ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASEAN COMMUNITY

    Following their Leaders' decisions at the 13th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN members took a series of activities in 2008 to reach the target of establishing a people-oriented, caring and sharing ASEAN Community by 2015.

    The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint was adopted at the previous year's summit. ASEAN Economic Ministers met in Bali in May 2008 and discussed the implementation of this blueprint.

    Secretary-General of the ASEAN, Surin Pitsuwan, emphasized at the meeting that "trade integration continues to be a key for ASEAN's economic growth and can play the enabler and accelerator roles for economic integration." He said, "Trade integration is poised to deliver early wins for the AEC as the ASEAN concludes the two key agreements in goods and investment by this year and endeavors to maintain its momentum in services liberalization towards 2015."

    The ASEAN members kept working to draft the Blueprints for the ASEAN Political-Security Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community as well as the 2nd Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI)Work Plan in 2008. According to their plan, these documents will be issued as part of a declaration at the 14th ASEAN Summit scheduled for February next year in Thailand.

    "We are now changing into a new mode, into community building," said Termsak Chalermpalanupap, special assistant to the ASEAN secretary-general, before the ASEAN Charter going into force.

    He added that the ASEAN would take some concrete measures under the charter, including building a common single market, establishing a regional production base, and narrowing the development gap between member states.

    IMPROVEMENT OF THE ASEAN STRUCTURE

    However, taking concrete measures requires the ASEAN to improve its structure. The ASEAN members have realized the importance of strengthening ASEAN bodies in view of its increasing activities after the ASEAN Charter going into force.

    Therefore, they agreed to give the bloc more resources by establishing the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) consisting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, building three Community Councils, launching the ASEAN human rights body, holding more meetings, enhancing the role of the secretariat, and endorsing the Terms of Reference of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to appoint their Permanent Representative to the ASEAN at the level of ambassador in Jakarta since January 1, 2009.

    "Each country will send a permanent representative, in the same way we send permanent representatives to the United Nations (UN) in New York, or to the UN in Geneva," Chalermpalanupap said.

    Besides, the ASEAN members agreed to have two additional Deputy Secretaries-General openly recruited. One of them is for the ASEAN Economic Community, and the other is for the Community and Corporate Affairs.

    They also tasked the ASEAN member officials to explore the idea of an ASEAN laissez-passer for ASEAN Secretariat staff as a valid travel document among the member states.

    According to Chalermpalanupap, with the charter, all shareholders and civil society and business groups in the ASEAN would be systematically engaged, while conflict resolution among member states would be improved. In that case, the ASEAN has to mobilize more resources under the charge of its secretariat, so asto act in accordance with the principle of shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity.