ASEAN's strategy for bringing ASEAN Community to reality

ASEAN's strategy for bringing ASEAN Community to reality

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

ASEAN leaders adopted frameworks on Tuesday for the
establishment of the ASEAN Security Community (ASC), the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
(ASCC) as three pillars for reaching the goal of an ASEAN
Community by 2020.

Key points in the 12-point framework for the establishment of
the ASC:

- It is envisaged that the ASC will 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.

-- ASC members shall rely exclusively on peaceful processes in
the settlement of intra-regional differences and regard their
security as fundamentally linked to that of other members and
bound by geographic location, common vision and objectives.

-- The ASC, 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.

-- 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.

-- The ASC 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.

-- The ASC 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.

-- The ASC 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 shall remain 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.

5-point direction for AEC establishment:

-- The AEC is the realization 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
freer flow of capital, equitable economic development and reduced
poverty and socio-economic disparities by 2020.

-- The AEC shall establish ASEAN as a single market and
production base, turning the diversity that characterizes the
region into opportunities for business complementation making
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 AEC, 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).

-- 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, inter alia, 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.

Key points in the 6-point guidance for ASCC establishment.

-- 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 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.

-- 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.