History Objectives Purpose and Fundamantal Principales of ASEAN

History: ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.

Objectives: The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (1) 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, and (2) to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. In 1995, the ASEAN Heads of State and Government re-affirmed that "Cooperative peace and shared prosperity shall be the fundamental goals of ASEAN."

Fundamental Principles: The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, signed at the First ASEAN Summit on 24 February 1976, declared that in their relations with one another, the High Contracting Parties should be guided by the following fundamental principles:

• Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;
• The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion;
• Non-interference in 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.

Purpose

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

• To accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region
• To promote regional peace and stability
• To promote collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest
• To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities
• To collaborate for the better utilisation of agriculture and industry to raise the living standards of the people
• To promote Southeast Asian studies
• To maintain close, beneficial co-operation with existing international organisations with similar aims and purposes^[12]

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".^[25] 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 2008 global financial crisis was seen as being a threat to the goals envisioned by the charter,^[26] 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 violated citizens' rights and would therefore be limited in effectiveness.^[27] 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.^[28]

Present Organ of (SEAN

Political Cooperation: The TAC stated that ASEAN political and security dialogue and cooperation should aim to promote regional peace and stability by enhancing regional resilience. Regional resilience shall be achieved by cooperating in all fields based on the principles of self-confidence, self-reliance, mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity, which shall constitute the foundation for a strong and viable community of nations in Southeast Asia.

Some of the major political accords of ASEAN are as follows:

• ASEAN Declaration, Bangkok, 8 August 1967;
• Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality Declaration, Kuala Lumpur, 27 November 1971;
• Declaration of ASEAN Concord, Bali, 24 February 1976;
• Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, Bali, 24 February 1976;
• ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea, Manila, 22 July 1992;
• Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, Bangkok December 1997;
• ASEAN Vision 2020, Kuala Lumpur, 15 December 1997;
• Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism, 5 November 2001;