ASEAN MEMBER COUNTRIES

Brunei

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

VietNam

ASEAN OBJECTIVES AND ITS FUNDAMENTALS

OBJECTIVES



The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (1) to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region 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.



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.



In 2003, the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall be established comprising three pillars, namely, ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES



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

1. mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;

2. the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;

3. non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;

4. settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;

5. renunciation of the threat or use of force; and

6 .effective cooperation among themselves.

MEANING BEHIND THE ASEAN'S LOGO

The New ASEAN emblem represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colours of the emblem -- blue, red, white and yellow -- represent the main colours of the crests of all the ASEAN countries.

The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism. White shows purity and yellow symbolises prosperity.

The ten stalks of padi represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the ten countries in Southeast Asia bound together in friendship and solidarity. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.

History of the ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration by the five original Member Countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined the Association on 8 January 1984. Vietnam became the seventh member of ASEAN on 28 July 1995. Laos and Myanmar were admitted into ASEAN on 23 July 1997.

The Bangkok Declaration united the ASEAN Member Countries in a joint effort to promote economic cooperation and the welfare of the people in the region. The Bangkok Declaration set out guidelines for ASEAN's activities and defined the aims of the organization. The ASEAN nations came together with three main objectives in mind: to promote the economic, social and cultural development of the region through cooperative programmes; to safeguard the political and economic stability of the region against big power rivalry; and to serve as a forum for the resolution of intra-regional differences