ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations,[c] commonly as ASEAN,[d] is a political and economic union of 10 states in Southeast Asia. Together, its member states represent a population of over 600 million over a land area of 4.5 million km2 (1.7 million sq mi).[13] The bloc generated a purchasing power parity (PPP) gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$10.2 trillion in 2022, constituting approximately 6.5% of global GDP (PPP).[9] ASEAN member states include some of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Not to be confused with South East Asia Cultural Organisation or Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
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Burmese: အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအသင်း
aashaetaungaarsh ninenganmyarr aahpwal Filipino: Samahán ng mga Bansâ sa Timog Silangang Asya[1] Indonesian: Perhimpunan Bangsa-bangsa Asia Tenggara[2] Khmer: សមាគមប្រជាជាតិអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍
sameakm brachacheate asai akne Lao: ສະມາຄົມປະຊາຊາດແຫ່ງອາຊີຕະເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້
samakhom pasasad aehng asi tauaen ksiang tai Malay: Persatuan Negara-negara Asia Tenggara[3] Mandarin: 亚细安组织
东南亚国家联盟
東南亞國家協會
Dōngnányà guójiā liánméng dōngnányà guójiā xiéhuì Tamil: தென்கிழக்காசிய நாடுகளின் கூட்டமைப்பு
Teṉkiḻakkāciya nāṭukaḷiṉ kūṭṭamaippu Thai: สมาคมประชาชาติแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้
Samakhom prachachat haeng echia tawan ok chiang tai Vietnamese: Hiệp hội các quốc gia Đông Nam Á[4]
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Burmese: အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအသင်း
aashaetaungaarsh ninenganmyarr aahpwalFilipino: Samahán ng mga Bansâ sa Timog Silangang Asya[1] Indonesian: Perhimpunan Bangsa-bangsa Asia Tenggara[2] Khmer: សមាគមប្រជាជាតិអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍
sameakm brachacheate asai akneLao: ສະມາຄົມປະຊາຊາດແຫ່ງອາຊີຕະເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້
samakhom pasasad aehng asi tauaen ksiang taiMalay: Persatuan Negara-negara Asia Tenggara[3] Mandarin: 亚细安组织
东南亚国家联盟
東南亞國家協會
Dōngnányà guójiā liánméng dōngnányà guójiā xiéhuìTamil: தென்கிழக்காசிய நாடுகளின் கூட்டமைப்பு
Teṉkiḻakkāciya nāṭukaḷiṉ kūṭṭamaippuThai: สมาคมประชาชาติแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้
Samakhom prachachat haeng echia tawan ok chiang taiVietnamese: Hiệp hội các quốc gia Đông Nam Á[4]
အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအသင်း
aashaetaungaarsh ninenganmyarr aahpwal
အရှေ့တောင်အာရှနိုင်ငံများအသင်း
aashaetaungaarsh ninenganmyarr aahpwal
Samahán ng mga Bansâ sa Timog Silangang Asya[1]
Perhimpunan Bangsa-bangsa Asia Tenggara[2]
សមាគមប្រជាជាតិអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍
sameakm brachacheate asai akne
ສະມາຄົມປະຊາຊາດແຫ່ງອາຊີຕະເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້
samakhom pasasad aehng asi tauaen ksiang tai
Persatuan Negara-negara Asia Tenggara[3]
亚细安组织
东南亚国家联盟
東南亞國家協會
Dōngnányà guójiā liánméng dōngnányà guójiā xiéhuì
தென்கிழக்காசிய நாடுகளின் கூட்டமைப்பு
Teṉkiḻakkāciya nāṭukaḷiṉ kūṭṭamaippu
สมาคมประชาชาติแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้
Samakhom prachachat haeng echia tawan ok chiang tai
Hiệp hội các quốc gia Đông Nam Á[4]
Jakarta, Indonesia[a]
6°14′20″S 106°47′57″E / 6.23889°S 106.79917°E
Jakarta, Indonesia
8 August 1967
16 December 2008
4,522,518[8] km2 (1,746,154 sq mi)
683,290,000[9]
144/km2 (373.0/sq mi)
2024 estimate
$12.007 trillion[9]
$17,528[9]
2024 estimate
$4.248 trillion[9]
$6,201[9]
0.736[b]
high
The primary objectives as stated by the association are[14] "to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region", and "to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter." The bloc has broadened its objectives beyond economic and social spheres, aiming to emulate the European Union by establishing a shared security regime.
ASEAN engages with other supranational entities in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond: it is a major partner of the UN, SCO, PA, GCC, MERCOSUR, CELAC, and ECO,[15] It hosts diplomatic missions throughout the world,[16][17][18][19] maintaining a global network of relationships, and is considered by many to be a global powerhouse,[20][21] and even the central forum for cooperation in the region.[22] Its success has become the driving force of some of the largest trade blocs in history, including APEC and RCEP.[23][24][25][26][27][28]
The ASEAN Way[edit]
The "ASEAN Way" refers to a methodology or approach to solving issues that respect Southeast Asia's cultural norms. Masilamani and Peterson summarise it as "a working process or style that is informal and personal. Policymakers constantly utilise compromise, consensus, and consultation in the informal decision-making process... it above all prioritises a consensus-based, non-conflictual way of addressing problems. Quiet diplomacy allows ASEAN leaders to communicate without bringing the discussions into the public view. Members avoid the embarrassment that may lead to further conflict."[106] It has been said that the merits of the ASEAN Way might "be usefully applied to global conflict management".
However, critics have argued that such an approach can be only applied to Asian countries, to specific cultural norms and understandings notably, due to a difference in mindset and level of tension.[107]: pp113-118
Critics object, claiming that the ASEAN Way's emphasis on consultation, consensus, and non-interference forces the organization to adopt only those policies which satisfy the lowest common denominator. Decision-making by consensus requires members to see eye-to-eye before ASEAN can move forward on an issue. Members may not have a common conception of the meaning of the ASEAN Way. Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos emphasize non-interference while older member countries focus on co-operation and co-ordination. These differences hinder efforts to find common solutions to particular issues, but also make it difficult to determine when collective action is appropriate in a given situation.[108]: 161–163
ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 - Traditional Vietnam woman cloth parade
ASEAN Tourism Awards 2019 - Gzhel costumes Vietnam style
Nguyễn Ngọc Thiện, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam at the ASEAN Tourism Awards 2019 in Ha Long Bay
Children from Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-stilts Ethnic Village at the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 in Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam; organised by TTG Events,
Closing Ceremony of Visit Vietnam Year 2018 & Gala Celebrating the Success of ATF 2019
Education[edit]
To enhance the region's status in education, ASEAN education ministers have agreed four priorities for education at all levels, promoting ASEAN awareness among ASEAN citizens, particularly youth, strengthening ASEAN identity through education, building ASEAN human resources in the field of education strengthening the ASEAN University Network.[267] At the 11th ASEAN Summit in December 2005, leaders set new direction for regional education collaboration when they welcomed the decision of the ASEAN education ministers to convene meetings on a regular basis. The annual ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting oversees co-operation efforts on education at the ministerial level. With regard to implementation, programs, and activities are carried out by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Education (SOM-ED). SOM-ED also manages co-operation on higher education through the ASEAN University Network (AUN).[268] It is a consortium of Southeast Asian tertiary institutions of which 30 currently belong as participating universities.[269] Founded in November 1995 by 11 universities,[270] the AUN was established to:[267] promote co-operation among ASEAN scholars, academics, and scientists, develop academic and professional human resources, promote information dissemination among the ASEAN academic community, enhance awareness of a regional identity and the sense of "ASEAN-ness" among member states.
The Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (SEED-Net) Project was established as an autonomous sub-network of AUN in April 2001. It is aimed at promoting human resource development in engineering. The network consists of 26 member institutions selected by higher education ministries of each ASEAN member state, and 11 supporting Japanese universities selected by the Japanese government. This network is mainly supported by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and partially supported by the ASEAN Foundation. SEED-Net activities are implemented by the SEED-Net secretariat with the support of the JICA Project for SEED-Net now based at Chulalongkorn University.
In November 2011, ten vocational schools and centers were established in China to help develop human resources to assist in the economic and social development of the ASEAN countries.[202]: 160
ASEAN also has a scholarship program offered by Singapore to the 9 other member states for secondary school, junior college, and university education. It covers accommodation, food, medical benefits and accident insurance, school fees, and examination fees. Its recipients, who perform well on the GCE Advanced Level Examination, may apply for ASEAN undergraduate scholarships, which are tailored specifically to undergraduate institutions in Singapore and other ASEAN member countries.[271][272]
'Australia for ASEAN' scholarships are also offered by the Australian Government to the 'next generation of leaders' from ASEAN member states. By undertaking a Master's degree, recipients are to develop the skills and knowledge to drive change, help build links with Australia, and also participate in the Indo-Pacific Emerging Leaders Program to help develop the ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific. Each ASEAN member state is able to receive ten 'Australia for ASEAN' scholarships.[273]
Organisations
ASEAN Summits
ASEAN organisations
ASEAN related websites