- The Eighth ASEAN-Australia Forum as held in Canberra on 18-19 January 1984. The Meeting marked the tenth anniversary of the establisbment of regular discussions between Australia and ASEAN. It as held in the traditional spirit of positive cooperation and as attended by delegations from all ASEAN countries, Brunei Indonesia, Malaysia the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. This was the first international meeting of ASEAN which Brunei had attended since joining ASEAN on 7 January 1984.
- The Meeting was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bill Hayden. A message to the meeting from the Chairman of the ASEAN Standing Committee, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, as read on his behalf by the Chairman of the ASEAN Canberra Committee, H.E. Ambassador Jetn Sucharitkul.
- Both Ministers drew attention to the value of close economic and technical cooperation between Australia and ASEAN. They noted the success of on-going projects under the ASEAN – Australia Economic Cooperation Pogramme.
- The Australian Delegation as led by Mr. D.G. Nutter, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs. The leader of the Malaysiai Delegation, Mr. Mohamed Yusof Hitam, acced as ASEAN Spokesman and Co-Chairman.
- The meeting reviewed the current international economic situation and expressed the hope that the trend towards international economic recovery would continue. The ASEAN Delegations pressed concern at hat as seen as a tendency towards increasing protectionism especially in regard to agicultural products, on the part of some deeloped countries. The ASEAN Delegations noted increasing economic inter-dependence between naations and called on the international community to return to multilateralism as a basis for ecoomic cooperation.
- A further Australian commitment was announced of $30.36 million to permit the continuation of on-going projects (Population, Trade, the ASEAN Food Handling Bureau) and to fund new initiatives proposed by ASEAN. This will take the totaI Australian commitment to ASEAN aid projects to apporoximately $87 million. An extension costing $6 million over four years has been approved for the Population Project. New projects such as Food Habits, Diabetes Research and Prevention, Forestry, Management of Science and Technology Training and the ASEAN Special Visits Schce were considered by the meeting. The SpeciaI Visits Scheme will facilitate access to traning institutions in Australia by technicians from ASEAN, as well as scientists, businessmen, academics and social workers. It is also designed to increase people to people contact, as are other ASEAN proposaIs to increase cultural and information exchanges.
- The Meeting noted that particular success had been achieved in Food-Related Projects which comprise over 50% of the total ASEAN – Australia Economic Cooperation Programme. The largest of these, the Food Handling Project, is designed to reduce food losses by improved transportation, distribution and storage procedures. The first publications were received from the Joint Research Project which is examining areas of importance in the future economic relationship between ASEAN and Australia.
- There as also detailed discussion of bilateral trade between Australia ad ASEAN members. Mutual satisfaction as expressed with the continuing growth of two-way trade despite the difficult world trading environment. ASEAN noted that Australia still enjoyed a favourable trade balance in merchandise and in that context, presented requests for Australian action to facilitate improved access to the Australian market for a range of ASEAN products. The ASEAN countries expressed interest in the current Australian Government review of the Australian System of Tariff Preferences and pressed for a continuation of the Trade and Investment Promotion Programme. The Australian side assured the ASEAN countries that their views were well understood and would be taken into consideration.
- The ASEAN Delegations expressed their appreciation for the hospitally and assistance provided to the Forum by the Australian Delegation and Government.
- It was agreed that the next meeting would be held in an ASEAN country at a date to be mutually agreed upon.
- ABOUT ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.Menu - WHAT WE DO
ASEAN organs always strive to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat shall be functioned as coordinating Secretariat to help facilitate effective decision-making withing and amongst ASEAN bodies. In addition, each Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative to liaise with Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN SecretariatÂ
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ASEAN shall develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogues, cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. This includes external partners, ASEAN entities, human rights bodies, non-ASEAN Member States Ambassadors to ASEAN, ASEAN committees in third countries and international organisations, as well as international / regional organisations.
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The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009. The ASEAN Community, anchored on three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community was launched in 2015. The ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together was introduced in 2015 as a Post-2015 Vision. It comprises the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025
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