Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
DECLARATION OF ASEAN
(BALI
The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of
Cambodia, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Prime Minister of the
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Prime Minister of Malaysia,
the Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar, the President of the Republic of
the Philippines, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, the Prime
Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Prime Minister of the Socialist
Republic of Viet Nam;
RECALLING the Declaration of ASEAN Concord adopted in this historic place
of
NOTING in particular the expansion of ASEAN to ten countries in Southeast
Asia, the deepening of regional economic integration and the impending
accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) by States outside
CONSCIOUS of the need to further consolidate and enhance the achievements
of ASEAN as a dynamic, resilient, and cohesive regional association for the
well being of its member states and people as well as the need to further
strengthen the Association’s guidelines in
achieving a more coherent and
clearer path for cooperation between and among them;
REAFFIRMING their commitment to the principles enshrined in the ASEAN
Declaration (Bangkok, 1967), the Declaration on Zone of Peace, Freedom, and
Neutrality (Kuala Lumpur, 1971), the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in
Southeast Asia (Bali, 1976), the Declaration of ASEAN Concord (Bali, 1976), and
the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (Bangkok, 1995);
COGNIZANT that the future of ASEAN cooperation is guided by the ASEAN
Vision 2020, the Hanoi Plan of Action (1999-2004), and its succeeding Plans of
Action, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), and the Roadmap for the
Integration of ASEAN (RIA);
CONFIRMING further that ASEAN Member Countries share primary responsibility
for strengthening the economic and social stability in the region and ensuring
their peaceful and progressive national development, and that they are
determined to ensure their stability and security from external interference in
any form or manner in order to preserve their national interest in accordance
with the ideals and aspirations of their peoples;
REAFFIRMING the fundamental importance of adhering to the principle of
non-interference and consensus in ASEAN cooperation;
REITERATING that the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia
(TAC) is an effective code of conduct for relations among governments and
peoples;
RECOGNIZING that sustainable economic development requires a secure
political environment based on a strong foundation of mutual interests
generated by economic cooperation and political solidarity;
COGNIZANT of the interdependence of the ASEAN economies and the need for
ASEAN member countries to adopt “Prosper Thy Neighbour” policies in
order to ensure the long-term vibrancy and prosperity of the ASEAN region;
REITERATING the importance of rules-based multilateral trading system
that is equitable and that contributes towards the pursuit of development;
REAFFIRMING that ASEAN is a concert of Southeast Asian nations, bonded
together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring
societies, committed to upholding cultural diversity and social harmony;
DO HEREBY DECLARE THAT:
1. An ASEAN Community shall be established comprising three pillars, namely
political and security cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-cultural
cooperation that are closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing for the
purpose of ensuring durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the
region;
2. ASEAN shall continue its efforts to ensure closer and mutually
beneficial integration among its member states and among their peoples, and to promote regional peace and stability,
security, development and prosperity with a view to realizing an ASEAN
Community that is open, dynamic and resilient;
3. ASEAN shall respond to the new dynamics within the respective ASEAN
Member Countries and shall urgently and effectively address the challenge of
translating ASEAN cultural diversities and different economic levels into
equitable development opportunity and prosperity, in an environment of
solidarity, regional resilience and harmony;
4. ASEAN shall nurture common values, such as habit of consultation to
discuss political issues and the willingness to share information on matters of
common concern, such as environmental degradation, maritime security
cooperation, the enhancement of defense cooperation among ASEAN countries,
develop a set of socio-political values and principles, and resolve to settle
long-standing disputes through peaceful means;
5. The Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) is the key code of conduct governing
relations between states and a diplomatic instrument for the promotion of peace
and stability in the region;
6. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) shall remain the primary forum in
enhancing political and security cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, as
well as the pivot in building peace and stability in the region. ASEAN shall
enhance its role in further advancing the stages of cooperation within the ARF
to ensure the security of the Asia Pacific region;
7. ASEAN is committed to
deepening and broadening its internal economic integration and linkages with
the world economy to realize an ASEAN Economic Community through a bold,
pragmatic and unified strategy;
8. ASEAN shall further build on the momentum already gained in the
ASEAN+3 process so as to further draw synergies
through broader and deeper cooperation in various areas;
9. ASEAN shall build upon opportunities for mutually beneficial regional
integration arising from its existing initiatives and those with partners,
through enhanced trade and investment links as well as through IAI process and
the RIA;
10. ASEAN shall continue to foster a community of caring societies and
promote a common regional identity;
DO HEREBY ADOPT:
The framework to achieve a dynamic, cohesive, resilient and integrated
ASEAN Community:
A. ASEAN SECURITY COMMUNITY
(ASC)
1. The ASEAN Security Community is envisaged to bring ASEAN’s political and security cooperation to a higher plane to ensure that
countries in the region live at peace with one another and with the world at
large in a just, democratic and harmonious environment. The ASEAN Security
Community members shall rely exclusively on peaceful processes in the
settlement of intra-regional differences and regard their security as
fundamentally linked to one another and bound by geographic location, common
vision and objectives.
2. The ASEAN Security Community, recognizing the sovereign right of the
member countries to pursue their individual foreign policies and defense
arrangements and taking into account the strong interconnections among
political, economic and social realities, subscribes to the principle of
comprehensive security as having broad political, economic, social and cultural
aspects in consonance with the ASEAN Vision 2020 rather than to a defense pact,
military alliance or a joint foreign policy.
3. ASEAN shall continue to promote regional solidarity and cooperation.
Member Countries shall exercise their rights to lead their national existence
free from outside interference in their internal affairs.
4. The ASEAN Security Community shall abide by the UN Charter and other
principles of international law and uphold ASEAN’s principles of non-interference, consensus-based decision-making,
national and regional resilience, respect for national sovereignty, the
renunciation of the threat or the use of force, and peaceful settlement of
differences and disputes.
5. Maritime issues and concerns are transboundary
in nature, and therefore shall be addressed regionally in holistic, integrated
and comprehensive manner. Maritime cooperation between and among ASEAN member
countries shall contribute to the evolution of the ASEAN Security Community.
6. Existing ASEAN political instruments such as the Declaration on
ZOPFAN, the TAC, and the SEANWFZ Treaty shall continue to play a pivotal role
in the area of confidence building measures, preventive diplomacy and the
approaches to conflict resolution.
7. The High Council of the TAC shall be the important component in the
ASEAN Security Community since it reflects ASEAN’s commitment to resolve all differences, disputes and conflicts
peacefully.
8. The ASEAN Security Community shall contribute to further promoting
peace and security in the wider Asia Pacific region and reflect ASEAN’s determination to move forward at a pace comfortable to all. In this
regard, the ARF shall remain the main forum for regional security dialogue,
with ASEAN as the primary driving force.
9. The ASEAN Security Community is open and outward looking in respect of
actively engaging ASEAN’s friends and
Dialogue Partners to promote peace and stability in the region, and shall build
on the ARF to facilitate consultation and cooperation between ASEAN and its
friends and Partners on regional security matters.
10. The ASEAN Security Community shall fully utilize the existing
institutions and mechanisms within ASEAN with a view to strengthening national
and regional capacities to counter terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in
persons and other transnational crimes; and shall work to ensure that the
Southeast Asian Region remains free of all weapons of mass destruction. It
shall enable ASEAN to demonstrate a greater capacity and responsibility of
being the primary driving force of the ARF.
11. The ASEAN Security Community shall explore enhanced cooperation with
the United Nations as well as other international and regional bodies for the
maintenance of international peace and security.
12. ASEAN shall explore innovative ways to increase its security and
establish modalities for the ASEAN Security Community, which include, inter alia, the following elements: norms-setting, conflict
prevention, approaches to conflict resolution, and post-conflict peace
building.
B. ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (AEC)
1. The ASEAN Economic Community is the realisation
of the end-goal of economic integration as outlined in the ASEAN Vision 2020,
to create a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN economic region in
which there is a free flow of goods, services, investment and a freer flow of
capital, equitable economic development and reduced poverty and socio-economic
disparities in year 2020.
2. The ASEAN Economic Community is based on a convergence of interests
among ASEAN members to deepen and broaden economic integration efforts through
existing and new initiatives with clear timelines.
3. The ASEAN Economic Community shall establish ASEAN as a single market
and production base, turning the diversity that characterises
the region into opportunities for business complementation making the ASEAN a
more dynamic and stronger segment of the global supply chain. ASEAN’s strategy shall consist of the integration of ASEAN and enhancing ASEAN’s economic competitiveness. In moving towards the ASEAN Economic
Community, ASEAN shall, inter alia, institute new
mechanisms and measures to strengthen the implementation of its existing
economic initiatives including the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN
Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) and ASEAN Investment Area (AIA);
accelerate regional integration in the priority sectors; facilitate movement of
business persons, skilled labour and talents; and
strengthen the institutional mechanisms of ASEAN, including the improvement of
the existing ASEAN Dispute Settlement Mechanism to ensure expeditious and
legally binding resolution of any economic disputes. As a first step towards
the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN shall implement the recommendations
of the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration as annexed.
4. The ASEAN Economic Community shall ensure that deepening and
broadening integration of ASEAN shall be accompanied by technical and
development cooperation in order to address the development divide and
accelerate the economic integration of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam
through IAI and RIA so that the benefits of ASEAN integration are shared and
enable all ASEAN Member Countries to move forward in a unified manner.
5. The realization of a fully integrated economic community requires
implementation of both liberalization and cooperation measures. There is a need to enhance cooperation
and integration activities in other areas. These will involve, among others, human
resources development and capacity building; recognition of educational
qualifications; closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies;
trade financing measures; enhanced infrastructure and communications
connectivity; development of electronic transactions through e-ASEAN;
integrating industries across the region to promote regional sourcing; and
enhancing private sector involvement.
C. ASEAN SOCIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY (ASCC)
1. The ASEAN Socio-cultural
Community, in consonance with the goal set by ASEAN Vision 2020, envisages a
2. In line with the programme of action set by the 1976 Declaration of ASEAN
Concord, the Community shall foster cooperation in social development aimed at
raising the standard of living of disadvantaged groups and the rural
population, and shall seek the active involvement of all sectors of society, in
particular women, youth, and local communities.
3. ASEAN shall ensure that its
work force shall be prepared for, and benefit from, economic integration by
investing more resources for basic and higher education, training, science and
technology development, job creation, and social protection. The development
and enhancement of human resources is a key strategy for employment generation,
alleviating poverty and socio-economic disparities, and ensuring economic
growth with equity. ASEAN shall continue existing efforts to promote regional
mobility and mutual recognition of professional credentials, talents, and
skills development.
4. ASEAN shall further intensify cooperation in the area of public
health, including in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, such as
HIV/AIDS and SARS, and support joint regional actions to increase access to
affordable medicines. The security of the Community is enhanced when poverty
and diseases are held in check, and the peoples of ASEAN are assured of
adequate health care.
5. The Community shall nurture talent and promote interaction among ASEAN
scholars, writers, artists and media practitioners to help preserve and promote
ASEAN’s diverse cultural heritage while fostering regional
identity as well as cultivating people’s awareness of
ASEAN.
6. The Community shall intensify cooperation in addressing problems
associated with population growth, unemployment, environmental degradation and transboundary pollution as well as disaster management in
the region to enable individual members to fully realize their development
potentials and to enhance the mutual ASEAN spirit.
We hereby pledge to our peoples our resolve and commitment to bring the
ASEAN Community into reality and, for this purpose, task the concerned
Ministers to implement this Declaration.