Striving Together (ASEAN & UN)

8/8/2019 Striving Together (ASEAN & UN)

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Te United Nations Economic and Social Commission or Asia and the Pacic (ESCAP) is the regional arm

o the United Nations, playing a unique role as the only intergovernmental orum or all countries and

territories o the Asian and Paciic region. Established in 1947, ESCAP today has 53 members

and nine associate members covering over 60 per cent o the worlds population, or 4.1 billion people. ESCAPs

mission is to serve as the regional hub promoting cooperation among member States to achieve inclusive and

sustainable economic and social development in the Asia-Paciic region. ESCAP provides

the strategic regional link between global, subregional and country-level programmes and concerns. ESCAP

is headquartered in Bangkok and has a Pacic oce in Suva; it also has regional institutions in Beijing; Bogor,

Indonesia; Incheon, Republic o Korea; New Delhi; and okyo. For more inormation, please visit our website

at .

Te designations employed and the presentation o the material in this publication do not imply the expression

o any opinion whatsoever on the part o the Secretariat o the United Nations concerning the legal status o

any country, territory, city or area or o its authorities, or concerning the delimitation o its rontiers or

boundaries.

Tis publication has been issued without ormal editing. It ollows United Nations practice in reerences to

countries.

Reproduction and dissemination o material in this publication or educational or other non-commercial

purposes are authorized without prior written permission rom the copyright holder, provided that the source

is ully acknowledged. Te ESCAP Statistics Division would appreciate being inormed o the use o this

publication as a source. For this purpose, please email

Reproduction o material in this publication or sale or other commercial purposes, including publicity andadvertising, is prohibited without the written permission o the copyright holder. Applications or such

permission, with a statement o purpose and extent o the reproduction, should be addressed to the Statistical

Analyses and Publications Coordinator, ESCAP, at .


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Te United Nations and ASEAN have long shared a determination to build a morestable and prosperous world. Over the years, our organizations have worked together onmany important economic and social development programmes across South-East Asia,rom controlling communicable diseases to building extensive networks orinternational transport. In May 2008, in joining orces to respond quickly and

eectively to the devastation let by Cyclone Nargis, we also demonstrated that we canwork closely together at a time o crisis to save many lives in a complex and diicultenvironment.

I thereore welcome the publication oStriving ogether: ASEAN&the UN. Tisstudy details the many ways in which the United Nations and ASEAN are trying tostrengthen and deepen our partnership. I am strongly committed to building on ourachievements and exploring new areas o cooperation, and in that spirit commend thisstudy to a wide readership.

B K-mSecretary-General o the United Nations

Messag

efroMthe

secretary-generalof

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Messag

efroMthe

secretary-generalof

asean

For ASEAN, the year 2008 marks a turning point. On 15 December 2008, the entryinto orce o the ASEAN Charter was welcomed in a ceremony held at the ASEANSecretariat. With this Charter, ASEAN will not only be able to operate more eectivelyas a regional organization, but also to engage more closely with the rest o the world.

Among our most important partners in international cooperation is the United Nations.Our irst two ASEAN-UN Summits have helped in orging a strong relationship withthe UN, and we look orward to exploring urther ways o working together even moreproductively, building on the principles o the ASEAN Charter.

I appreciate the support o the United Nations or the ASEAN region and welcome itsspirit o cooperation. With the orthcoming ratiication o the ASEAN Charter, I lookorward to a new phase o strengthened partnership with the United Nations amilythrough the Asia-Paciic Regional Coordination Mechanism to achieve concrete actionor continued ASEAN advancement.

su PuwSecretary-General o ASEAN


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Over the past our decades, the Association o Southeast Asian Nations has helpedpreserve peace across the region, and created opportunities or economic and socialcooperation. Now ASEAN is on the brink o a new era and seeking to reinvent itsel tobecome a more collective, rules-based organization.

We live in a tightly interdependent world, in which economic, social and political riskscan be transmitted suddenly and unpredictably as the current global inancial shockshave demonstrated all too vividly. Now more than ever, the nations o South-East Asianeed a regional organization that can respond rapidly and cohesively.

For this reason, I am heartened that ASEAN has embraced a new Charter. Just as theUnited Nations has ground its mission on the ideals o its Charter, so ASEAN is nowon the path to strengthening itsel around an agreed set o principles and understandings.It is both a major challenge and a necessity. Te 10 nations that make up ASEAN area strikingly varied group, with very diverse interests, experiences and capacities. In theyears ahead, they will ace new pressures, both internal and external, that will requireconcerted action.

In this endeavour, ASEAN can be sure o support rom the United Nations amily,especially ESCAP, as its Asia-Paciic arm, and the members o the Asia-Paciic RegionalCoordination Mechanism that are working together, to enhance regional-level coherenceo policies and programmes to beneit Member States. We are ready to increase dialogueand partnership with ASEAN, including by complementing and supporting the eortso its Secretariat, on addressing concrete issues, as indicated in this publication and asexempliied by the recent response to Cyclone Nargis.

As a contribution to urthering eorts to take the ASEAN-UN partnership to a newlevel, ESCAP has prepared this study, Striving ogether: ASEAN & the UN, whichrefects on more than 40 years o ASEAN experiences, and anticipates uture ASEAN-UNcooperation. I hope that it will prove useul to ASEAN Member States, the ASEANSecretariat, the United Nations system, and to all those who recognize the importanceo working together or peace, progress and stability in the region.

n hz

Under-Secretary-General o the United NationsExecutive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission or Asia and the PaciicChairperson, Asia-Paciic Regional Coordination Mechanism

foreWorD


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Tis study was prepared by the ESCAP secretariat with contributions rom Asia-PaciicRegional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) entities.

Warm appreciation is expressed to all RCM colleagues who contributed to Chapter Tree othe study.

Te secretariat is grateul to the ollowing:Cho Kah Sin, Regional Programme Advisor, UNAIDS Regional Support eam, Asia-Paciic,and ormer Director, Bureau o Resources Development, ASEAN Secretariat, or advice on anearly outline o the drat.

ESCAP secretariat preparations were pursued under the guidance o Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General o the United Nations and Executive Secretary o ESCAP, with the supporto Pietro Gennari, Chie, Statistics Division, and San Yuenwah, Statistical Analyses andPublications Coordinator.

eam Leader:Pietro Gennari

ESCAP staf members who contributed to interdivisional research and drating (alphabetical order): Aiko Akiyama, Shuvojit Banerjee, Clovis Freire, Kohji Iwakami, Christopher Kuonqui,Hongpeng Liu, Sarah Lowder, Yan Meng, Mia Mikic, Hitomi Rankine, Marco Roncarati,San Yuenwah, Jan Smit, Vanessa Steinmayer and Natalya Wehmer

ESCAP staf members who contributed to the inalization o the drat manuscript:

Substantive comments and inputs:

Lisa Dawn Ainbinder, Ren'e Bastiaans, Pierre Chartier, Charles Davies, Beverly Lyn Jones, GeethaKarandawala, ae Hyung Kim, John Moon, Amitava Mukherjee, Keiko Osaki, Sangmin Nam,Aneta Nikolova, Nokeo Ratanavong, LeHuu i, Wang engei and im Westbury

United Nations editorial support:Orestes Plasencia

Substantive editing:Peter Stalker

Graphic design:Marie-Ange Holmgren Sylvain

IC and other general support:Krisana Boonpriroje, Arpaporn Chomcherngpat, Supharat Kaewkhonkaen and PornratLertyosthanavath

acKnoWl

eDgeMents


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asean & Un

Te Asia-Paciic Regional Coordination Mechanism

owards a common market

International migration

ransportation networks

Disaster preparedness and early warningEnvironmental sustainability and climate change

Gender equality

Food security

Health systems

HIV/AIDS

Education

Human rights and governance

Data collection, monitoring and review

New directions

chaPter i: the asean achieveMent

Bud asean cmmu

rack 1 Intergovernmental

rack 2 Academic institutions and think tanks

rack 3 Civil society organizations

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Te Security Community

Te Economic Community

ASEAN Free rade Area

Chiang Mai Initiative

ransport agreements

Initiative or ASEAN Integration

Te Socio-cultural Community

Disaster management

Communicable diseases

ransboundary environmental challenges

ASEAN Foundation

T asean c

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chaPter ii: groWing together

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Income

Monetary actors

Labour market

Basic inrastructureInormation and communications technology

Ease o doing business

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Child mortality

Child malnutrition

Maternal mortality

HIV/AIDS

uberculosis

Water and sanitation access

Environmental sustainability

twd asean mmu

rade integration

Investment integration

Development assistance

ransport and logistics

EnergyInternational migration

Gender equality

Inclusion o persons with disabilities

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Box I-1 Te Chiang Mai Initiative

Box I-2 A regional multi-hazard early-warning system or disasters

Box III-1 A model o collaboration: the response to Cyclone Nargis

Box III-2 Delivering public goods

u

Figure I-1 rans-Asian Railway, ASEAN region

Figure I-2 Asian Highway, ASEAN region

Figure II-1 Latest Gini indices related to economic integration

Figure II-2 Gini trends related to economic integration, 1990-2005

Figure II-3 Latest Gini indices or the ASEAN Socio-cultural Community

Figure II-4 Gini trends related to the ASEAN Socio-cultural Community, 1990-2006

Figure II-5 Intra-regional trade o regional blocs

Figure II-6 Intra- and extra-regional exports o goods, 2006

Figure II-7 Eectively applied taris or ASEAN imports, 1996-2007

Figure II-8 Intra-ASEAN imports and changes in import duties, 1996-2007

Figure II-9 Indicators o trade acilitation or ASEAN, latest year

Figure II-10 ASEAN Member States and coalitions in the WO

Figure II-11 FDI infows in ASEAN, 2004-2007

Figure II-12 Domestic inancing sources or selected ASEAN countries, 2007, 3rd quarter

Figure III-1 Corresponding pillars o the United Nations and ASEAN

Figure III-2 Model or the production o regional public goods

tb

able II-1 Enabling trade index or ASEAN countries, 2008

able II-2 Logistics perormance index, or ASEAN countries, 2007

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ABMI ASEAN+3 Bond Markets Initiative ASEAN-BAC ASEAN Business Advisory Council ASEAN-BIS ASEAN Business and Investment Summit ACD Asia Cooperation Dialogue ACDM ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management ACE ASEAN Centre or Energy ACSC ASEAN Civil Society Conerence

ADB Asian Development Bank ADF ASEAN Development Fund AECB ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint AFAS ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services AFFA ASEAN Federation o Freight Forwarders Associations AFA ASEAN Free rade Area AIDS acquired immunodeiciency syndrome AMAF ASEAN Ministers o Agriculture and Forestry APA ASEAN Peoples Assembly APAEC ASEAN Plan o Action on Energy Cooperation APEC Asia-Paciic Economic Cooperation ARF ASEAN Regional Forum ASA ASEAN Swap Arrangement

ASCC ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community ASEAN Association o Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN+1 ASEAN + a Dialogue Partner country ASEAN+3 ASEAN + China, Japan and the Republic o Korea ASEAN-6 Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Tailand ASEAN-10 Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Malaysia,

Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Tailand, Viet Nam ASEAN-CCI ASEAN Chambers o Commerce and Industry ASEM Asia-Europe Meeting AFOA ASEAN ask Force on AIDS AIGA ASEAN rade in Goods AgreementBSA bilateral swap arrangementsCEB (United Nations system) Chie Executives Board or Coordination

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination o All Forms o Discrimination Against WomenCEP Common eective preerential tariCFA Comprehensive ramework or actionCIMB Malaysian inancial services companyCLMV Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet NamCMI Chiang Mai InitiativeCO2 Carbon dioxideCOMRADE Commodity trade database o the United Nations Statistics DivisionCSCAP Council or Security Cooperation in the Asia-PaciicCSO Civil society organizationDCM Developed country marketsDOS Directly observed treatment, short courseECA Economic Commission or Arica

ECLAC Economic Commission or Latin America and the CaribbeanEFA Education or AllEPG Eminent persons groupESCAP Economic and Social Commission or Asia and the Paciic

acronyMs


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EI Enabling trade indexEU European UnionEU-15 Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,

the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom o Great Britainand Northern Ireland (rom 1995 to 2004).

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization o the United Nations

FASA Federation o ASEAN Shipowners AssociationsFASC Federation o ASEAN Shippers CouncilsFDI oreign direct investmentFSE Financial imes Stock Exchange companyGAS General Agreement on rade in ServicesGCC Gul Cooperation Council also known as the Cooperation Council or the Arab States o the GulGFDRR (World Banks) Global Facility or Disaster Reduction and RecoveryGDP Gross domestic productG-20 Group o 20 developing countriesG-33 Group o 33 developing countriesGMS Greater-Mekong Subregion Economic CooperationHIV Human immunodeiciency virusIAI Initiative or ASEAN Integration

IC Inormation and communications technologyILO International Labour OrganizationIOC-UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) o UNESCOIOM International Organization or MigrationISIS Institutes o Strategic and International StudiesIU International elecommunications UnionLao PDR Lao Peoples Democratic RepublicLCDP low-carbon development pathLDC Least developed countryLIBOR London Inter-Bank Oered RateLPI Logistics perormance indexMDG(s) Millennium Development Goal(s)MERCOSUR South American Common Market

MOU memorandum o understandingNAFA North American Free rade AgreementNGO non-governmental organizationOCHA United Nations Oice or the Coordination o Humanitarian AairsOHCHR Oice o the High Commissioner or Human RightsOIE Oice International des Epizooties (World Organization or Animal Health)PCF peer consultation rameworkPONJA post-Nargis Joint AssessmentRCM Regional Coordination MechanismROB Southeast Asia Regional Oice o OHCHRSAARC South Asian Association or Regional CooperationSAPA Solidarity or Asian Peoples Advocacy networkSAR Special administrative region o China

SARS severe acute respiratory syndromeSEAMEO Southeast Asian Ministers o Education OrganizationSKRL Singapore-Kunming Rail LinkAC reaty o Amity and Cooperation in Southeast AsiaB uberculosisCG ripartite Core Group o the ASEAN Humanitarian ask Force (to assist Cyclone Nargis

survivors in Myanmar)ELMIN ASEAN elecommunications and I Ministers MeetingELSOM ASEAN elecommunications Senior Oicials MeetingRAINS rade Analysis and Inormation SystemRIPS trade-related aspects o intellectual property rightsUN/ISDR Inter-Agency Secretariat o the International Strategy or Disaster ReductionUNAIDS United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS

UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat DesertiicationUNCRD United Nations Centre or Regional DevelopmentUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNEP United Nations Environment Programme


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UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientiic and Cultural OrganizationUNFPA United Nations Population FundUN-HABIA United Nations Human Settlements ProgrammeUNHCR Oice o the United Nations High Commissioner or ReugeesUNICEF United Nations Childrens FundUNICEF-ROSA UNICEF Regional Oice or South Asia

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development OrganizationUNIFEM United Nations Development Fund or WomenUNODC United Nations Oice on Drugs and CrimeVAP Vientiane Programme o Action WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization WIS World Integrated rade Solution World Bank sotware WO World rade Organization


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execUtiv

esUMMary

Future ASEAN-UN cooperation will bedetermined primarily by the ways in which

ASEAN itsel continues to evolve. Tus ar,rather than establishing common rules,the ASEAN Member States instead embarked

on a series o inormal, consensus-drivenconsultations, taking decisions and resolving

disputes behind closed doors resolutelymaintaining the principle o state sovereignty

and non-intererence.

For several decades, this mode o governanceserved ASEAN well. Disparate member States

ound ways to cooperate on resolvable issues.hey could, or example, take credit or

maintaining peace in the region and, until1997, generally achieving impressive economic

growth.

Tis model was seriously weakened, however,by the Asian inancial crisis o 1997, which

in some countries broke the implicit pact thathad involved sacriicing ull democratic

accountability or sound economic perormance.Moreover the crisis showed that ASEAN

did not have robust inancial procedures or

institutions.

Since then ASEAN has had to look aresh athow it should unction in a new globalenvironment. In response, over the years

ASEAN has evolved what is reerred to as aloose, three-track ramework. Governments

relate to each other through rack 1, whilenon-governmental organizations arerepresented, in a more limited way, throughracks 2 and 3.

T asean m

he organization can point to a numbero successes in building what since 2003have been reerred to as the three pillarso an envisaged ASEAN Community

the Security Community, the EconomicCommunity, and the Socio-culturalCommunity.


ASEAN can be seen as a regional orce orpeace and stability. Te opportunity or regularmeetings has helped national leaders to establisha degree o mutual conidence. Since its ounding,notwithstanding occasional border conficts,no two ASEAN members have had a large-scale

war. In the 1980s, ASEAN was instrumental

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in resolving issues arising out o Viet Nams

incursion into Cambodia. ASEAN wasinstrumental in ounding in 1994 the ASEAN

Regional Forum (ARF) and has also beeninstrumental in the establishment o other

regional ora such as the ASEAN+3 process(ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic

o Korea), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

Furthermore, ASEAN played an importantrole in the ormation o the Asia-PaciicEconomic Cooperation (APEC) and in its

development.


Another o ASEANs primary tasks has beento promote economic integration. It has, orexample, introduced the ASEAN Free rade

Area, which has helped reduce taris andpromote intra-ASEAN trade. It has also taken

measure to promote regional inancial securitythrough the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) a

system o multilateral and bilateral currencyswaps. In 2008, in response to the global

inancial crisis, ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and

the Republic o Korea) has also been discussing ways in which the CMI could be urtherdeepened or extended. Another important

area o cooperation has been through transportagreements as part o broader Asian agreements

on highway and railway networks not justby developing inrastructure but also by

concluding important agreements on landtransport acilitation and multimodal transport.


ASEAN envisages a community o cohesive,

equitable and harmonious societies, boundtogether in solidarity or deeper understanding

and cooperation. In this respect ASEAN hasachieved signiicant cooperation in some areas.

For example, ASEAN leaders and heads oregional and international organizations

agreed to establish a regional tsunami early- warning system, and in the atermath o

Cyclone Nargis helped build trust andcooperation between the Government o

Myanmar and the international community.

ASEAN has also enabled the countries o theregion to work together on communicablediseases, particularly those with cross-borderimplications such as SARS, and ontransboundary environmental challenges,

such as haze pollution. ASEAN also aims topromote a regional identity through bodiessuch as the ASEAN Foundation.

ASEAN took one o its most signiicant stepsin 2007 with the signing o the ASEANCharter. o a large extent, this codiiesexisting ASEAN practice but also includesa set o qualitatively new norms, such asadherence to the rule o law, good governance,the principles o democracy and constitutionalgovernment, respect or undamentalreedoms, the promotion and protection ohuman rights, and the promotion o social

justice.

gw

Te 10 ASEAN nations can claim a degree ointegration. But they still have some way togo. In many respects they remain ar apart,not just in political systems but also in terms

o economic progress or standards o humandevelopment.

Economic convergence

Te extent o dierences can be measuredthrough the Gini index which is commonlyused, or example, as a measure o incomedistr ibution within countries . In acorresponding way, this can be applied toexpress the disparities between countries.

Income

Te ASEAN economies cover a very broadspectrum. In 2007, the GDP per capita oSingapore, in 1990 US dollars, was $25,023 twice that o the next richest country BruneiDarussalam, and close to 100 times the percapita GDPs o Cambodia, the Lao PeoplesDemocratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar or VietNam. Because o these dramatic dierencesthe Gini index or per capita GDP or ASEANcountries is very high at around 75 and hasstayed more or less constant since 1990.


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Monetary actors

Te countries o ASEAN have little immediateprospect o introducing a common currency.

Nevertheless there are some signs o convergence

in monetary and related indicators. Centralbank discount rates, or example, havingdiverged, have now moved closer together,

and exchange rate fuctuations are also similar.Tere are still, however, signiicant dierencesin infation.

Labour market

ASEAN also demonstrates striking dierencesin labour productivity. aking productivity in

Singapore in 2005 as the benchmark, the levelin Malaysia and Tailand was around one-

quarter o this; in Myanmar it was 10 per centand in Cambodia only 7 per cent. I there has

been any convergence it is very slight.

Basic inrastructure and inormation andcommunications technology

For basic physical inrastructure there doesnot seem to have been much convergence

based on the proportion o roads that arepaved. However, or the intra-regional Asian

Highway that crosses ASEAN countries, roadquality has improved considerably in recent

years. Tere has been more rapid convergencein the availability o inormation andcommunications technology especially in

the use o cellular phones or which since 1990the Gini index has halved.

Ease o doing business

In 2007-2008, Singapore was the easiest countryin the world to do business. Tailand and

Malaysia also ranked quite highly, but mostother countries in ASEAN perormed poorly.

Socio-cultural convergence

As with economic development, the countrieso the region also have very dierent

attainments in human development.

Disparities in economic indicators are to alarge extent mirrored in variations in selectedsocial indicators.

Child mortality and malnutrition

Te most striking contrasts are in health,

particularly or children and mothers. Te

Gini index or under-ive mortality is above

50, a refection o disturbingly high rates inthe Lao PDR (75 deaths per thousand live

births), Cambodia (82) and Myanmar (104).

Nor does there seem to have been any

convergence. For child malnutrition, measured

by the proportion o underweight children,

the Gini index was somewhat lower, at around

30. In this case, however, the countries seem

to be diverging.

Maternal mortality

Tis remains a persistent problem though data

are too scarce to permit any conclusions on

convergence. Even in Singapore and Brunei

Darussalam maternal mortality ratios, though

relatively low, are still twice as high as in

Australia and Japan. In the poorest countries,

the estimated ratios in 2005 were disturbingly

high: 660 per 100,000 live births in the Lao

PDR, 540 in Cambodia, 420 in Indonesia,

and 380 in Myanmar.

HIV/AIDS and B

HIV continues to threaten the ASEAN

population. Nevertheless there has been

signiicant progress across the region,

particularly in Tailand and Cambodia, with

some evidence o convergence. Another major

concern is B. Prevalence rates have been

coming down across the region and treatment

is now more widely available.

Water and sanitation access

In the ASEAN region on average, 87 per cent

o reshwater is used or agricultural practices.

Eco-eicient water use is needed to improve

the resilience o rural livelihoods to changing

meteorological and climate patterns, ensure

ood production and reduce ood security

challenges. With rapid urbanization, ASEAN

cities are acing soaring demand or equitable

access to water. Yet, there is good news in that

ASEAN countries are moving towards ull


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access to sae water supplies, with a median

access o 84 per cent in rural areas and 96 per

cent in urban areas and both proportions

are converging. Levels o access to sae

sanitation are lower 87 per cent in urban

areas and 64 per cent in rural areas but inthis case too the numbers are converging.

Environmental sustainability

Te ASEAN contribution to global emissions

is relatively small. However, some ASEAN

countries exceed the world average per capita

CO2

emissions and there is evidence o

convergence as the least polluter countries

are gradually increasing their emissions.

Convergence is more welcome in terms

o energy use and ASEAN countries seem

to be converging on this indicator. Even so,

energy consumption remains exceptionally

high in Myanmar, as well as in Viet Nam and

Indonesia.

owards the ASEAN Community

Te principal document guiding the process

o economic integration is the ASEANEconomic Community Blueprint which

aims at a single market that will oer producers

the opportunity to tap common sources o

supply and serve larger markets, while providing

consumers with a greater variety o goods at

lower prices.

Te drat Blueprint or the ASEAN Socio-

Cultural Community (ASCC) (2008-2015),

expected to be completed by the 14th ASEAN

Summit to be held in Tailand in December

2008, will provide urther impetus to socio-

cultural integration. Key components o

the drat ASCC Blueprint include human

development, social welare and development,

social justice and rights, environmental

sustainability, building the ASEAN identity

and narrowing the development gap. ASEANs

Vision o an ASEAN Socio-cultural

Community recognizes that social inequity

can undermine economic development.

rade integration

It does not appear that ASEAN has beenparticularly successul at intensiying tradebetween its own members. Among the

ASEAN-10, intra-regional trade, althoughgrowing, represents only around one-quarter

o total trade. However a notable eatureo the ASEAN nations is that they trade

extensively with other developing countries,particularly in Asia. In these circumstances,

while greater intra-ASEAN trade might bedesirable it should not be pursued at the

expense o trade with other Asian markets.Te key instrument or trade integration has

been the 1992 ASEAN Free rade Area.

By 2007, weighted taris or intra-ASEANtrade were less than two per cent, thoughtaris or the rest o the world were also low

at less than three per cent. Indeed ASEANhas now reached the stage where obstacles

to greater integration are related more tonon-tari barriers such as customs ormalities,

administrative procedures and various standards.O particular concern are wide variations in

the cost o trading. Import and export costs

per container, or example, are our to ivetimes greater in the Lao PDR than in Singapore.

Due to lack o bilateral data, it is not possible

to analyze trends in intra-ASEAN servicestrade. However, some indication o

l iberal izat ion may be gauged romcommitments to the General Agreement on

rade in Services at the World radeOrganization. On the basis o the World

Banks GAS commitments index, ASEANcommitments to liberalize at the multilateral

level appear to be low, though the higher-income countries seem to be slightly more open

than the others.

Investment integration

Integration could also be accelerated by greater

fows o oreign direct investment (FDI) andcapital. At present, intra-ASEAN FDI fows

are relatively low $8.2 billion in 2007. Mosto this comes rom Singapore and Malaysia,


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and the main destinations are the same two

countries plus Indonesia and hailand.However, there have also been intra-ASEAN

investments in lower-income countries encouraged by their preerential access to

ASEAN markets. Te apparel industry, orexample, has migrated to lower-cost bases in

Cambodia, the Lao PDR and Viet Nam toproduce garments or export to other countries.

In the case o intra-ASEAN capital lows,integration is hampered by the relativeunderdevelopment o domestic equity and

bond markets. Equity markets are oten quiteshallow and bond markets are relatively small

and ace legal and regulatory hurdles.

Development assistance

Economic integration within ASEAN can also

be encouraged by lows o developmentassistance rom the more developed to

the poorer economies. For this ASEAN hasestablished a number o instruments. One is

the Initiative or ASEAN Integration orwhich around 60 per cent o the unds come

rom ASEAN-6 and the rest rom Dialogue

Partners and development agencies. Anotheris the ASEAN Development Fund which isintended to leverage unding rom other

partners and has contributions rom Australia,China, India, Malaysia and Singapore, among

others. On the whole, aid via ASEAN has beenor sot inrastructure in capacity building and

technical assistance projects, while most othe inance or hard inrastructure has comerom outside the region.

ransport and logistics

ASEAN has a ransport Action Plan 2005-2010that aims to ensure that the regions multimodal

transport inrastructure works eiciently, onland on water and in the air with seamless

movement o people and goods. Inrastructurehas been developed within the ramework o

the Asian Highway and the rans-Asian Railwaynetworks. Important projects include the

Singapore-Kunming Rail Link and highwaysand bridges on the ASEAN North-South and

East-West Economic Corridors. As well as

building physical inrastructure, ASEAN hasalso been attempting to make services run

more eiciently across borders. his willalso mean building capacities and skills in

transport operators, greater collaborationbetween government ministries, agencies, andpolicy makers to arrive, or example, at

common standards and codes o conduct.

Energy

he ASEAN Plan o Action on Energy

Cooperation has six programme areas: theASEAN power grid; trans-ASEAN gas pipelines;

coal; energy eiciency and conservation;

renewable energy, and regional energy policyand planning. Some programme areas are veryactive, with the involvement o various

stakeholders, including the private sector;while others are making slow progress since

they lack the necessary inance. ASEANsenergy development goals need to be based

not just on economic but also on social andenvironmental considerations particularly

those relating to climate change and need to

involve constructive public participation.


One o the most evident orms o integration

between ASEAN economies is the growingfow o migrant labour. Te main sources o

ASEAN labour migrants are Indonesia andMyanmar, ollowed by Cambodia and Viet

Nam, while the main destinations are BruneiDarussalam, Malaysia, Singapore and Tailand.

Migrants typically move or employmentat higher wages. here are also strong

demographic actors: while destinationcountries, such as Singapore, have an ageing

population and a shortage o younger workers,the source countries typically have younger

populations and suer rom high levels oyouth unemployment. Even when a legal

option is available, most unskilled migrantsstill preer irregular channels, since these are

quicker and cheaper. An increasing numbero migrants are women, who are particularly


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6

vulnerable to exploitation. ASEAN has already

committed itsel to an ASEAN Declarationon the Protection and Promotion o the Rights

o Migrant Workers and envisages a ree fowo skilled workers, but or this will need to

ensure mutual recognition o qualiications.

Gender equality

In spite o progress in primary school enrolment,disparities still exist within and across

countries, such as in secondary and tertiaryenrolment or in womens participation in paid

employment or politics, and in their wages ascompared to that o men. With the 1988

Declaration o the Advancement o Women

in the ASEAN Region ASEAN recognizedthe importance o active participation andintegration o women in the region in sharing

the uture development and progress oASEAN and the necessity o meeting the needs

and aspiration o women in the ASEANMember Countries. ASEAN has been

monitoring the implementation o the 1988Declaration and has published three reports

on the advancement o women. In 2004 and

or the irst time, all 10 ASEAN ForeignMinisters adopted the Declaration on theElimination o Violence against Women in

the ASEAN Region.

Inclusion o persons with disabilities

Te situation o persons with disabilities is anindicator o the level o social inclusion and

progress. Data rom nine ASEAN MemberStates show wide disparities in the proportion

o persons with disabilities, partly due todierent deinitions and data collection

methods. Over the past two decades, therehave been eorts in ASEAN countries to

improve opportunities or the participationo persons with disabilities in the development

process. Tese have yielded advancementsin entitlements and in access or persons

with disabilities to the physical environment,transportation and inormation and

communications.

asean & Un

Almost rom its inception, ASEAN hasworked with the United Nations. In 1977 it

welcomed the United Nations Development

Programme as a dialogue partner. At thattime UNDP was the only multilateral aidorganization to be accorded that status. In the

1980s and early 1990s, ASEAN also workedvery closely with the UN on Cambodia and

the related issue o Indo-Chinese asylumseekers cooperation that was to prove

critical in the resolution o these issues. Androm the 1990s into the early years o the 21st

century, ASEAN and the United Nations haveworked together on confict prevention and

resolution and peacebuilding.

Now ASEAN is looking to strengthenregional cooperation by adopting a new

Charter which looks beyond mutual security,aiming to build a solid ASEAN Community

that has stronger economic and socio-culturalties. Tis will not be easy. Te 10 countriesthat make up ASEAN operate under very

dierent socio-economic and political

conditions. Some have the resilient andoutward-looking economic and socialstructures that should serve them well as the

global economy enters a new and moreturbulent era. Others are in a much weaker

position and will rely on the support o othermember countries i they are to engage

constructively in a more testing environment.

ASEAN has the opportunity to ulil itspotential as a strong and productive community

o nations. Tis will mean exploring newroutes and channels that it its distinctive

regional circumstances. In this, it should alsobe able to draw on other valuable resources,

particularly those o the United Nations, withits practical experience in many o the diicult

issues that ASEAN has to address.


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ASEAN and the UN held joint summits in

2000 and 2005. Following these summits, theUN General Assembly invited ASEAN to

participate in its sessions and work in anobserver capacity. Ten the ASEAN Foreign

Ministers in 2007 accorded the UnitedNations ull dialogue partner status.

Accordingly, in 2007, the Secretaries-Generalo ASEAN and the United Nations signed a

memorandum o understanding (MOU) committing their organizations to workingtogether to promote regional peace and

stability and the achievement o theMillennium Development Goals. Te third

ASEAN-UN Summit in 2008 thus presents

an opportunity not just to refect on the roadtraversed thus ar, but also to inject new energyinto the partnership.

As ASEAN moves to a new phase in its

development, it is looking or dierent wayso engaging all its Member States in all three

pillars o the ASEAN Community. Tis iswhere closer cooperation with the United

Nations could be o particular value combining ASEANs capacity to build trust between

neighbours with the United Nations experiencein promoting economic and social development

that is irmly grounded in universal principlesand values.

Te beneits rom such a partnership were

amply demonstrated in the channelling ointernational assistance ollowing Cyclone

Nargis which hit Myanmar in May 2008.Te UN and ASEAN were able to rise to the

challenge with a joint response to the Governmento Myanmar that led to the ormation o anunprecedented tripartite partnership, to expedite

the fow o aid to people in desperate needand to move on quickly to begin reconstruction.

Tis eased the entry o relie supplies and aidworkers, helped prevent the spread o starvation

and disease, and saved many lives. hepartnership also created a new window o

opportunity or the international community

to work with ASEAN and the Governmento Myanmar.

he Asia-Paciic Regional Coordination

Mechanism

Future cooperation between the UN and

ASEAN can capitalize on the United Nations

Asia-Paci ic Regional Coordinat ionMechanism (RCM). Te RCM was established

by the UN Economic and Social Council to

improve coordination among the work

programmes o the organizations o the

United Nations system, towards regional-level

system-wide coherence and delivering as

one.

Te Executive Secretary o ESCAP and RCM

members have identiied three broad areas in

which the RCM can work eectively: irst, joint advocacy, including on the MDGs;

second, convening power in areas o high-level

policy concerns, as well as cross-cutting or

transboundary issues, such as climate change

or water access; third, joint reporting, based

on the analytical capacity o ESCAP and

individual RCM entities. Cooperation

between ASEAN and the United Nations

already covers a broad range o activities.

Te ESCAP secretariat, on its part, proposes

to consult with the ASEAN Secretariat on

speciic areas o collaboration or inclusion in

a more ocused and revised MOU to mark

the new phase o partnership, which would

supersede the MOU that had been signed

in January 2002.

owards a common market

A number o UN and related agencies canwork with ASEAN towards this objective. Te

Asian Development Bank (ADB) , or example,

is working with ASEAN on such activities as

the ASEAN+3 Economic Review and Policy

Dialogue Process, the Chiang Mai Initiative

and the Asian Bonds Market Initiative.ESCAP

has an ongoing programme on benchmarking

o regional trade agreements or the purpose

o transorming them into drivers o dynamic

regional cooperation which would be useulor tracking ASEAN progress. ESCAP could


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cooperate with ASEAN in evolving a region-

wide surveillance and early warning systemon the inancial sector, as well as capacity-

building activities on monitoring regionalinancial vulnerability. he International

Labour Organization(ILO) has a cooperationagreement or joint programmes with ASEAN

to promote decent work. Te International

elecommunication Union (IU) has been

cooperating with the ASEAN Secretariat intelecommunications development and theWorld Bank- ASEAN are conducting joint

research and studies on a regional integrationagenda and is also discussing an ASEAN

Regional Inrastructure Finance Network.


A number o UN organizations are supporting

ASEAN eorts to ulil the Declaration onthe Protection and Promotion o the Rights

o Migrant Workers. In September 2008,ESCAPcoorganized with the IOM the Asia-

Paciic High-level Meeting on InternationalMigration and Development in which six

ASEAN Member States participated actively

in discussing the protection o migrantworkers. ESCAP could also support ASEANin pursuing policy research and convening

policy dialogues, towards acilitating ASEANmigration management. Te ILO, or example,

coorganized with the ASEAN Secretariat inApril 2008 the 1st ASEAN Forum on Migrant

Labour proposed as an annual event to buildtrust and conidence. Furthermore, the ILO is

assisting ASEAN in the development oprinciples and guidelines or an ASEANregional ramework or managing labour

migration. Te International Organization orMigration (IOM) is jointly implementing with

the ASEAN Secretariat Standard OperatingProcedures or the Return, Recovery and

Reintegration o raicking Victims.

ransportation networks

For transport issues ASEAN has worked closely

with ESCAPon land transport inrastructure,transport acilitation and developing and

proessionalizing the reight orwarding,multimodal and logistics industries.

Disaster preparedness and early warning

Te Inter-AgencySecretariato the InternationalStrategy or Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR)is working with ASEAN on the implementationo the Hyogo Framework or Action. Te

ASEAN Secretariat, ESCAP, UNISDR andthe World Bank are in discussion on a newMOU to mainstream disaster risk reductioninto ASEAN development processes. ESCAPhas established a Regional sunami rustFund that supports the development o multi-hazard early warning systems; the Fund isbeneitting ASEAN Member States. ESCAP,through its programme on IC and DisasterRisk Reduction, is ready to work with ASEAN

in promoting regional mechanisms orinormation sharing and analysis and ordisaster and emergency communications, as

well as strengthening country capacities. Sincethe beginning o the Highly Pathogenic AvianInfuenza (HPAI) crisis in 2004 in Asia, theFood and Agriculture Organization o theUnited Nations (FAO) has been collaboratingclosely with the ASEAN HPAI ask Force tosupport eorts to control this serious animaland human health threat. FAO is contributing

technical assistance to the ASEAN Secretariatconcerning HPAI control and prevention.he United Nations High Commission orReugees (UNHCR) has been conducting anEmergency Management raining Programmeas a cooperative endeavour with the ASEANCommittee on Disaster Management. TeUN International Strategy or Disaster Reduction(UNISDR) is working with ASEAN on theimplementation o the Hyogo Framework or

Action under the guidance o the ASEAN

Agreement on Disaster Management andEmergency Response. UNISDR also cooperates

with the ASEAN Sub-Committee on PublicAwareness and Education regarding educationon disaster risk reduction issues. Te ISDR

Asia Partnership on Disaster Reduction (IAP)could assist ASEAN Member States inmainstreaming disaster risk reduction intotheir national development strategies. TeWorld Food Programme (WFP) is in ongoing

discussions with ASEAN regarding a portable,disaster simulation capability known asthe Asia Emergency and PreparednessResponse.


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Environmental sustainability and

climate change

he July 2008 ASEAN Declaration on

Environmental Sustainability adopted by

ASEAN Heads o State and Government atthe 41 st ASEAN Ministerial Meetingcommitted to achieving the common goal o

a clean and green ASEAN. Te elaborationo the ASEAN Climate Change Initiative will

play an important role in the ASEAN responseto climate change. ADBis working directly

with most ASEAN Member States on assessing

the economic costs o climate change. In line with the Green Growth approach, ESCAP

would be ready to work with ASEAN on

developing an evidence-based strategy orlow-carbon development and climate-resilient

ASEAN societies. Close FAO-ASEAN

Secretariat collaboration led to endorsementby ASEAN Senior Oicers on Forestry (and

subsequently by ASEAN Ministers) o theCode o Practice or Forest Harvesting in Asia

and the Paciic in 2001, ollowed by jointmonitoring o ASEAN country-level

implementation. With FAO support, the

ASEAN Secretariat conducted a ormalassessment o ASEAN country codeimplementation in 2007. FAO has also

collaborated with the ASEAN Secretariat inire and orest management, including

combating illegal logging. Te IUhas beendrating guidelines indicating how Member

States can make use o more energy-eicientIC equipment in mitigating and adapting

to climate change. he United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) works toencourage reductions in energy use among

residential and commercial consumers socountries in the region may achieve

environmentally sustainable and economicallyeicient development. Te United Nations

Environment Programme(UNEP) collaborationwith the ASEAN Secretariat has led to the

development o the ASEAN Agreement onransboundary Haze Pollution. UNEP also

provided inancial assistance to the ASEAN

Secretariat in developing the ASEAN State oEnvironment Report or the years 2002 and

2006. Since 2007, the World Bankhas been

providing technical assistance to the ASEANSecretariat to increase the impact o orest law

enorcement and governance. he WorldHealth Organization (WHO) has developed a

regional ramework to build the capacity othe public health sector in preparing or and

responding to climate change.

Gender equality

Achieving gender equality implies not onlythe advancement o women, but also tackling

the underlying reasons or gender inequality.Increased coordination by Asia-Paciic RCM

partners and stakeholders to promote gender-

responsive strategies or MDG achievementcan help in tackling prevailing genderdisparities and discrimination against women

and girls in the region. ESCAPhas a longhistory o acilitating and convening a range

o stakeholders on gender and developmentissues and the promotion o gender equality,

to strengthen coordination and consistencyin the approach to these issues. Te United

Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)will ocus,

among others, on promoting and advocatingor high impact interventions to acceleratereductions in maternal and neonatal deaths

through improved health, nutrition and water,hygiene and sanitation. In 2006, the United

Nations Development Fund or Women(UNIFEM) and ASEAN signed a Framework

or Cooperation to promote and implementthe 1988 Declaration o the Advancement

o Women and the 2004 Vientiane ActionProgramme. Under the Framework, ASEANand UNIFEM have agreed to jointly carry out

practical measures to eliminate violence andend discrimination against women. Tere

have also been eorts to share good practicesand strengthen the capacity o governments

in a number o other areas including: gendermainstreaming, gender equality legislation,

and the rights o women migrant workers.Te United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

is supporting South-South collaboration

involving ASEAN countries in reproductivehealth, gender and population ageing.


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UNFPA partnerships in the ASEAN region

ocus on reducing unwanted pregnancies,access to antenatal care and reducing the

adolescent birth rate. Furthermore, UNFPAis working to strengthen the provision o

skilled attendants at birth, and improve accessto emergency obstetric care or all women

with complications in pregnancy, as well ason improving maternal health.

Food security

FAO has been working with the ASEAN

Secretariat on a regional ramework or actionto strengthen ood security. Te ILO is working

with ASEAN countries to address the social

impact o rising ood prices and to promotelabour productivity growth in agriculture.Te United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertiication secretariat will be working withASEAN countries to address land degradation

issues such as reduction in land productivityand biodiversity. Te World Food Programme

has pursued national and regional initiativesrelated to the East Asian Emergency Rice

Reserve and the ASEAN Food Security

Inormation System.

Health systems

ESCAP has produced a range o practicalrecommendations that ASEAN Member

States can adopt in order to increase iscalspace or spending on health care and tostrengthen current eorts to pool risk and

provide inancial protection to individuals andhouseholds. UNICEF and ASEAN have a

long-standing collaboration since 1991 withinthe biennial Ministerial Consultation on

Children that provides an important orumto address a wide range o childrens issues.

hese have resulted in great progress inASEAN achievement o the child-related

MDGs. UNICEF shall work with ASEANregional and national bodies to address

emerging threats that impact negatively onchildren and continue joint monitoring o the

situation o children in the ASEAN region.UNFPA assists in increasing ASEAN capacity

to monitor sub-national inequities in reaching

reproductive health targets, particularly withinunderserved groups such as the poor, migrants,

as well as remote rural, ethnic minority andother socially vulnerable groups. WHO-

ASEAN collaboration can be traced back to1979 and has been covered by a series oMOUs. Te World Health Organization is

about to sign its latest Memorandum o Association with ASEAN ocusing on:

prevention and control o communicable andnon-communicable diseases; health systems

strengthening; ood security, ood saety andnutrition; health eects o climate change and

the environment; emergency preparedness

and response; globalization and trade and theirimpact on health; and traditional medicine.

HIV/AIDS

ILO assisted in the establishment o the irst

group o HIV/AIDS Focal Points o ASEANMinistries o Labour and acilitated their

interaction with the ASEAN ask Force on AIDS. In 2007, the ILO worked with the

HIV/AIDS Focal Points to drat the Essential

Workplace Action or the Prevention andManagement o HIV and AIDS in ASEANMember Countries. Planned ASEAN

activities with UNAIDSinclude: scaling upprevention programmes, particularly thoseaddressing the needs o vulnerable populations;

obtaining increased resources or HIVprevention, treatment and care; integrating

HIV and AIDS into development plans; andpromoting exchanges o expertise among

member States. Te UNFPA technical teamin South-East Asia worked with the ASEAN

ask Force on AIDS (AFOA) or theormulation o both the second and third

ASEAN Work Plans (20012005 and 20062010).

Education

Te United Nations Educational, Scienti ic andCultural Organization (UNESCO) is working

with the ASEAN Secretariat and otherregional bodies to extend education to the


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unreached, disadvantaged and underserved

groups. UNESCO Bangkok is also working with the ASEAN Secretariat to establish

a regular orum o Ministers o SocialDevelopment in Southeast Asia.

Human rights and governance

Te Ofice o the High Commissioner or Human

Rights (OHCHR) has been providing technicalsupport to the ASEAN Secretariat or the

development o an eective and credible ASEAN human rights body. UNDP, in

collaboration with OHCHR, is exploring theprovision o support to the new ASEAN

human rights mechanism. UNHCRwill also

work with ASEAN on its human rights bodyconcerning the rights o asylum seekers andreugees. Since ASEANs Commitment or

Children in 2001, there has been a series oDeclarations on Cooperation in Youth

Development Programmes and the CebuDeclaration on One Caring and Sharing

Community all o whichUNICEFsupports.In October 2000, under the auspices o the

United Nations Ofice on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC) and in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and China, regionalstakeholders adopted a regional ramework,

the ASEAN and China Cooperative Operationsin Response to Dangerous Drugs (ACCORD)

Plan o Action which was endorsed by theEconomic and Social Council. In April 2003,

the ASEAN Secretariat and UNODC signed

an MOU on Drug Control and Crime

Prevention Cooperation, to acilitate and

support both parties in addressing theinterrelated issues o drug control and crime

prevention through joint technical cooperation

projects and programmes.

Data collection, monitoring and review

ESCAPcould oer statistical and analytical

support in tracking ASEAN development

outcomes, including those related to the

MDG+ goals and the social consequences oASEAN economic integration. ESCAP could

acilitate the development o a joint peer review

mechanism. ESCAP could also assist in

tracking ollow-up action on the outcomes o

the Tird ASEAN-UN Summit. Te ILO

Regional Oice or Asia and the Paciic

published two reports on Labour and Social

rendsinASEAN. Te reports present major

trends in employment and social conditions

in the ASEAN region, along with thematicchapters that analyse key employment and

social issues.

New directions

Te partnerships that last are those that can

be and are constantly renewed, as the partners

tackle tough problems together in a spirit o

riendship and mutual respect. Te UN and

ASEAN have long experience o workingtogether, whether on issues o security, or o

economic and social development. Progress

has been more rapid in some areas than others,

and there have inevitably been setbacks and

rustrations. And as the global economic skies

darken at the end o 2008, this may not seem

any time to express a degree o optimism. But

as recent experience has demonstrated, even

the most diicult o circumstances can spark

new ways o thinking and encouragea willingness to try resh ideas. here is

a demanding agenda or strengthening

cooperation between the United Nations and

ASEAN as both organizations strive together

or prosperity, stability and peace.


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Te countries that make up South-East Asia orm astrikingly diverse group. From the sophisticated citystate o Singapore, to the remote mountain

regions o the Lao PDR, to the thousands o islandsthat make up the Indonesian archipelago, thesenations cover most o the worlds country typologies in terms o population size and density, o economicdevelopment, o ethnic complexity, and o political

systems.

Nevertheless, they have worked together in a stableregional organization the Association o Southeast

Asian Nations. Embarking with ive countries in1967, ASEAN has extended its membership to 10,allowing these countries to weave patterns ocooperation that match their own unique characteristics as well as serve their dierent, and sometimesconficting, interests. imor-Leste, newly independentas o May 2002, has expressed interest in ASEAN

membership and joined ARF in July 2005.

Like all other international organizations, ASEANhas had to adjust to a rapidly changing globalenvironment which also involves realigning itsel

with other institutions and groupings o countries,including the United Nations. Te purpose o thisstudy is to relect on these changes and morespeciically on the development o ASEANscooperation with the UN. In such a complexenvironment, this study cannot oer an elaborateroadmap, but it can signpost some o the potentialor uture collaboration as ASEAN moves into a newphase.

Building the ASEAN Community

Te direction o uture ASEAN-UN cooperation willbe determined primarily by the ways in which ASEANitsel continues to evolve. When ive countries oSouth-East Asia ounded ASEAN in 1967 they wereattempting to build or rebuild their own nations inthe post-colonial, low-trust climate o the Cold War.For their new regional organization they thereorechose a loose orm o intergovernmentalassociation. Te irst binding treaty or South-East

Asia the reaty o Amity and Cooperation (AC) appeared in 1976. Te AC identiied three keyprinciples: respect or the territorial integrity oMember States; non-intererence in each othersdomestic aairs; and the peaceul settlement odisputes.

ASEAN countries complemented these principles

with their own distinctive understanding ogovernance. Across South-East Asia, democracy waslimited: governments had typically been hierarchicaland paternalistic. Small networks o technocratically-minded elites would take most o the decisions, otenprivately and inormally. Tere was a tendency totrade social and political reedom or strongeconomic perormance.

Tis style o governance was refected in the constructiono ASEAN. In their dealings with each other, Member

States adhered resolutely to principles o statesovereignty and non-intererence. Rather thanestablishing new rules or each other they instead

T a su a n b wd m dub up. a m u dd, w m w

asean cmmu, w w c ppu dm z.

THE ASEANACHIEVEMENT


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STRIVING TOGETHER: ASEAN & THE UN

embarked on a series o inormal, consensus-drivenconsultations, taking decisions and resolving disputesbehind closed doors. Te public aspect o ASEANsummits, however, has tended to be highly ormalizedand symbolic, and these and many other meetings

have oten resulted in generally phrased resolutionsand non-binding commitments.

For several decades, this mode o governance servedASEAN well. Disparate member states ound waysto cooperate on resolvable issues, while puttingsensitive, contentious matters on the back burner.Tey could, or example, take credit or maintainingpeace in the region, or being instrumental in pullingViet Nam out o Cambodia and, until 1997, generallyachieving impressive economic growth.

Tis model was seriously weakened, however, by the Asian inancial crisis o 1997. Globalization, andparticularly the liberalization o the inancial sector,exposed many countries to new economic risks anduncertainties. It also had serious implications or themodel o economic paternalism. In some countries,the crisis and its atermath undermined nationalelites. It weakened their claim to be consistentlycompetent economic managers who could be trustedto act on behal o the population as a whole breaking

the implicit pact that had involved sacriicing ulldemocratic accountability or sound economicperormance.

Moreover the crisis exposed an inherent weakness inASEAN as an institution. In its reluctance to imposerules on its members it had also ailed to developrobust inancial procedures or institutions that might,or example, have been able to stabilize inancialmarkets by imposing general controls on volatile anddisruptive fows o capital.

Since then ASEAN has had to look aresh at how itshould unction in a new global environment a world in which economic and political powers aredistributed in dierent ways, and where people havehigher expectations o how international organizationsshould unction. In response, over the years ASEANhas evolved what is reerred to as a loose, three-trackramework. Governments relate to each other throughrack 1, while non-governmental organizations arerepresented, in a more limited way, through racks2 and 3.

rack 1 Intergovernmental

ASEANs highest decision-making body is the annualSummit o Heads o State and Government. Belowthis it holds various ministerial meetings, which takeplace around twice a year, o which those or oreign

ministers carry the greatest weight. Tere are also over100 senior oicial committees and working groups.he number o meetings has expanded and theSecretary-General o ASEAN is expected to attendall summits and ministerial meetings, although justhal a decade ago ASEAN was viewed as having lessactivity between meetings, as compared with otherregional bodies as a whole (Muthiah, 2003).

ASEANs principal institution is its Jakarta-basedSecretariat. It has a sta o 60 oicers recruited rom

ASEAN Member States and 150 more support starecruited locally. So ar it has had limited capacityand authority. Te ASEAN Charter will give theSecretariat much more responsibility, though or thisit would need signiicant additional human andinancial resources.

Te main work organs o ASEAN are the StandingCommittee, which meets six times a year, and varioussub-committees (Nguyen and Westcott, 2007). Tisis soon to be replaced by the Committee o PermanentRepresentatives to ASEAN in Jakarta. Te main work

in ASEAN is done by the 26 ASEAN Ministerialbodies assisted by their senior oicials meetings orcommittees.

he ASEAN Summit is strong on protocol andsymbolism, and sets a general agenda. But it does notclosely manage ASEAN cooperation. Nor do theMinisterial Meetings and various specialized bodiesand arrangements, which ocus on speciic sectors ornarrow ields o work and thus ind it diicult toconsider the whole picture or the impact that ASEANmight be having on the lives and welare o its

population.

Formal decision-making in ASEAN is an exclusivelyintergovernmental aair that has taken great care notto alienate other member States. Tis means, decision-making is time consuming as it has to go throughextensive rounds o consultations. ASEAN does,however, have a procedure by which one country canabstain rom a particular issue or project as longas it is not totally opposed to it. Te origin o thismechanism lies in the 1970s when Singapore

decided not to go along with a diesel-making projectbut did not object to the others participation. Tis


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An emerging civil society player is the Solidarity orAsian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA) network. Tis toowas a response to the slow progress o the APA, aswell as to dierences o opinion between academicsand other representatives rom civil society about

the way ASEAN should pursue integration. Unlikethe APA, however, neither the ACSC nor SAPA arementioned in any ormal ASEAN documents.

While ASEAN as a whole has not ully embracedcivil society groups, it should also be noted that someo the diiculties lie with the CSOs themselves. Teyhave yet to agree on how and to what extent they

want to engage with ASEAN. Ten there is the issueo which CSOs to include or cooperation, given theirlarge numbers and variations in expertise and interests

and the act that despite their claims they are notrepresentative o all citizens. Moreover, some CSOsmay make generic or unrealistic demands that makeit diicult or them to be involved constructively andcollaboratively particularly on undamental issuessuch as democracy or human rights.

However, all these issues can be resolved and ASEANshould be able to involve CSOs more strongly,particularly those specialist organizations working onsingle issues which can serve as advisers to regional

and international organizations. Furthermore, CSOswith extensive networks can mobilize the public andraise stronger awareness o ASEAN a valuableresource or ASEAN, given its low levels o publicrecognition and overall weak regional identity.

ASEAN could also involve civil society in monitoringand evaluation unctions and in actively advocatingor implementation o agreements on national andregional levels.

Working with business

Since its ounding, ASEAN has also striven to workwith regional business networks. One o the mostimportant has been the ASEAN Chambers oCommerce and Industry (ASEAN-CCI) which wasounded ater the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in1971. Te ASEAN-CCI has allowed the businesscommunity to provide inputs and voiced its concerns.It played an important part, or example, in thecreation o the ASEAN Free rade Area and haslobbied or more regular and requent meetings othe ASEAN Summit.

Other networks emerged during the 1980s and1990s. Te ASEAN Business Forum, or example,

was established in 1994 and the ASEAN BusinessAdvisory Council in 2003. Tese and other institutionshave promoted their interests while also contributingto an inormal bottom-up process o regionalization(Chandra, 2006).

Nevertheless, the business community becamesomewhat disillusioned with ASEAN. Businessleaders complained that they were not consulted inthe planning and implementation o ASEAN projects.

As a result, many schemes ailed because they did notcorrespond to realities or needs on the ground.

An early example was the 1981 ASEAN IndustrialComplementation Scheme. his was intendedto develop industrial projects, using componentsassembled rom dierent ASEAN states. But

the guidelines were drawn up without private sectorparticipation and have been described by ASEANbusiness leaders as impractical and infexible.

In an eort to address such issues, ASEAN Heads oState and Government at the 7th ASEAN Summitheld in Bandar Seri Begawan in November 2001established the ASEAN Business Advisory Council(ASEAN-BAC), to promote public-private sectorpartnership in achieving ASEAN integration.

ASEAN-BAC provides private sector eedback on theimplementation o ASEAN economic cooperationand identiies priority areas or the considerationo ASEAN Leaders. Inaugurated at the ASEANSecretariat in April 2003, ASEAN-BAC has takenkey initiatives, including organizing the annual

ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN-BIS), which is held back-to-back or in conjunction

with the ASEAN Summit. ASEAN-BIS bringstogether around 1,000 public and private sectordelegates, including captains o commerce andindustry, rom within and outside o ASEAN ordialogue and networking, to advance business in

the ASEAN Economic Community. ASEAN-BACalso organizes the annual ASEAN Business Awardsto recognize outstanding ASEAN companiescontributing to ASEAN economic growth andprosperity.

In April 2007, to promote greater awareness othe ASEAN Economic Community, the ASEANSecretariat held an ASEAN alks Business that wasattended by more than 50 business leaders. A highlighto the 2008 ASEAN-BIS, in its sixth year, will be

the announcement o the winner o the MostAdmired ASEAN Enterprises o the 2008 ASEANBusiness Awards. Also indicative o the dynamism o


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ASEAN business is the number o associations asexempliied in one sector alone, transport, by theFederation o ASEAN Shipowners Associations(FASA), Federation o ASEAN Shippers Councils(FASC), ASEAN Ports Association (APA) and

the ASEAN Federation o Freight ForwardersAssociations (AFFA).

Building on the three pillars

Compared with other regional organizations whichhave stronger institutional structures and have enteredinto mutually-binding legal agreements, ASEAN isa much looser association. As an organization,

ASEAN has issued many declarations oten expressedin general terms, and which poorer Member Statesin particular may lack the capacity to implement.

Nevertheless, it can point to a number o successes in building what since 2003 have been reerredto as the three pillars o an envisaged ASEANCommunity the Security Community, the EconomicCommunity, and the Socio-Cultural Community.


ASEAN can be seen as a regional orce or peace andstability. Te opportunity or regular meetings hashelped national leaders build personal relationshipsand establish a degree o mutual conidence. Sinceits ounding, not withstanding occasional borderconficts, no two ASEAN members have had a largescale war. In the 1980s, ASEAN was instrumental inresolving issues arising out o Viet Nams incursioninto Cambodia.

ASEAN was also instrumental in ounding in 1994the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Tis has become

Asias principal arena or dialogue on peace andsecurity. Te ARF comprises 27 countries: in additionto the 10 ASEAN states it includes ASEANs 10dialogue partners Australia, Canada, China, theEuropean Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, theRepublic o Korea, Russia and the United States,along with one ASEAN observer, Papua NewGuinea as well as the Democratic PeoplesRepublic o Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, imor-Leste,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

ASEAN has also been instrumental in the establishmento other regional ora such as the ASEAN+3 process(ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic o

Korea), Asia- Paciic Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the AsiaCooperation Dialogue (ACD).


Another o ASEANs primary tasks has been topromote economic integration. Tis process haslargely been market driven, as the ASEAN region hasbeen a avourable location or investment andproduction by many multinational enterprises.

Accordingly, ASEAN countries have becomeindispensable building blocks o Asias actory.However, ASEAN itsel has also become more activein pursuing economic cooperation. Some o the mostimportant measures or economic integrationinclude:

ASEAN Free rade Area

Te ASEAN Free rade Agreements set the path

towards an ASEAN ree trade area (AFA). Tisincludes a Common Eective Preerential ariScheme, signed in 1992, which allows or a fexibleapproach to liberalization. As a result, or the moredeveloped countries that make up the ASEAN-6,applied taris have been reduced to between zero andive per cent, and should reach zero by 2010. Teother our countries, ASEANs newer members,Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam(CLMV) are expected to reach that target by 2015.

Falling taris have promoted a steady increase inintra-ASEAN trade, which or ASEAN countries isnow running at over 25 per cent o their total trade.Tis might be seen as a airly small proportion compared with the EU-15, or which intra-regionaltrade makes up around 60 per cent o their total trade.But ASEANs trade also has to be considered withinthe context o its integration with wider productionsystems in East Asia. Moreover, trade is much moreimportant or ASEAN than it is or some otherregional groupings: its overall trade to GDP ratio is

around 170 per cent compared with 75 per centor the EU-15, or example, or 32 per cent orthe countries o the North American Free rade

Agreement (NAFA).

Chiang Mai Initiative

Te inancial crisis rom 1997 caused a massiveoutfow o capital across ASEAN, resulting in severedepreciations in exchange rates, obliging countriesto seek more than $100 billion rom the InternationalMonetary Fund under strenuous conditions. o avoid

a similar scenario in the uture and the severeconditionality the ASEAN countries have beenbuilding up their own national reserves. In addition


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they have established a homegrown currency supportsystem relying on the mutual exchange o reserves.Te result, in 2000, was the Chiang Mai Initiative a system o multilateral and bilateral currency swapsusing a portion o the oreign exchange reserves o

ASEAN+3 countries. In May 2007, in lieu o the

previous system o bilateral swaps, ASEAN+3 agreedin principle to pool a portion o their oreign exchangereserves. In 2008, in response to the ongoing globalinancial crisis, ASEAN+3 has also been discussing

ways in which the CMI could be urther deepened or

extended.

BoxI-1

The Chiang Mai Initiative

The Chiang Mai Initiative, announced by the ASEAN+3

finance ministers in May 2000, consists of four areas of

cooperation: swap networks, monitoring capital flows,

regional surveillance, and the training of personnel. The

swap arrangements have two elements: an expanded

ASEAN Swap Arrangement (ASA), and a Bilateral

Swap Arrangements (BSAs). These allowed countries

to exchange their local currency for US dollars in

case of temporary international liquidity problems.

The expanded ASA of 2000 included all 10 ASEAN

countries, with ASEAN-6 contributing more than the newer

entrants. The swap currencies were extended to include

the yen and the euro. Countries could borrow up to twicethe amount of their contribution for up to one year. The total

size of the fund was to be $1 billion which was expanded in

May 2005 to $2 billion.

The BSAs allowed for swaps of local currencies, mainly for US

dollars, between each of the three ASEAN+3 countries both

with each other and with the 10 ASEAN Member States. The

ASEAN framework agreement laid out the basic principles,

although each BSA may differ somewhat in its specific

terms. As of May 2007 there were 16 BSAs with a total

of $83 billion in swaps between eight countries China,

Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the

Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Although theoretically

any ASEAN country could undertake a BSA, in reality the

main beneficiaries were Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines,

and Indonesia. Newer and less well-off ASEAN countries

have relied instead on foreign aid.

In response to the recent global financial cris is, an expanded

Chiang Mai Initiative agreed in May 2008 is planned to be

speedily implemented. The outline of the plan foresees a

self-managed reserve-pooling mechanism governed by a

legally binding single contract. All the 13 nations wouldcontribute to the fund and they would still manage their

own reserves. This is a key change from the outcome

of the old system of BSAs where ASEAN+3 countries were

contributors and beneficiaries whereas the 10 ASEAN

Member States were solely beneficiaries. The expanded CMI

arrangement would be based on a number of strict criteria

on surveillance, access to borrowing, activation processes,

decision-making arrangements, and covenants.

ransport agreements

ASEAN countries have made a commitment to worktogether towards regional connectivity, as part obroader Asian agreements on highway and railwaynetworks. hese and other understanding atsubregional levels have helped improve physicalinrastructure, as with the three bridges betweenhailand and neighbouring countries, and a228-kilometre road in the Lao PDR, which will orm

part o a North-South Corridor and the rehabilitationo 600 kilometres o railway track in Cambodia.However, because it is also vital to reduce non-physicalbarriers ASEAN Member States have concluded a

series o agreements relating to land transportacilitation and multimodal transport. Tese includethe ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitationo Goods in ransit, 1998, which deals among otherthings with the designation o transit transport routesand acilities, the technical requirements o vehiclesand an ASEAN scheme o compulsory motor vehicleinsurance. Collaboration between the ASEAN subseto GMS countries and China has also resulted in the

GMS Cross-Border ransport Agreement. FigureI-1and Figure I-2 show the Asian Highway networkand the rans Asian Railway network routes withinthe ASEAN region.


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Trans-Asian Railway, ASEAN region

Asian Highway, ASEAN region

Figure

I-2

Figure

I-1

The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map

do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the

Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country,

territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of

its frontiers or boundaries.

The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map

do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the

Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country,

territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its

frontiers or boundaries.

Track Gauges1,676 mm

1,520 mm

1,435 mm

1,067 mm

1,000 mm

1,000/1,435 mm

TAR LINK - PLANNED/UNDER CONSTRUCTION

POTENTIAL TAR LINK

POTENTIAL TAR LINK TO BE CONSIDERED

BREAK-OF-GAUGE

FERRY CROSSING

LegendAsian Highway RoutePotential Asian Highway RouteFerry LinkCapital City


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Initiative or ASEAN Integration

A truly integrated ASEAN community will meanreducing disparities between richer and poorermembers. o some extent this will require a transero resources across the economies. For this purpose,

ASEAN has established programmes such as theInitiative or ASEAN Integration (IAI). Te IAI

Action Plan or 2002-2008 is devoted largely to sotinrastructure through studies and training, withprojects on inrastructure, human resource subregionaldevelopment, inormation and telecommunicationstechnology, capacity building or regional economicintegration, tourism, poverty and quality o lie.

Assistance or most o ASEANs hard inrastructurestill comes rom international inancial institutionsand the aid programmes o developed countries.


ASEAN envisages a community o cohesive,equitable and harmonious societies, bound togetherin solidarity or deeper understanding andcooperation (ASEAN, 2004). Tis remains a longer-term aspiration since there are still wide disparitiesbetween Member States. Eorts to reduce these couldinclude, or example, intra-regional monetarytransers or technical cooperation, as well as settingregional standards on health and labour and theprotection o vulnerable groups. ASEAN has a

number o relevant declarations. Many have yet tobe implemented but ASEAN has achieved signiicantcooperation in some areas, including the ollowing:

Disaster management

ASEANs Committee on Disaster Management hadbeen developing rameworks or cooperation. Priorityprojects under the ASEAN Regional Programme onDisaster Management include the establishmento an ASEAN Regional Disaster ManagementFramework, whose activities emphasize thedevelopment o standard operating procedures anddisaster response mechanisms. Te Indian Oceantsunami in 2004 was a wake-up call or strong early-

warning systems, including at the regional andsubregional levels. During a special ASEAN Leaders

meeting in January 2005, ASEAN Leaders and headso regional and international organizations agreed toestablish a regional early-warning system and developthe necessary human and scientiic capacity. ASEANscontribution to post-disaster response was alsodemonstrated in the atermath o Cyclone Nargis inMay 2008, the worst to strike Asia in 15 years, killingmore than 140,000 people and aecting more than2.4 million (OCHA, 2008). ASEAN helped bridgethe psychological gap between Myanmar and the resto the world and in building trust and cooperationbetween the Government o Myanmar and the

international community.

BoxI-2

A regional multi-hazard early-warning

system or disasters

There is growing awareness of the importance of a multi-hazard approach. Through this approach, elements of earlywarning systems address a number of related hazards. Forexample, exchange of data on sea or water levels may help

countries monitor tsunamis, cyclones, floods, storm surges,and climate change. Public awareness and educationprogrammes would ideally cover all the main hazards thatparticular areas are exposed to.

A disaster early-warning system has four main inter-dependent elements a:

1. Risk knowledge systematic collection of data andassessment of risks;

2. Monitoring and warning service hazard monitoringand generation of early warnings;

3. Dissemination and communication communicationof risk information and early warnings;

4. Response capability building national and communitycapabilities to respond to disasters.

a UN/ISDR (2006)

Prior to the 2004 tsunami, the ASEAN Committee on Disaster

Management had initiated the development of the ASEAN

Regional Programme on Disaster Management. This

promoted collaboration mostly on the response phaseof the disaster management cycle, with some technical

cooperation projects on early-warning-systems.

In 2005 in the aftermath of the tsunami, ASEAN Members

signed an Agreement on Disaster Management and

Emergency Response. This states that the parties shall,

as appropriate, establish, maintain and periodically review

national disaster early warning arrangements including:

regular disaster risk assessment; early warning information

systems; communication networks for timely delivery of

information; and public awareness and preparedness

to act upon early-warning information (ASEAN, 2005).

Implementation of the Agreement is the responsibility of the

ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management.


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Communicable diseases

ASEAN has also enabled the countries o its regionto work together on communicable diseases,particularly those with cross-border implications. In2003, or example, ASEAN convened with China a

summit in Bangkok on Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome (SARS) which agreed to implementstringent measures to contain the spread o thedisease. ASEAN was the irst region in the world witha region-wide, multi-sectoral response to SARS and

within two months had become SARS-ree. In 2003the Health Ministers adopted a Framework ASEAN+3

Action Plan on Prevention and Control o SARS andother Inectious Diseases. Tis has our priority areas:measures or international travel; strengthening theregional network o ocal points; public education;

and capacity building to respond to uture outbreakso new and emerging diseases.

ransboundary environmental challenges

Rapid growth and the exploitation o natural resourcescontinue to place pressure on ASEANs naturalcapital, with much o this pressure being transboundaryin nature. ASEAN has been successul in creatingrelatively well-coordinated oundations or collectiveresponses to key transboundary environmentalchallenges, such as haze, loss o biodiversity, watersecurity and marine pollution. ASEAN action ontransboundary haze remains one o the mostimportant o ASEAN achievements regarding itstransboundary environmental challenges. Followingsevere episodes in 2006 and 2007, the ive countriesmost aected Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia,Mala

Documents

Striving Together (ASEAN & UN)