Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Preamble
A. Political
B.
Economic
C.
Social
D.
Cultural and Information
E.
Security
F. Improvement of Asian Machinery
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, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and the Charter of the United
Nations;
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 Southeast Asia on the basis of
mutual respect and mutual benefit.
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 selfdetermination, 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 Southeast
Asia.
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 on 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
bufferstock 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, Bali, this Twenty-Fourth Day of February in
the year One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy-Six.