Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
DECLARATION OF ASEAN
The President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Prime Minister of
Malaysia, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the Prime Minister
of the Republic of Singapore and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand:
REAFFIRM their commitment to the Declarations of Bandung,
ENDEAVOUR to promote peace, progress, prosperity and the welfare of the
peoples of member states;
UNDERTAKE to consolidate the achievements of ASEAN and expand ASEAN
cooperation in the economic, social, cultural and political fields;
DO HEREBY DECLARE:
ASEAN cooperation shall take into account, among others, the following
objectives and principles in the pursuit of political stability:
1. The stability of each member state and of the ASEAN region is an
essential contribution to international peace and security. Each member state
resolves to eliminate threats posed by subversion to its stability, thus
strengthening national and ASEAN resilience.
2. Member states, individually and collectively, shall take active steps
for the early establishment of the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality.
3. The elimination of poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy is a primary
concern of member states. They shall therefore intensify cooperation in
economic and social development, with particular emphasis on the promotion of
social justice and on the improvement of the living standards of their peoples.
4. Natural disasters and other major calamities can retard the pace of
development of member states. They shall extend, within their capabilities,
assistance for relief of member states in distress.
5. Member states shall take cooperative action in their national and
regional development programmes, utilizing as far as
possible the resources available in the ASEAN region to broaden the complementarity of their respective economies.
6. Member states, in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, shall rely
exclusively on peaceful processes in the settlement of intra-regional
differences.
7. Member states shall strive, individually and collectively, to create
conditions conducive to the promotion of peaceful cooperation among the nations
of
8. Member states shall vigorously develop an awareness of regional
identity and exert all efforts to create a strong ASEAN community, respected by
all and respecting all nations on the basis of mutually advantageous
relationships, and in accordance with the principles of self-determination,
sovereign equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of nations.
AND DO HEREBY ADOPT
The following programme of action as a
framework for ASEAN cooperation.
A. Political
1. Meeting of the Heads of Government of the member states as and when
necessary.
2. Signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in
3. Settlement of intra-regional disputes by peaceful means as soon as
possible.
4. Immediate consideration of initial steps towards recognition of and
respect for the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality wherever possible.
5. Improvement of ASEAN machinery to strengthen political cooperation.
6. Study on how to develop judicial cooperation including the possibility
of an ASEAN Extradition Treaty.
7. Strengthening of political solidarity by promoting the harmonization
of views, coordinating position and, where possible and desirable, taking
common actions.
B. Economic
1. Cooperation on Basic Commodities, particularly Food and Energy
(i) Member states shall assist each other by
according priority to the supply of the individual country's needs in critical
circumstances, and priority to the acquisition of exports from member states,
in respect of basic commodities, particularly food and energy.
(ii) Member states shall also intensify cooperation in the production of
basic commodities particularly food and energy in the individual member states
of the region.
2. Industrial Cooperation
(i) Member states shall cooperate to establish
large-scale ASEAN industrial plants, particularly to meet regional requirements
of essential commodities.
(ii) Priority shall be given to projects which utilize the available
materials in the member states, contribute to the increase of food production,
increase foreign exchange earnings or save foreign exchange and create
employment.
3. Cooperation in Trade
(i) Member states shall cooperate in the fields
of trade in order to promote development and growth of new production and trade
and to improve the trade structures of individual states and among countries of
ASEAN conducive to further development and to safeguard and increase their
foreign exchange earnings and reserves.
(ii) Member states shall progress towards the establishment of preferential
trading arrangements as a long term objective on a basis deemed to be at any
particular time appropriate through rounds of negotiations subject to the
unanimous agreement of member states.
(iii) The expansion of trade among member states shall be facilitated
through cooperation on basic commodities, particularly in food and energy and
through cooperation in ASEAN industrial projects.
(iv) Member states shall
accelerate joint efforts to improve access to markets outside ASEAN for their
raw material and finished products by seeking the elimination of all trade
barriers in those markets, developing new usage for these products and in
adopting common approaches and actions in dealing with regional groupings and
individual economic powers.
(v) Such efforts shall also lead to cooperation in the field of
technology and production methods in order to increase the production and to
improve the quality of export products, as well as to develop new export
products with a view to diversifying exports.
4. Joint Approach to International Commodity Problems and Other World
Economic Problems
(i) The principle of ASEAN cooperation on trade
shall also be reflected on a priority basis in joint approaches to
international commodity problems and other world economic problems such as the
reform of international trading system, the reform of international monetary
system and transfer of real resources, in the United Nations and other relevant
multilateral fora, with a view to contributing to the
establishment of the New International Economic Order.
(ii) Member states shall give priority to the stabilisation
and increase of export earnings of those commodities produced and exported by
them through commodity agreements including buffer-stock schemes and other
means.
5. Machinery for Economic Cooperation
Ministerial meetings on economic matters shall be held regularly or as
deemed necessary in order to:
(i) formulate
recommendations for the consideration of Governments of member states for the
strengthening of ASEAN economic cooperation;
(ii) review the coordination and implementation
of agreed ASEAN programmes and projects on economic
cooperation;
(iii) exchange views and consult on national
development plans and policies as a step towards harmonizing regional development;
and
(iv) perform such other relevant functions as
agreed upon by the member Governments.
C. Social
1. Cooperation in the field of social development, with emphasis on the
well being of the low-income group and of the rural population, through the
expansion of opportunities for productive employment with fair remuneration .
2. Support for the active involvement of all sectors and levels of the
ASEAN communities, particularly the women and youth, in development efforts.
3. Intensification and expansion of existing cooperation in meeting the
problems of population growth in the ASEAN region, and where possible,
formulation of new strategies in collaboration with appropriate international
agencies.
4. Intensification of cooperation among members states
as well as with the relevant international bodies in the prevention and
eradication of the abuse of narcotics and the illegal trafficking of drugs.
D. Cultural and Information
1. Introduction of the study of ASEAN, its member states and their national
languages as part of the curricula of schools and other institutions of
learning in the member states.
2. Support of ASEAN scholars, writers, artists and mass media
representatives to enable them to play an active role in fostering a sense of
regional identity and fellowship.
3. Promotion of Southeast Asian studies through closer collaboration
among national institutes.
E. security
Continuation of cooperation on a non-ASEAN basis between the member
states in security matters in accordance with their mutual needs and interests.
F. Improvement of ASEAN machinery
1. Signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN
Secretariat.
2. Regular review of the ASEAN organizational structure with a view to
improving its effectiveness.
3. Study of the desirability of a new constitutional framework for ASEAN.
DONE at Denpasar,
For the
(sign)
SOEHARTO
President
For
(sign)
DATUK HUSSEIN ONN
Prime Minister
For the Republic of the
(sign)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President
For the
(sign)
LEE KUAN YEW
Prime Minister
For the
(sign)
KUKRIT PRAMOJ
Prime Minister