The Fourteenth Meeting of the Committee on Social Development was held in Manila on 31 May to 3 June 1989. One of the Meeting's more important task was to analyse deeply the problems confronting the Committee and to seek solutions to them.

The ASEAN - COSD has 5 Subsidiary Bodies, namely:

a) ASEAN Heads of Population Programme

b) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Health and Nutrition

c) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth

d) ASEAN Women's Programme

e) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs

Population

The ASEAN Heads of Population Programme (AHPP) held their Annual Executive Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 13 April 1989. The Meeting discussed:

1. The status of the Phase IV ASEAN - Australian Population Projects;
   
   
2. The draft of the 1987 Annual Report
   
   
3. The programme made by the ASEAN COSD in obtaining financial assistance to launch the Fourth Phase of the ASEAN Population Programme;
   
   
4. The Provisional Agenda of the forth-coming Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Social Development;
   
   
5. The 7th ASEAN Parliamentarians Conference/ Study Tour;
   
   
6. The interest of FAO to continuously collaborate with ASEAN Population Programme, and
   
   
7. Other new developments
   
   

The AHPP is seeking funds for the implementation of the following projects:

a) Community Based Health and Social Programme for the Elderly;

b) Urbanization in Development;

c) Strengthening Population/Family Planning Programme Management in ASEAN;

d) Integration Population and Development;

e) Reduction of Infant Mortality Rates.

Health and Nutrition

The Seventh Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Health and Nutrition (ASCH&N) was held in Manila, Philippines on 11-13 April 1989. This Sub-Committee reviews and recommends cooperative programmes on Health and Nutrition developments in ASEAN countries.

The ASCH&N has the following projects under its purview:

I. On-going Projects:

a) ASEAN Primary Health Care project

This is an on-going project hosted by the ASEAN Training Centre for primary Health Care in Bangkok, Thailand. The project received funding assistance from Japan for the first five years beginning 1982. The two year extension from 1987 ended in September 1989. As in the past the project continued with similar activities such as training, mode development collection of information and documentation of materials in the related fields.

b) Technical Cooperation in Pharmaceuticals Among ASEAN Countries

The ASEAN Working Group on Pharmaceutical Technical Cooperation held its 8th Meeting in Malaysia on 22-23 June 1988 and endorsed the 1989 project workplan. The on-going activities of the project in accordance with the agreed workplan were as follows:




1. Development of Clinical Pharmacy coordinated by Brunei Darussalam in Replacement of Activity Formulation of an Essential Drug Information Manual;
   
   
2. Establishment of a Regional Training Centre for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) coordinated by Indonesia;
   
   
3. Establishment of a Regional Training Centre for Drug Information coordinated by Indonesia;
   
   
4. Standardization, Quality Control and Utilization of Herbal Medicine Coordinated by Indonesia and cordinated by Thailand;
   
   
5. Training Programme for Drug Management at Peripheral Level coordinated by Malaysia;
   
   
6. Establishment of Regional Training Centre for Laboratory Quality Control coordinated by Malaysia;
   
   
7. Establishment of a Regional Training Centre in Drug Evaluation coordinated by Philippines;
   
   
8. Strengthening of Communication, information and Education on Medicine to the Community coordinated by Singapore;
   
   
9. Development of Hospital pharmacy Management coordinated by Thailand; and
   
   
10. Establishment of a Regional Training Centre for the Production and Utilization of Regional Standards and Reference Substance coordinated by Thailand
    
    

c) ASEAN Scholarship Programme for Applied Tropical Medicine and Public Health

The project is one of ASEAN efforts to improve quality of life of the rural poor and to bring them more into the mainstream of national development. The project started in 1989 and its primary function is to provide scholarships to health personnel from ASEAN countries to undertake long-term and short-term training courses at the participating institutions.

The regional training courses were conducted at the following ASEAN - Tropmed participating institutions:





	Indonesia 	-    Faculty of Medicine
 			     University of Indonesia
 			     Jakarta

	Malaysia	-    Institute for Medical
  			     Research
 			     Kuala Lumpur

	Philippines	-    College of Public Health
  			     University of the
 			     Philippines, Manila

	Singapore	-    Department of Community
      			     Occupational and Family
     			     Medicine,
   			     National University of
    			     Singapore

Short courses proposed for implementation in 1987/1990 areas follows:

Indonesia





a. Health Planning and Management for Mid-Level Health Personnel (4 weeks)

b. Community Nutrition Intervention for Health Personnel ( 6 weeks).



Malaysia:





a. Viral Hepatitis - Theory, Diagnostic and Laboratory Techniques (4 weeks)

b. Laboratory Diagnosis of Intestinal Protozoan Infections (4 weeks).



Philippines:





a. Diagnosis and Management of Specific Acute Infections Diseases.

b. Occupational and Environmental Health.



Singapore:





a. Pesticide Poisoning and other Occupational Hazards ( 2 weeks).

b. Epidemiology of Non-communicable Diseases ( 3 weeks).



Thailand:





a. Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology of Tropical Diseases ( 2 weeks).

b. Advance Course in Biostatistics (4 weeks).

In addition to the regular training courses at participating institutions, there were also postgraduate training courses which received financial assistance from USAID.

II. Approved Projects for Funding

a) ASEAN Collaborative Project on Mental Health;

b) ASEAN Collaborative Project on Nutrition;

c) ASEAN Diabetes Prevention and Control of Acute Respiratory Infection in Children (ARIC);

d) Proposal for ASEAN - Tropmed Workshop and Short Training Courses (1990-1991).

Youth

The Sixth Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth (ASY) was held in Bandar Seri Begawan on 27 February to 1 March 1989. The Meeting endeavoured to ensure the continuity of present adult efforts to promote regional contacts, understanding, cooperation and development in ASEAN.

The Sub-Committee enhances active participation and integration of youth in national and regional development by formulating and coordinating Programmes and strategies for regional cooperation in the field of youth.

The ASY has the following regional projects under its purview:

1. Approved Projects under implementation:

a) ASEAN Volunteer Corps Exchange Programme

This project is being coordinated by Malaysia. It is a one year project involving five volunteers from each ASEAN member country.

The project aimed to develop the talent of the ASEAN Youth toward international development, thus strengthening the existing cooperation among the ASEAN countries in social, cultural and economic fields. The projects also aimed to provide an avenue for ASEAN volunteers to serve as exchange volunteers to other ASEAN countries, with a view of widening their own experience.

The project cost about US$ 123,000.00 and is funded by the Japan ASEAN Exchange Programme.

b) ASEAN Directory of Accommodation Facilities for Youth Travel

This project was being coordinated by Singapore. The first of the Directory was presented at the Sixth Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth which was held in Brunei Darussalam from 21 February - 1 March 1989. A total of 2,000 copies were published and 300 copies were distributed to each ASEAN member country.

c) ASEAN Youth Leadership Training Programme

This project was implemented by Indonesia. Five participants were invited from each ASEAN member country. The project included, training, seminar, lecture and field trips and the duration was 2 weeks.

d) ASEAN Training of Trainers for Youth Work

This project was implemented in Malaysia in October 1988. Seventeen parcipants from ASEAN member countries took part.

The project was implemented in cooperation with ESCAP, Asian Youth Council (AYC), the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC), and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia.

The project was hosted at the Youth Training Centre, Pertak, Kuala Bharu, Selangor, Malaysia from 2 to 29 October 1989.

The objective of the projects were to develop among participants an in depth understanding of current training approaches, methodologies and techniques in youth work. It was also to equip the participants with knowledge and skill for designing training programme.

II. Approved Projects for Funding:

a) Preparing Rural Youth for a better future in agriculture,

b) Workshop on Training for Programme Managers and Associated Personnel on Skill Training for Out-of-School Youth,

c) Workshop on Youth Entrepreneurship Development.

Women

The Eighth Meeting of the ASEAN Women's Programme was held in Manila, Philippines, on 24-26 May 1987. This Sub-Committee promotes, implements and strengthen active participation and integration of ASEAN Women in sharing the future development and progress of ASEAN and meeting the needs and aspirations of women in the ASEAN member countries. The Eighth Meeting of the AWP also served as a forum for the exchange of views as well as the sharing of experiences with one another through the presentation of Country Papers on Women and Work, Women and Family, and Women and Politics.

The AWP has the following regional projects under its purview:

I. Approved Project awaiting implementation:

a) ASEAN Network of Vocational Training for Women

b) ASEAN Seminar and Experts Group Meeting on Women's Studies and Development

c) Finalization of the Thesaurus on Women in Development (WID)

II. Approved Project for Funding

a) Project proposal in Indicators and Statistics on Women.

ASEAN Cooperation in the Field of Labour

The 7th ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting (ALMM) was held on 13-14 October 1988 in Bali, Indonesia. The Ministers exchanged views on inter-related issues such as the adverse development over the preceding years of recession. They expressed their concern on the crippling economic condition, dwindling commodity prices, drastic changes in foreign exchange rates, rising unemployment and the protectionist trends, all of which had serious repercussions on the economic development in the ASEAN region.

The Meeting in Bali agreed, among others that ASEAN member countries should continue to coordinate their positions regarding the various issues tabled at the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Ministers' Meeting also agreed on the need to increase employability of the unemployed and underemployed workers particularly in the informal sector.

ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs

The Third Meeting of the 22nd ASEAN Standing Committee, Brunei Darussalam, 24-26 November 1988, took note of the formal linkage between the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs (ASCLA) and the COSD under the purview of the ASC. The Meeting also agreed that ASCLA could coordinate on Labour matters with the ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting (ALMM) and Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM).

The First Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs was held in Bandar Seri Begawan on 1-2 August 1988.

For more information, please refer to the project details