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COOPERATION IN CULTURE AND INFORMATION (COCI) |
- The period under review was particularly significant to ASEAN-COCI. This was the period when ASEAN-COCI assessed its past performance since its inception in 1978 and looked ahead to improving and streamlining the regional cooperation in the fields of Culture and Information.
- The 25th Meeting of ASEAN-COCI held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia on 16-19 December 1991, set up an ad-hoc task force to review COCI's operation concerns. Among them were:
a. Programming of COCI projects
b. Frequency and timing of meetings of ASEAN-COCI
c. Operational concerns
d. Implementing guidelines on the commercial dissemination of COCI marketable products
e. Guidelines on insurance coverage for personnel and properties under ASEAN-COCI projects
f. Definition of terms used in COCI
- The Task Force looked into the issues and recommended that a Working Team of COCI Experts be formed to study, examine and come up with practical solutions. This Working Team was convened at the ASEAN Secretariat on 12-15 May 1992 with an expanded mandate to include an agenda item on Compliance with the Rules Governing the Control, Disbursement and Accounting of the ASEAN Cultural Fund.
- The most important recommendation of the Working Team was to adopt a programme approach and implement a programming exercise in order to rationalize and integrate the COCI activities. This was to be achieved by adopting a 3-year programme cycle. The Working Team's recommendation to adopt 3-year programme cycle was made in the expectation the ASEAN programmes of action will soon be required in 3-year periods as a result of the decision to hold ASEAN Summit every three years.
- As an off-shoot to the recommendation of the Working Team, future COCI Meetings including those of the Working Groups would be timed in such a manner that they conformed to the required schedules for the implementation of the programme cycle.
- The other important recommendation was to start the commercial dissemination of some selected ASEAN-COCI products. The recommendation was in line with the proposal of the 2nd Meeting on ASEAN Copyright Experts held in Bangkok in July 1991.
- These recommendations will be submitted to the 26th Meeting of ASEAN-COCI to be held in Cebu, the Philippines in June 1992.
- An important development which has relevance to ASEAN-COCI during the period under review was the convening of the Second Conference of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information in Kuala Lumpur on 29 July-2 August 1991. The conference among others gave guidelines on new directions for ASEAN cooperation in the field of information and called for an enhancement of cooperation among ASEAN countries in the field of information.
Some of the highlights of the ASEAN-COCI Projects
- During the period under review ASEAN-COCI saw the completion of a number of projects. In the area of literary and ASEAN studies, a project on Exploration of Historical and Cultural Cites of ASEAN was implemented in Thailand on 1-15 December 1991. Eighteen participants took part in the programme. They were composed of youth actively engaged in cultural, educational and information activities. The ASEAN Colloquium on Oral History Phase I, a project coordinated by Malaysia was implemented in Kuala Lumpur on 10-14 June 1991. The colloquium entitled "Oral History - The ASEAN Experience" succeeded in bringing together some 58 delegates and participants from various institutions in ASEAN, interested in the oral history techniques of collecting and documenting information.
- In the field of Visual Arts, the project on the Second ASEAN Travelling Exhibition of Paintings, Photographs and Children's Arts coordinated by Brunei Darussalam was implemented in Bandar Seri Begawan. The symposium portion of the project took place on 30 June to 7 July 1991 while the exhibition was held until 15 July 1991. From then on, the exhibition moved to the other ASEAN capitals. The other completed project in the visual arts was the Photo Folio on ASEAN Sculptures coordinated by the Philippines.
- In the Performing Arts among the completed projects was the Study of Basic Traditional Dance, Music, Choreography and Visual Arts which was coordinated by Thailand. The other big project under the purview of Performing Arts was the 2nd ASEAN Dance Festival which was held in Kuala Lumpur in January 1992. Also completed was the 2nd ASEAN Youth Music Workshop held in Jakarta on 3-17 January 1991. The project was tailored for budding ASEAN musicians.
- In the field of Radio and Television, the Sixth ASEAN Festival of Songs was held in Bangkok in May 1992. The project has completed its first cycle. But due to its popularity, the project will be continued for a second cycle with Brunei Darussalam designated as the next host in financial year 1992/1993. In November 1991, more than twenty participants comprising Radio/TV broadcasters, engineers involved in telecommunication hardware and communication experts gathered in Jakarta to look into the impact of advance technology upon programme approaches in ASEAN.
- In the field of Films/Video, the project on Film/Video Documentary on Investment Opportunities in the ASEAN Region was well in progress. It was hoped that 25-minute documentary, would be ready by August 1992. The documentary covered topics such as foreign investment policies, monetary and foreign exchange, labour situation, transportation and communication environment and the like. The project is COCI's contribution to the effort to inform peoples of ASEAN on the investment opportunities in the region, as well as to promote the region to other non-ASEAN countries as a place for investment. The project was coordinated by the Philippines.
- In Print Media, a workshop seminar on the Role of Rural and Community Press in National Development was held in Cirebon, West Java from 30th November to 3rd December 1991. The publication of the book entitled, "Traditions Revitalized: An Essay on the Use of Selected ASEAN Cultural Traditional Media for Development Communication" has been completed. One thousand copies have been distributed by the coordinating country, the Philippines, to the other member countries. ASEAN-COCI has also contributed to the promotion of Visit ASEAN Year 1992 by publishing An ASEAN Travelogue. The project was coordinated by Indonesia.
ASEAN-COCI Projects for FY 1992/1993
- At its 25th Meeting in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia on 16-19 December 1991, the COCI prepared a preliminary list of projects for Financial Year 1992/1993 with an estimated budget allocation of about US$2,223,000. The list and the budget. would be finalized at its 26th Meeting in the Philippines scheduled for June 1992 before submission to the ASEAN Standing Committee for approval.
The projects were as follows :
A. Projects on Culture
Literary and ASEAN Studies
1. 8th Meeting of the Working Group on Literary and ASEAN Studies
2. Anthology of ASEAN Literature Volume III (Brunei Darussalam)
3. ASEAN Fellowship Award Phase II
4. ASEAN Writers' Conference Workshop
Visual and Performing Arts
1. 8th Meeting of ASEAN Working Group on Visual and Performing Arts
2. 3rd ASEAN Theater Festival
3. 3rd ASEAN Youth Music Workshop
4. 2nd ASEAN Composers Forum on Traditional
5. 2nd ASEAN Workshop Exhibition and Symposium on Aesthetics
6. Research, Documentation and Exchange of ASEAN Indigenous Art Materials
B. Projects on Information
1. 8th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Radio/TV and Film/Video
2. ASEAN Radio Culture Programme Exchange
3. ASEAN TV Cultural Programme Exchange
4. 7th ASEAN Festival of Songs
5. 5th ASEAN Film Week/Exchange of Film Personages
6. Seminar on Children and TV in ASEAN Region
7. Conference Workshop on ASEAN Audio, Video and Film Retrieval,Restoration and Archiving
Print and Interpersonal Media
1. 8th Meeting of the Working Group on Print and Interpersonal Media
2. Workshop on Information Management for Information Officers
3. 3rd Attachment Programme for the ASEAN News Exchange
4. ANEX Seminar Workshop on Feature Writing
5. Training Programme for the ASEAN News Exchange Comprehensive Approach
6. ANEX Journalism Programme 2nd Phase
7. Book or Projects of ASEAN-COCI
C. Deferred Project
1. The Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information held in Cebu City,24-25 June1992 recommended to hold in abeyance the implementation of the 7th ASEAN Festival of Songs starting FY 1992-1993 until the evaluation done by the working group is completed. This project will be given funding priority for FY 1993/1994.
- The Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information held in Cebu City, 24-25 June 1992 agreed to produce a TV programme comprising the felicitations from ASEAN Heads of Government followed by a the Association. The programme, lasting 1-2 hours, would highlight the history of the organization; milestones and evolution, major personalities and project as well as the ASEAN’s hopes and aspirations for the future.
For more information, please refer to the project details
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