asean summit 14th: February 2009

Saturday, February 28, 2009

ASEAN Heads of State/Government Informal Meeting with ASEAN Youth Representatives

On 28 February 2009 at 12.00-12.30 hrs. H. E. Abhisit Vejjajiva Prime Minister of Thailand chaired the ASEAN Leaders’ Informal Meeting with Representatives of ASEAN Youth along with 9 ASEAN Leaders and Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, at the Dusit Thani Hotel Hua Hin, Cha-am, Phetchaburi.

The ASEAN Leaders’ Informal Meeting with Representatives of ASEAN Youth is a part of a series of informal meetings between ASEAN Leaders and representatives of the peoples of ASEAN, including ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, youths, civil societies, and the private sector, which is aimed at promoting greater people participation in ASEAN according to the

ASEAN Charter which entered into force on 15 December 2008.
During the meeting, the Thai Prime Minister stressed the important role that youths can play in helping create an ASEAN Community, both as recipients of the benefits of ASEAN integration and as Leaders of ASEAN in the future. In this connection, he also called upon the youths of ASEAN to play its creative part in raising awareness of ASEAN and reaping the benefits of community-building.

ASEAN Heads of State/Government Informal Meeting with ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Representatives

On 28 February 2009 at 11.30-12.00 hrs. H. E. Abhisit Vejjajiva Prime Minister of Thailand and the other 9 ASEAN Leaders together with Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, the ASEAN Secretary-General, had an Informal Meeting with the Representatives of AIPA at Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel, Cha-am, Phetchaburi.

The Informal Meeting held was part of the effort to pave a solid foundation of a people-centered, inclusive, and participatory ASEAN Community which is the goal that Thailand as Chair of ASEAN hopes to see come to fruition.
This Informal Meeting is the first time that all 10 ASEAN Leaders and Representatives of AIPA and its Special Observers (Brunei and Myanmar) met after the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter on 15 December 2008. Both sides expressed a willingness to work together to build an ASEAN Community by 2015 and was in agreement that both sides should meet on a regular and annual basis to foster a closer partnership between ASEAN and AIPA.

HLP Chair: ASEAN body to take evolutionary approach in promoting and protecting regional human rights

The establishment of an ASEAN human rights body (AHRB) would be based on three main principles, according to Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Chairman of the High-Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP): to realistically take into account the actual situation in ASEAN, to establish a credible AHRB through consistency with internationally accepted human rights standards and norms, and to make the AHRB an evolutionary process to be continually strengthened in the future.

Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Offices and other international organizations in Geneva, was speaking at a press briefing on the HLP’s meeting with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 27 February 2009.
Ambassador Sihasak said the HLP informed the ASEAN Foreign Ministers of the progress and working approach of the HLP in drafting the terms of reference (TOR) for an ASEAN human rights body. He stressed that this was still a work in progress and that the final decision on the TOR depended on the ASEAN Foreign Ministers.
The draft TOR comprised two main pillars: promotion and protection of human rights of the ASEAN people, he said. The work of the AHRB had to strike a balance between these two pillars, while bearing in mind the situation on the ground. Under current circumstances, the HLP was of the view that the AHRB should focus mainly on the promotion of human rights, regarding which there were a number of activities the AHRB could undertake. These included raising human rights awareness through human rights education and dissemination of information; developing human rights norms and standards for the ASEAN region, including possibly adopting an ASEAN declaration on human rights; encouraging ASEAN member countries to accede to major international human rights instruments; expanding the space for human rights dialogue in ASEAN, including by promoting interaction with civil society and other stakeholders; and issuing reports on the state of human rights in ASEAN.

Regarding the composition of the AHRB, the HLP Chairman said this would comprise representatives from each of the ten ASEAN member countries. There should also be sufficient funding for the AHRB, and one possible way would be to set up a fund. The question of the official name of the AHRB, meanwhile, remained to be decided.

Ambassador Sihasak emphasized that the establishment of the AHRB would be an important step and lay the groundwork for further development on the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN. The HLP intended to make the process of drafting the TOR for the AHRB as open as possible and to listen to views from all sectors of society. In finding a balance between the promotion and protection of human rights, the HLP would have to be realistic and take into account the comfort level of all ASEAN member countries. This comfort level, he noted, would enable the member countries to work together in developing and raising the standard of human rights promotion and protection in ASEAN. The HLP Chairman expressed the view that the establishment of an AHRB must start somewhere and should not be judged by high expectations on its mandate or power to address specific situations, but rather should be seen as a process that will evolve and develop over the long term.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, 15 December 2008

Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, 15 December 2008

On 15 December 2008, Dr. Mun Patanotai, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, in his capacity as Special Envoy of the Royal Thai Government, chaired the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The main objectives of this special meeting were (1) to continue the discussion of the Foreign Ministers and representatives from ASEAN Member States concerning the rescheduling of the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which, yesterday (14 December), the ASEAN Member States had a tentative agreement that the Summit would be held in Thailand by the end of February next year and (2) to have a preliminary discussion on how ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat should implement the various provisions set forth in the ASEAN Charter.

On the rescheduling issue, the Meeting fixed the new dates of the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on 24-26 February 2009.

Concerning the implementation of the provisions in the ASEAN Charter, the Meeting discussed extensively on details and technical aspects of the operationalisation of new ASEAN organs and mechanisms to be established and strengthened by the Charter and agreed on the following points.

Firstly, on the issue of the operationlisation of the ASEAN Community Councils, the Meeting assigned the Senior Officials of ASEAN Member States to look into the matter of who in each ASEAN Member State should be their representatives in the three ASEAN Community Councils, comprising the ASEAN Political-Security Council, ASEAN Economic Council and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Council, and report to the Foreign Ministers during the rescheduled ASEAN Summit.

Secondly, on the issue of the restructuring of the ASEAN Secretariat as required by the ASEAN Charter, the Meeting agreed to (1) establish a new office of macro-economic monitoring and surveillance, whose function was to help the Finance Ministers of ASEAN Member States monitor the economic issues in ASEAN; (2) endorse the appointment by the ASEAN Secretary-General of two new openly-recruited Deputies Secretary-General of ASEAN, one to be in charge of an economic matter and one to be in charge of the internal management of the ASEAN Secretariat and (3) endorse in principle changes in the way the budget of the ASEAN Secretariat was calculated and approved in order to enable the Secretariat to have sufficient funds to implement its expanding mandates, in particular after the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter.

On the issue concerning the establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Body, the Meeting was reported on the result of High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP on AHRB), whose duty was to draft the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Human Rights Body. The HLP on AHRB had entered into the final stage of its work, with a nearly completion of a first draft of the ToR, which would be submitted to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting during their next meeting.

With the enter into force of the ASEAN Charter, today’s meeting of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States served as the first meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC). Under the ASEAN Charter, the ACC, which shall meet at least twice a year, is responsible, among other things, for coordinating the implementation of agreements and decisions of the ASEAN Summit and for coordinating with the ASEAN Community Councils to enhance policy coherence, efficiency and cooperation among them.

ASEAN Documentary

The production of the ASEAN Documentary series is one of our landmark projects. The 13-hour Thai language (with subtitle in English) documentary film will illustrate ASEAN through interviews with key personnels associated with ASEAN, former ASEAN Leaders, CEOs, and the media. The film will allow the viewers to gain a comprehensive insight to the geo-political issues that have affected ASEAN through time as well as the changing regional landscape that will reshape and redefine ASEAN in the next decade.

ASEAN-Thailand has entrusted Dr. Somkiat Onwimon who is a former Senator and renowned TV host and critique to commission the Documentary. Currently, Dr. Somkiat has been traveling to all the ASEAN Member Countries as well as to the ASEAN Secretariat to interview ASEAN leaders, foreign ministers, eminent persons in the ASEAN field both at present and in the past, prominent businessmen, youth leaders, and members of the civil societies in ASEAN as well as on-site filming at ASEAN meetings throughout the year 2008.

The project aims at providing an overview of ASEAN cooperation and an explanation of how ASEAN cooperation can benefit all stakeholders in the Thai society and the region as a whole and how they can take part in shaping the future of ASEAN community. The themes of the series would include the establishment of the ASEAN, the establishment of the three ASEAN Community Pillars, the ASEAN Charter and ASEAN integration, ASEAN external relations, as well as the importance of cultivating ASEAN identity and ASEAN awareness. The series would be reproduced for nationwide dissemination to all business organizations, universities and schools, relevant academic institutions as additional information kit on ASEAN

Asean Youths

As ASEAN is moving towards becoming a people-centered organization, it is Thailand’s desire to increase the people’s participation in the community building process especially amongst our youths. It is with this view in mind that Thailand, as host of the 14th ASEAN Summit, will also host an ASEAN University Youth Summit 15-16 September 2008 in Bangkok. The ASEAN Department and the ASEAN University Network Secretariat (AUNS) in Bangkok are the focal points in organizing the event.

The meeting intends to bring two student representatives from ASEAN Member Countries who are part of the ASEAN University Network (AUN). The meeting will be a simulation of the Leaders’ Summit, whereby students will have the opportunity to discuss relevant issues on the theme, "The Role of Youths in Promoting the ASEAN Community 2015" and come up with a Joint Statement. The representative of the group will present the Joint Statement to the ASEAN Leaders during the 14th ASEAN Summit.

ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)

ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)

Mission

Ten years after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 there was realization among the ASEAN parliamentarians that the strength of ASEAN emanates from the roots of its societies.

Closer cooperation among the respective legislatures and the parliamentarians (being the representatives of the peoples of ASEAN), would result in greater participation by the peoples of the ASEAN countries in the efforts to achieve ASEAN's objectives as enunciated in the Bangkok Declaration. Therefore, the attainment of the goals and aspiration of ASEAN was the context in which ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) was formed.

Mechanism

The Parliaments of ASEAN member-states agreed to hold the first meeting in Jakarta to further discuss the realization of the idea to form a parliamentary cooperation forum, and Indonesia was chosen as the host of the First ASEAN Parliamentary Meeting (APM) from 8th to 11th January, 1975. Indonesia as host of the First APM proposed the formulation and signing of the "Statutes of the ASEAN Parliamentary Cooperation".

The First APM agreed to promote closer cooperation between the parliaments of ASEAN member states, to hold regular meetings, to establish a Working Committee comprising 3 (three) representatives from each of the ASEAN Parliaments to be chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives with the Heads of Parliamentary Delegation of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand as Vice-Chairmen.

The Third APM was held in Manila, the Philippines from 29th August to 2nd September, 1977. The meeting unanimously agreed on the draft Statutes of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO). At the closure of the Third APM on 2nd September 1977, the Statutes of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) were signed by the Heads of Delegation of the Parliaments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand which marked the birth of AIPO.

According to Article 10 of the Statutes of AIPO, the General Assembly of AIPO shall be held annually, unless decided otherwise whereas Article 11 stipulated that the venue of the General Assembly shall be rotated among the Member Parliaments in alphabetical order. As the Third APM was held in the Philippines, next in the alphabetical order was Singapore. Therefore, the First AIPO General Assembly was held in Singapore in September 1978.

At each AIPO General Assembly, AIPO has dialogues with its dialogue partners, namely the parliaments of Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, and the European Parliament. The participation of the dialogue partners at the AIPO General Assemblies in addition to the exchange of visits had helped established a network of relationships, closer contacts and understanding among parliamentarians.

The history of the development of AIPO was closely linked to that of ASEAN. Countries in the Southeast Asian region would join AIPO as members or special observers after they became members of ASEAN. Thus as the membership of ASEAN expanded, AIPO's membership likewise increased.

In 1995, Vietnam was admitted as an AIPO member followed by Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999. Brunei and the Union of Myanmar have no legislatures and as such they had been accredited Special Observer status. Since joining ASEAN in 1984, Brunei had attended AIPO General Assemblies as an observer and participated as a permanent Special Observer from 1993 onwards. The Union of Myanmar first participated in AIPA activities as Special Observer in 1997 and was accorded permanent Special Observer status since 1999.

Current Members of AIPA

By the year 2000, AIPO comprised of 8 (eight) Member Parliaments in ASEAN, namely, the parliaments of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As mentioned earlier, Brunei Darussalam and the Union of Myanmar have no legislatures, and as such they were accredited Special Observer status participating fully in AIPO activities.

From AIPO to AIPA

The idea of an ASEAN Parliament was first proposed by the Philippines delegation at the 3rd AIPO General Assembly held in Jakarta in 1980. However, at the 27th AIPO General Assembly held in Cebu City, the Philippines in 2006, there was consensus that the ASEAN Parliament would be a long term goal. It was further concurred that it would be more appropriate at this juncture to first proceed with the transformation of the organization into a more effective and closely integrated institution and along with it to change the organization's name from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) including amending the Statutes of AIPO to become the Statutes of AIPA.

The new Statutes of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) was signed on 17th April 2007 by the member countries of AIPO, namely, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as the Special Observer Country of Brunei Darussalam during the Extraordinary Meeting of the Executive Committee of AIPO held in Kuala Lumpur from 16th to 19th April 2007. Philippines signed the Statutes during the 29th AIPA General Assembly meeting in 2008. Special Observer Country, Myanmar has yet to sign the new Statutes.

The signing of the Statutes of AIPA on 17th April 2007 in Kuala Lumpur replacing the previous Statutes of AIPO marked the transformation of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization or AIPO into the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly or AIPA. A new era of a more closely integrated ASEAN inter-parliamentary cooperation has set in.

The 14th ASEAN Summit is the first ASEAN Summit

The 14th ASEAN Summit is the first ASEAN Summit after the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter. To enhance people's participation in the ASEAN Community building process, Thailand is organizing four sideline activities which would provide a platform for key stakeholders to exchange views on ASEAN-related matters with those at the decision making levels of ASEAN. These four groups include representatives from ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Youths, Civil Society Organizations and ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

Thailand is organizing three Informal Dialogues between ASEAN Heads of State/Government (HOS/G) with representatives from ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN Youths and ASEAN Civil Society Organizations as well as with ABAC on 28 February 2009 between 11.30-14.00 hrs. at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel.

Discussions during the Informal Dialogue between ASEAN HOS/G with AIPA representatives will center on ways and means to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and AIPA. With ASEAN Youths, ASEAN HOS/G will be presented with the youths' views on their role in promoting ASEAN Community 2015. In the past few years, ASEAN civil society organizations have played a role in providing recommendations with regard to the drafting of the ASEAN Charter. It is expected that the discussions between ASEAN HOS/G and representatives from ASEAN CSOs will be constructive and fruitful with regard to ASEAN-related issues such as the three Communities, ASEAN Human Rights Body and how to increase consultation and cooperation between government and CSOs. During lunch on 28 February 2009, ASEAN HOS/G will discuss with the private and public organizations the ways and means to support business operations for ASEAN Companies in the region

Thailand’s Chairmanship of ASEAN

Thailand’s Chairmanship of ASEAN (July 2008-December 2009)

Thailand assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship following the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore on 24th July 2008. Upon ratification of the ASEAN Charter, Thailand will assume the Chairmanship for 1 and ½ years.

Throughout our one and a half year term, Thailand will give priorities to materializing the spirit and values as contained in the ASEAN Charter, for the benefit of the ASEAN people. Our actions maybe summarized by the three Rs:

Realizing the commitments under the ASEAN Charter.
Revitalizing a people-centered community.
Reinforcing human development and security for all the peoples of the region.

Efforts will be made to ensure the establishment and implementation of new ASEAN organs envisaged in the ASEAN Charter in particular the establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights bodies, expected to be completed by the end of the Thai Chairmanship.

During our Chairmanship, various activities will be implemented to promote people’s participation in ASEAN community building process and to raise people’s awareness of ASEAN. They include the following:

ASEAN Association-Thailand
Building the 14th ASEAN Summit Website
Thai Young Ambassadors of Virtue and ASEAN
ASEAN University Youth Summit 2008
Mobile Exhibitions on ASEAN
ASEN Anthem Competition
ASEAN High Level Panel Discussion
4th ASEAN Civil Society Conference
ASEAN Day, 8 August 2008
ASEAN Documentary
ASEAN cartoon, “ASEAN Discovery” and comic book
2 publications on ASEAN

National essay competition on ASEAN
The 14th ASEAN Summit’s Logo and Slogan

The Summit’s Logo is the four hands adjoining around ASEAN. The “hands” represent the close cooperation between the people of the region in driving the ASEAN Community forward.

The three hands are the three ASEAN Communities while the fourth hand represents ASEAN’s external relations. The traditional flower-like design in the middle often appears in Thai mural paintings and architecture. Gold color is used to represent prosperity.

The three curvy green lines below the hands are symbolic representation of the ASEAN Charter illustrating ASEAN entering the period with the ASEAN Charter as the corner stone of community building.

The 14th ASEAN Summit slogan is “ASEAN Charter for ASEAN Peoples”

ASEAN Foreign Ministers met to prepare for Summit

On 27 February 2009, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, gave a press briefing on the outcome of the meetings of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States held on the eve of the 14th ASEAN Summit.

Having expressed his appreciation for the other ASEAN Foreign Ministers for the cooperation accorded to him as Chair, the Thai Foreign Minister noted that from the evening of 26 February to the morning of 27 February, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers met on a number of occasions and capacities, including the Informal Working Dinner on 26 February, the Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council as well as the meetings with the High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP) and with the High Level Legal Experts’ Group on follow up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG), all of which were held on 27 February.

During these meetings, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers exchanged views and made decisions on a number of regional and international issues under their purview as well as discussed matters related to the preparations for the 14th ASEAN Summit, scheduled for 28 February to 1 March 2009.

Among the various issues discussed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers was the issue of the Rohingya illegal migrants. The Ministers agreed that this issue needed to be resolved through both within the ASEAN framework and outside it, in particular the Bali process. Within ASEAN, they were of the view that the Tripartite Core Group established to deal with the post-Cyclone Nargis situation could serve as an example of how ASEAN could tackle the issue of the Rohingyas. The Meeting was also informed by the Foreign Minister of Myanmar that his country was willing to cooperate in sorting out those of the Bengali minority group from the non-Bengali, and that it was willing to take the former group back. As for the latter group, further consultations would be held on how to deal with them. In this connection, the ASEAN Secretary-General was assigned to chair an ad-hoc working group to coordinate with the Government of Myanmar to obtain the number of Bengalis in the country.
Concerning the role of ASEAN in the Post Cyclone Nargis rehabilitation, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to extend the mandate of the Tripartite Core Group until the middle of next year. The Ministers also agreed on the accession of Turkey to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, noting that discussions would continue on the issue of accession to the Treaty by a non-state entity such as the European Union.

Meeting as the ASEAN Coordinating Council, one of the new mechanisms under the ASEAN Charter, the Foreign Ministers took note of the results of the Meetings of the ASEAN Defence Ministers and of the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers, both of which were held last week in Pattaya and Phuket respectively.

The Ministers also considered administrative issues, including approving a budget worth 14 million US dollars for the ASEAN Secretariat for the year 2009, approving the appointment of one additional Deputy ASEAN Secretary-General from Laos, and adopting a guideline for the ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries in sending their Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the ASEAN Secretariat. They also took note of the calendar of ASEAN meetings for 2009, including the tentative dates for the postponed ASEAN Summits with the 6 Dialogue Partners – China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. The Summits are now re-scheduled for 10-12 April 2009.
Minister Kasit also mentioned the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting with the High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body, during which the Ministers made a number of comments for the Panel to use in further revising the Draft Terms of Reference of an ASEAN Human Rights Body. The revised draft is to be presented to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in July.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with High Level Legal experts’ Group on follow up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG)

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with High Level Legal experts’ Group on follow up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG)

On 27 February 2009 at 12.45-13.45 hrs. at Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, H.E. Kasit Piromya, the Foreign Minister of Thailand, chaired the Meeting between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the High Level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-Up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG).

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed that the drafting of legal instruments on legal personality of ASEAN and the development of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms among the Member States will facilitate the smooth and effective functioning of ASEAN, as well as fostering ASEAN into a rules-based organization. This will help ASEAN Member States integrate with confidence, which will move ASEAN forward as an ASEAN Community. Furthermore, it will help ASEAN achieve a greater dynamism in its relationships with its dialogue partners and other international organizations.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP)

On 27 February 2009 at 12.00-12.45 hrs. at Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, H.E. Kasit Piromya, the Foreign Minister of Thailand, chaired the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP), to discuss the 1st draft of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the HLP which Thailand expects to be set up during the term of Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship.

Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Today (27 February 2009) at 09.00 hrs. at Dusit Thani Hua Hin, ASEAN foreign ministers met to convene the Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, as a part of the 14th ASEAN Summit

ASEAN Economic Ministers Signed the ASEAN Economic Agreements

Cha-am, Hua Hin: On 26 February 2009 at 18.30 hrs., economic ministers of all 10 ASEAN member countries signed the ASEAN economic agreements, which consist of the following:

1.ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement

2.Protocol to Implement the Seventh Package of Commitments under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services

3.ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement : ACIA

4.Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Medical Practitioners

5.Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Dental Practitioners

6.Framework Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Accountancy Services

The above-mentioned Agreements will form an important basis in moving ASEAN towards the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 to facilitate free movement of goods, service, investment and skilled labour.

In addition, the Minister of Trade of Thailand and the Minister of Trade of Indonesia also signed Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Indonesia on sugar to ensure the import of sugar from Indonesia to Thailand since Indonesia has had some difficulties not to be able to reduce its tariffs as scheduled.

Thai Foreign Minister visited 14th ASEAN Summit Media Center

Cha-am, Hua Hin: On 27 February 2009 at 17.30 hrs. Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand visited the 14th ASEAN Summit Media Center at the Sheraton Hotel, Hua Hin where he reassured the media that Thailand is 100% ready to host the 14th ASEAN Summit and thanked all members of the Thai and foreign media, who came to cover the 14th ASEAN Summit. There are about 1,200 registered media in the 14th ASEAN Summit.

ASEAN’s Civil Society Strengthened

On 22 February 2009, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, delivered speeches and took part in the “CSO Dialogue with ASEAN” in the ASEAN Peoples’ Forum, which was held on 20-22 February 2009, at Chulalongkorn University. Over 500 participants from 55 civil society organizations from the ASEAN member countries and interested media attended the event.

The Foreign Minister affirmed the Thai government’s effort to promote engagement of the civil society sector in the human development and in the area of human rights and encourage the empowerment of the sector in the ASEAN countries, which will compliment the democratic society in the region. The Foreign Minister also stated that the civil society had become a new force of Thai society, especially as a political force in shaping the country’s direction. In addition, he assured a partnership between ASEAN and NGOs, foundations and other civil society organizations.

The ASEAN Secretary-General reiterated the ‘wide open space’ for the civil society enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. The participation of the civil society, the Socio-Cultural pillar, will be the determinant factor of the success or failure of the remaining pillars, the Security and Economic pillars. The Secretary-General also stated that the ASEAN Charter is only a skeleton for the people-oriented ASEAN, the people of ASEAN is the key to the ‘living ASEAN’ and to drive forward the ASEAN community.

On this occasion, the Foreign Minister expressed his views and answered the questions concerned by participants from the civil society, ranging from political security, food security and social issues. He assured the audience that fairness in free trade will be addressed and reintroduced in the upcoming G-20 Summit in April 2009 and in other multilateral cooperation.

The Special Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General on ASEAN Secretariat’s Budget Proposal for FY 2009, 15 January 2009, Conrad Hotel, Bangkok.

The Special Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General on ASEAN Secretariat’s Budget Proposal for FY 2009, 15 January 2009, Conrad Hotel, Bangkok.

The Special Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General on ASEAN Secretariat's Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2009 was convened on 15 January 2009 at Conrad Hotel in Bangkok. The meeting was preceded by the Informal Working Dinner of ASEAN Directors-General on 14 January 2009 during which Thailand took the opportunity to update on the preparations of the 14th ASEAN Summit. All ASEAN Member States reiterated their support to the proposal to convene the 14th ASEAN Summit among the Leaders only on 27 February – 1 March 2009. Thailand would organize an advanced visit to Hua Hin for Member States during 2-4 February 2009

During the Special Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General on 15 January 2009, the Meeting discussed extensively on matters relating to the ASEAN Secretariat Budget, representation of ASEAN Member States on the Community Councils, as well as progress on the establishment of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN.
With regard to the ASEAN Secretariat Budget, the Meeting agreed to the proposed 14 additional staffs as well as endorsed the 13.415 million USD as interim budget line for ASEAN Secretariat for 2009 to enable ASEAN Secretariat to function.
Concerning the representation of ASEAN Member States on the Community Councils, Member States were requested to inform the ASEAN Secretariat and Thailand on their respective representation for each Community Council at the earliest opportunity.
Regarding the establishment of the Committee of the Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, the Meeting shared the view that the appointment of the Permanent Representatives should be in accordance with the respective internal procedures of each Member State. The Permanent Representatives could duly perform their duties upon presentation of their instrument of credentials.

The Meeting also discussed and updated progress on MoU on the Establishment of the ASEAN Center in Moscow, ASEAN-GCC Ministerial Meeting in Bahrain, ASEAN-MERCOSUR SOM, ASEAN-Canada ICM, Development Partner of ASEAN as well as ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

14th ASEAN Summit

14th ASEAN Summit
The 14th ASEAN Summit marks a new chapter for ASEAN following the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter last December. Under the theme ‘ASEAN Charter for ASEAN Peoples’, the 14th ASEAN Summit underlines new era of ASEAN with people at the heart of cooperation. Besides, there are three sub-themes, namely ‘Towards More Effective Community-Building’, ‘Enhancing Regional Resilience against Global Threats’, and ‘Reinforcing ASEAN Centrality in the Evolving Regional Architecture’.

‘Towards More Effective Community-Building'
Thailand will use this opportunity to lay the foundation for realising ASEAN Community by the year 2015. In order to make ASEAN a more rules-based and effective organisation, it will push for the operationalisation of new ASEAN organs under the Charter. These include the three ASEAN Community Councils (ASEAN Political and Security Community (APSC) Council, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council) and the Committee of Permanent Representatives in Jakarta. An ASEAN human rights body will also be established by the end of this year to enhance promotion and protection of human rights in the region. The ASEAN Secretariat will also be strengthened, both in terms of budget and personnel, so that it can fulfil its additional responsibilities and functions as required by the Charter.

Efforts will be further enhanced to promote people's participation in ASEAN community-building process. ASEAN Leaders will meet with representatives from various groups, including members of the parliament, youth leaders and civil society organisations. This will be an important turning point to create a sense of ‘ASEAN citizenship' among ASEAN people.
‘Enhancing Regional Resilience against Global Threats'
In order to enhance regional resilience against global threats by strengthening multi-dimensional human security in ASEAN Community, ASEAN cooperation will be strengthened to be able to address and alleviate issues affecting people's well-being in a timely and concrete manner. This includes addressing issues of food security, energy security and disaster management. ASEAN Leaders will also discuss ways and means to mitigate the effects of the financial and economic crisis on the ASEAN Community, based on the recommendations by the ASEAN Finance Ministers' Meeting in Phuket on 22 February 2009.

‘Reinforcing ASEAN Centrality in the Evolving Regional Architecture'
While enhancing ASEAN Community-building efforts, ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture will also be reinforced. The Summit will be a good opportunity for ASEAN to show to the rest of the world that ASEAN is still very much relevant. The ten Member Countries of ASEAN are integral parts of a wider integrated East Asia community which has been, and will continue to be, the engine of the world's economic growth.
It is expected that at least 25 declarations, agreements and statements will be signed or adopted by ASEAN Leaders, ASEAN Foreign Ministers and ASEAN Economic Ministers during the Summit. These documents reflect ASEAN effort to response to challenges in a more timely and concrete manner. They will cover issues relating to ASEAN community-building, food and energy security as well as economic cooperation. Of all these outcome documents, the Declaration on the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015 will be signed by ASEAN Leaders. This Declaration will be a cover-declaration for the three ASEAN Community Blueprints.

ASEAN Leaders will also adopt another 5 documents. The rest will be signed or adopted by the Foreign Ministers or Economic Ministers.

asean summit 14th