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: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
3. What is ASEAN?
The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (more commonly known as
ASEAN) is an intergovernmental
organization aimed primarily at
promoting economic growth and
regional stability among its members.
4. Association of Southeast Asian
Nation s (ASEAN)
• The ASEAN was founded on August 8,
1967.
• The Foreign Ministers of Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand – sat down together in the main
hall of the Department of Foreign Affairs
building in Bangkok, Thailand and signed
a document. By virtue of that document,
the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) was born.
5. • ASEAN is a regional grouping that
promotes economic, political, and security
cooperation among its ten members:
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• In 1976, the members signed the Treaty
of Amity and Cooperation, emphasizing
ASEAN's promotion of peace, friendship,
and cooperation to build solidarity.
6. • The
ASEA
N
Emble
m
represents a stable,
peaceful, united and
dynamic ASEAN. The
colors of the Emblem —
blue, red, white and
yellow — represent the
main colors of the state
crests of all the ASEAN
Member States.
•The blue represents peace
and stability. Red depicts
and
dynamism,
shows purity
and
courage
white
yellow symbolizes
prosperity.
•The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEAN’s
Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound
together in friendship and solidarity.
• The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.
7. What are required for the member
countries to do?
• Member countries agreed to open up their
economies and liberalize trade, investment
and services among each other.
• It is expected to enhance economic
development, although there will be catch-
up activities for member-countries with
wider development gaps specifically
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam
(CLMV).
8.
9. • Today, ASEAN is considered one of the
most successful intergovernmental
organizations in the developing world.
Since its founding, the grouping has
expanded to include other Southeast
Asian states – Brunei (1984), Vietnam
(1995), Laos (1997), Myanmar (1997) and
Cambodia (1999).
10. ⮚ ASEAN growth slower than forecasted
• While growth in Southeast Asia remains robust, data from the
first half of 2019 indicates it has been slower than forecasted.
• The most recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) data suggests
that Southeast Asia has grown less than anticipated, resulting
in slight downward revisions to growth forecasts which now
stand at 4.8 percent (2019) and 4.9 percent (2020), down
from 4.9 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively.
• Meanwhile, regional inflation for 2019 is now expected to fall
to 2.4 percent from the previous forecast of 2.6 percent.
11. • The region’s more open economies are facing
the combined impacts of the United States
(US)-China trade tensions and a dip in the
electronics cycle, although this has partly
been offset by strong domestic demand
according to the ADB in last month’s
supplement to its Asian Development Outlook
report issued in April.
12. • The ADB’s main economic forecasting product,
the Asian Development Outlook is published
each April with an update released in
September and brief supplements in July and
December – with Singapore, Thailand and the
Philippines among the regional economies
which have seen cuts in their forecasted gross
domestic product (GDP) growth rates for
2019.
13.
14. • However, there is widespread evidence that
the redirection in trade and production has
benefitted ASEAN.
• Vietnam, for example, expanded its exports by
6.7 percent in the first five months of this year
buoyed by a 28 percent rise in exports to the
US.
15. Best in ASEAN
• Vietnam has been the fastest-growing economy
in Southeast Asia this year and growth in the first
half of 2019 is estimated at 6.8 percent year-on-
year despite agriculture being hindered by a
prolonged drought and African swine fever.
• Growth in industry – especially manufacturing –
remained robust and foreign direct investment
(FDI) rose by 27 percent in the first five months of
2019 from a year earlier.
16. • Driven by a rapid expansion of exports such as
garments and robust internal demand,
Cambodia's GDP grew from 6.9 percent in
2016 to 7.0 percent in 2017 to 7.3 percent in
2018.
• At seven percent, the country’s forecast for
2019 during the ADB’s April report was the
highest among all ASEAN member states.
• However, no data on Cambodia was available
in July’s supplement report.
17. • Other threats to ASEAN’s progress and
prosperity include climate change and the risk
of natural disasters – the consequences of
which affect the poor and the marginalized in
developing countries disproportionally.
• Although ASEAN economies have remained
resilient in the face of current economic
challenges, the region has to stay vigilant if it
is to operate successfully in an increasingly
connected trade and financial system.
18. • Overall, strengthening domestic demand will
offset weaker export growth and strong
consumption –spurred by rising incomes,
subdued inflation, and robust remittances –
should boost economic activity in ASEAN.
19. For the ASEAN people, ASEAN 2025
means that:
• They will continue to live in a more united,
secure, peaceful and cohesive region;
• They will benefit and enjoy the gains resulting
from enhanced sustainable environmental
governance and practices in the region;
• Their human rights, fundamental freedoms,
dignity and social justice will be promoted and
protected;
20. • They will enjoy good governance that shall be
further strengthened;
• They will be part of a participative and socially
responsible community with equitable access
to opportunities for all;
• They will be better protected against
pandemics, natural and human-induced
disasters and calamities, transnational crimes
and transboundary challenges;
21. • They can engage purposefully with one
another in ASEAN and the world;
• They will enjoy greater prosperity through
increased economic opportunities, enhanced
regional connectivity, ease of intra-ASEAN
travel and doing business as well as a resilient
regional economy;
• They will benefit from greater employment
opportunities and quality jobs as well as from
mobility of skilled labor and talents;
22. • They will enjoy access to wider choices, safer,
and better quality products and services;
• They will benefit from better cost savings for
businesses as well as consumers through
improved access and connectivity;
• They will benefit from access to a wider and
better range of technologies and expertise;
and
• They will benefit from a strengthened ASEAN
institutional capacity to implement the ASEAN
agenda;
• https://asean.org/asean-2025-at-a-glance/
24. Video Clips:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Bj8OCmx
b4 (culture)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNEhIqQRM
gw (ASEAN History)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDTdXDDzJ1
k (What is ASEAN by CNBC)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rswa_M1xK
uo (7 things you need to know about ASEAN by
Mckinsey and Company)