WE, the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the occasion of the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore;
RECALLING the Declaration on the ASEAN Charter adopted by the ASEAN Leaders at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore upon the signing of the ASEAN Charter on 20 November 2007;
MINDFUL of the common values and aspirations of the ASEAN peoples to build an ASEAN Community bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a people-oriented, caring and sharing community;
REAFFIRMING respect for the different cultures, languages and religions of the peoples of ASEAN, while emphasising their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity;
COMMENDING Member States’ efforts and commitment towards early ratification of the ASEAN Charter;
WELCOMING the commitment by all Member States to complete ratification by the 14th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok;
Hereby agree:
- To reaffirm our full commitment to implement the ASEAN Charter, inter alia, to undertake the following:
- The strengthening of the ASEAN Secretariat, including the restructuring of the Secretariat and the appointment of two additional Deputy Secretaries-General; and
- The synchronisation of the ASEAN Single Chairmanship with the calendar year, commencing in 2009.
- To establish by 1 January 2009 a Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN in Jakarta, consisting of representatives from each ASEAN Member State with the rank of Ambassador.
- To establish a High Level Panel on an ASEAN human rights body (HLP), and to give guidance and direction to the HLP based on their first draft of the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN human rights body to be submitted to us at the 14th ASEAN Summit in December 2008.
- 4 To establish a High Level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG), and to consider the recommendations on dispute settlement mechanisms and on the legal personality of ASEAN in December 2008.
Adopted in Singapore, this Twenty-First Day of July in the Year Two Thousand and Eight.
Annex
Implementation Of The Asean Charter – Timeline
| Date | Action |
| July 2008 | Establishment of the High Level Panel on an ASEAN human rights body (HLP) and High Level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-up to the ASEAN Charter (HLEG) |
| November 2008 | Appointment of 2 additional Deputy Secretaries-General |
| 14th ASEAN Summit December 2008 | HLP to submit first draft of the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN human rights body to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers |
| HLEG to submit recommendations on dispute settlement mechanisms | |
| HLEG to submit recommendations on ASEAN’s legal personality | |
| Adoption of ASEAN Anthem | |
| 2008 | Finalisation of guidelines for the use of the ASEAN Motto, Flag, Emblem, and AnthemFinalisation of the Organisational Restructuring of the ASEAN Secretariat |
| Adoption of:Rules of Procedure for engagement with Entities Associated with ASEANRules of Procedure for ASEAN Committees in Third CountriesRules of Procedure for External Parties’ Involvement in ASEAN Meetings or Cooperative ActivitiesGuidelines for ASEAN Dialogue Coordinators | |
| 1 January 2009 | Establishment of the Committee of Permanent RepresentativesSynchronisation of the ASEAN Single Chairmanship with the calendar yearSynchronisation of the Financial Year |
| 2009 | First meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council |
| First meeting of the ASEAN Community Councils |
July 6th, 2012
