the organization awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the United Nations.

Free Trade

In 2007, ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary since its inception, and 30 years of diplomatic relations with the United States. 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. 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.

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 2000–2020. ASEAN members together with the group’s six major trading partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea – are slated to begin the first round of negotiations on February 26–28, 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, on establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.