Overview of Legal Instruments Database
The ASEAN Secretariat, in assisting the Secretary-General of ASEAN to perform his depositary role, has developed a database that records all legal instruments entered into among ASEAN Member States as well as those that were concluded between ASEAN or ASEAN Member States and External Parties.
The database is intended to cover legal instruments by which the consent to be bound is expressed through either signature of the authorised representatives of the Parties or such signature is also subject to ratification, acceptance, and/or approval in accordance with the internal procedures of respective Parties. The database does not include Statements and Declarations, which are issued or adopted by the Parties that appear to merely reflect their aspirations and/or political will.
Under this database, ASEAN Legal Instruments are recorded under the three ASEAN Community Pillars, namely: ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), for easy identification. The categorisation is based on the ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Body/ies that is responsible for the development and implementation of the specific instrument and does not aim to define whether or not the specific instrument is a political, economic, or socio-cultural agreement.
Under each Community Pillar, the legal instruments are listed from the most recent to the oldest instruments in chronological order and are grouped together based on the subject matters. For example, the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) signed in 1976 and its three Protocols amending the TAC concluded in different times have been grouped together under the TAC. The same also applies for agreements under the AEC pillar. For example, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services which was concluded in 1995 (AFAS) and the Protocols to implement various packages or to amend the Framework Agreement which were concluded in different times have all been grouped together under the AFAS.
Legal instruments that are concluded between ASEAN or ASEAN Member States and External Parties, are listed under the category of Dialogue Partners, Sectoral Partners, International Organizations and Other Countries, Development Partners, and others.
The database is intended to cover legal instruments by which the consent to be bound is expressed through either signature of the authorised representatives of the Parties or such signature is also subject to ratification, acceptance, and/or approval in accordance with the internal procedures of respective Parties. The database does not include Statements and Declarations, which are issued or adopted by the Parties that appear to merely reflect their aspirations and/or political will.
Under this database, ASEAN Legal Instruments are recorded under the three ASEAN Community Pillars, namely: ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), for easy identification. The categorisation is based on the ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Body/ies that is responsible for the development and implementation of the specific instrument and does not aim to define whether or not the specific instrument is a political, economic, or socio-cultural agreement.
Under each Community Pillar, the legal instruments are listed from the most recent to the oldest instruments in chronological order and are grouped together based on the subject matters. For example, the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) signed in 1976 and its three Protocols amending the TAC concluded in different times have been grouped together under the TAC. The same also applies for agreements under the AEC pillar. For example, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services which was concluded in 1995 (AFAS) and the Protocols to implement various packages or to amend the Framework Agreement which were concluded in different times have all been grouped together under the AFAS.
Legal instruments that are concluded between ASEAN or ASEAN Member States and External Parties, are listed under the category of Dialogue Partners, Sectoral Partners, International Organizations and Other Countries, Development Partners, and others.
