ASEAN Bulletin
December 2008
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ASEAN Schools Tour
Heads to Mandalay, Mandalay, Myanmar, 22 December 2008
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Making Inroads into Khon Kaen, Khon
Kaen, Thailand, 19 December 2008
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11th Human Resources
Development Programme for Officials of ASEAN Countries Seoul, 24
November – 4 December 2008
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International Seminar
on Public Administration and Public Governance in ASEAN Member
Countries and Republic of Korea, Seoul, 6 December 2008
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The ASEAN Charter
Comes into Force Today ASEAN Secretariat, 15 December 2008
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ASEAN and JICA
leaders discuss mutual cooperation and regional issues, Tokyo, 8
December 2008
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Join the AEC Feature
Articles Competition, ASEAN Secretariat, 10 December 2008
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ASEAN Schools Tour
Made its Seventh Stop in Da Nang City, Viet Nam, 6 December 2008
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First ASEAN-Japan
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) Joint Committee
Meeting, Jakarta, 1 December 2008
ASEAN Schools Tour Heads to Mandalay
Mandalay,
Myanmar, 22 December 2008
After Thailand, the ASEAN Schools Tour made its stop in Mandalay,
Myanmar on 22 December 2008. A total of 500 students from 14 Basic
Education High Schools took part in the event at the No. 2 Basic
Education High School, which was the host school.
The programme was packed with a variety of traditional dance,
song and music performances; presentation of the winning entries
from the painting and poster competition; and the ASEAN Quiz. The
students also had an interactive question-and-answer segment with Dr
Termsak Chalermpalanupap, Director and Head of Research, Office of
the Secretary-General of ASEAN, who headed the delegation to
Mandalay.
Feedback from the students showed that they enjoyed the programme
and hoped that the ASEAN Schools Tour will continue its stop in
Myanmar next year. Some also hoped to get a chance to meet students
and youth from the other ASEAN member countries.
Very soon, the ASEAN Schools Tour 2008 will come to an end. Come
January 2009, the Schools Tour will make its last stop in Indonesia.
Posted on 23 Dec 2008
Making Inroads into Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen,
Thailand, 19 December 2008
The ASEAN Schools Tour landed in Khon Kaen, a
province located in the northern-eastern part of Thailand on 19
December 2008. Some 500 students and their teachers from 11 schools
attended the event, including the Kanlayanawat School which was the
host school.
Besides the ASEAN Quiz contest, a skit contest
centered on the theme of “A Caring and Sharing Community” was
organised. The host school also put up a cultural performance.
Among the guests who delivered remarks at the
event were Mr Paisal Wisalaporn, Director, Bureau of International
Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of Thailand and Dr Termsak
Chalermpalanupap, Director and Head of Research, Office of the
Secretary-General of ASEAN.
A survey of the students at the end of the event
indicated an improved understanding of ASEAN. The students also
hoped that more of such activities could be organised in future. One
student also hoped to have a chance to meet Dr Surin Pitsuwan, the
Secretary-General of ASEAN.
After bidding farewell to Khon Kaen, the ASEAN
Schools Tour heads to Mandalay, Myanmar next.
Posted on 23 Dec 2008
11th Human Resources Development Programme for Officials of ASEAN
Countries
Seoul, 24 November – 4 December 2008
The 11th Human Resources Development (HRD) Programme for
Officials of ASEAN Countries, which aims to provide a platform to
promote the understanding of HRD strategies so as to enhance
international competitiveness and national development, was held
from 24 November - 4 December 2008 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Nineteen representatives from labour ministries in ASEAN took part
in the programme that was organised by the Central Officials
Training Institute of Korea.
Prominent Korean scholars and experts delivered lectures on
various topics from economic development to current policies on
labour and employment in the Korean context. Visits to a local job
centre and national employment information service centre were also
conducted. The programme ended with a two-day seminar on
"Mainstreaming labour and employment issues into national agendas"
which was the overarching theme for this 11th HRD Programme. During
the seminar, participants shared their labour and employment
priority issues as well as key solutions of translating them into
national planning processes.
The HRD programme has been implemented since 1993 as a regular
activity under the umbrella of ASEAN- Republic of Korea dialogue
relations.
Posted on 16 Dec 2008
International Seminar on Public Administration and Public
Governance in ASEAN Member Countries and Republic of Korea
Seoul, 6
December 2008
The First International Seminar on Public Administration and
Public Governance in ASEAN Member Countries and Republic of Korea
was held on 6 December 2008 in Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK).
The seminar, organised by the Institute for Regional Studies and
Development of Yonsei University, is the initial phase in the
initiative to develop a public management forum and to conduct
comparative studies between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea. During
the seminar, participants presented and exchanged views on the
public administration systems and governance issues in their
respective countries.
The seminar brought together academicians and experts from Brunei
Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore,
Viet Nam and ROK. It was supported by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade of ROK and ASEAN Secretariat through the ASEAN-ROK
Special Cooperation Fund.
Posted on 16 Dec 2008
The ASEAN Charter Comes into Force Today
ASEAN Secretariat, 15 December 2008
A ceremony was held at the ASEAN Secretariat to
welcome the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter today.
Presiding over the ceremony was H.E. Dr Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia. He was
joined by H.E. Dr Mun Patanotai, Minister of Information and
Communication Technology of Thailand representing the ASEAN Chair,
the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, and Dr Surin Pitsuwan,
Secretary-General of ASEAN.
In his remarks, Dr Surin said, “We at the ASEAN
Secretariat pledge to protect and uphold this ASEAN Charter in
letter and in spirit for the benefits of all the peoples of ASEAN.”
“From now on, ASEAN shall operate under the new legal framework laid
down in the ASEAN Charter. Quite a few new institutions shall soon
be established. The ASEAN Community that is being built will be more
rules-based and more people-oriented,” he added.
The ceremony to welcome the entry into force was
witnessed by the ambassadors from ASEAN, ambassadors from ASEAN
Dialogue Partners, the diplomatic corp in Indonesia, as well as
representatives from regional and international organisations.
After the ceremony, the Special ASEAN Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting or Inaugural Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating
Council was convened at the ASEAN Secretariat.
(L-R) H.E. Bounkeut Sangsomsak
(Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic), H.E. Dr. Rais Yatim (Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Malaysia), H.E. Nyan Win (Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Union of
Myanmar), H.E. Alberto G. Romulo (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the
Republic of the Philippines), H.E. George Yong-Boon Yeo (Minister
for Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Singapore), H.E. Dr. Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono (President of the Republic of Indonesia), H.E. Mun
Patanotai (Minister of Information and Communication Technology, the
Kingdom of Thailand), H.E. Dr. Pham Gia Khiem (Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Socialist Republic of Viet
Nam), H.R.H Mohamed Bolkiah (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Brunei Darussalam), H.E. Dr. KAO Kim Hourn (Secretary of State of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the
Kingdom of Cambodia) H.E. Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda (Minister for
Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Indonesia), H.E. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan
(Secretary-General of ASEAN)
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For Press Statement by the Chairman of ASEAN
on the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, ASEAN
Secretariat, 15 Dec 2008., please click
here.
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For Address by H.E. Dr. Mun Patanotai,
Minister of Information and Communication Technology and Special
Envoy of the Royal Thai Government, Chairman of ASEAN to Welcome
the Entry Into Force of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN Secretariat, 15
Dec 2008, please click here.
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For Address Statement by H.E. Dr. Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Republic of Indonesia at the
Ceremony to Mark the Entry Into Force of the ASEAN Charter,
ASEAN Secretariat, 15 Dec 2008, please click
here.
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For Welcome Remarks by
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan on 15 Dec 2008,
ASEAN Secretariat, please click here.
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For Congratulatory Messages from ASEAN
Member States, please click
here.
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For Congratulatory Messages from ASEAN
Dialogue Partners, please click
here.
Posted on 15 Dec 2008
ASEAN and JICA leaders discuss mutual
cooperation and regional issues
Tokyo, 8 December 2008
Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN and
Mrs Sadako Ogata, President of Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) met at JICA's Tokyo Headquarters on 8 December 2008 to
discuss future cooperation between the two organisations and the
latest regional developments.
At the meeting, the two leaders reviewed a recent
agreement between the two organisations for increased cooperation to
help accelerate ASEAN integration, drawing on JICA's extensive
development experience in the region. Dr Surin also updated Mrs
Ogata of the scheduled entry into force of the ASEAN Charter on 15
December 2008 when ASEAN will become a legal entity and is expected
to play a larger role in regional integration. Dr Surin also
underlined his commitment to help new ASEAN members such as
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam to narrow the development
gap in the region and expressed his expectations for JICA's close
cooperation in this endeavour.
Posted on 15 Dec 2008
Join the AEC Feature Articles Competition
ASEAN Secretariat, 10 December 2008
The ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN-EU Programme for Regional
Integration Support (APRIS) are jointly organising an “AEC Feature
Articles Competition” to promote the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
and public understanding of how the fledgling Community is
benefitting businesses, traders and consumers in the ASEAN region.
Any ASEAN national under the age of 30 can take part in the
competition by submitting a 1,000 word feature article that
illustrates how ASEAN integration is benefitting consumers, boosting
trade, and helping businesses in your country. Three winners will be
selected and the top prize consists of a return air ticket to
Jakarta and spending money, a chance to meet the Secretary-General
of ASEAN as well as a chance to assist in the editing of selected
articles for publication.
Hesitate no more, pick up your pen and start writing. The closing
date is 27 February 2009. For more details of the competition,
please click here
Posted on 10 Dec 2008
ASEAN Schools Tour Made its Seventh Stop in Da
Nang City
Viet Nam, 6 December 2008
Continuing the reach out to youths in ASEAN
countries, the ASEAN Secretariat team made its seventh ASEAN Schools
Tour stop today in Da Nang City, Viet Nam. The programme was held at
the Le Quy Don Senior High School for Gifted Students. More than 500
students from five secondary schools and high schools in Da Nang
City participated in the event.
Mr Thai Van Han, Deputy Director of the Municipal
Department of Education and Training, graced the event along with a
representative from the Ministry of Education and Training of Viet
Nam. Mr Thai said that the ASEAN Schools Tour was the best
opportunity for students to improve their knowledge on ASEAN.
Heading the ASEAN Secretariat team to Viet Nam was Mr Tran Dong
Phuong, Cluster Director of Bureau for Economic Integration and
Finance.
The quiz session saw students pitting their
knowledge on ASEAN against each other. They also had a chance to
showcase their talents in traditional dance and song performances
that followed.
After Viet Nam, the ASEAN Schools Tour will head
to Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Posted on 9 Dec 2008
First ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (AJCEP) Joint Committee Meeting, Jakarta, 1 December
2008
The first ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (AJCEP) Joint Committee Meeting was held today at the
ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting was co-chaired by Ramon Vicente T.
Kabigting, Assistant Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry
from the Philippines, and Jun Yokota, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary from Japan. The meeting discussed issues relating to
the entry into force and implementation of the AJCEP Agreement.
For press release of the event, please click
here.
Posted on 1 Dec 2008
