Political and Security Cooperation

ASEAN moved to a higher plane of political and security cooperation as it began to be involved in the evolution of post Cold War security dialogue in the region. In 1992-1993, ASEAN succeeded in establishing the mechanisms for effective consultations on matters that have region-wide repercussions. More specifically, ASEAN took the following important initiatives :

• Following the decision of the Fourth Summit, political and security issues were included in the Agenda of the 25th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting/ Post Ministerial Conferences (AMM/ PMC).

• As part of its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts in region, ASEAN issued the ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea.

• The First Meeting ASEAN Senior Officials and their counterparts from the Dialogue Partners was held in May 1993. The Senior Officials Meeting for the Post Ministerial Conferences (SOM-PMC) agreed to hold consultations at least once a year.

Economic Cooperation

In the area of economic cooperation, the most significant event that took place was the launching of the Common Effective Preferential Trade (CEPT) Scheme for the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in January 1993. To support the smooth implementation of the CEPT, as well as to improve the infrastructure support for AFTA, the following activities were undertaken :

• The AFTA Council finalized the CEPT interpretative notes, as well as the operational procedures for implementing the CEPT.

• The ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) was formed in February 1993 to look after the harmonization of product standards, and the testing and accreditation of laboratories, among others.

• The Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) agreed on a three-stage programme for the harmonization of ASEAN tariff nomenclature as follows : (1) consolidation of CEPT submissions by tariff lines; (2) identification of problem areas; and (3) resolution of problems and agreement on a harmonized ASEAN tariff nomenclature.

The year under review also saw the restructuring of the ASEAN machinery for economic cooperation. Following the Fourth Summit directives, the five Economic Committees were abolished and SEOM was institutionalized as the mechanism to oversee all aspects of economic cooperation. The Handover Notes of the five Economic Committees have been turned over to SEOM.

Functional Cooperation

ASEAN made notable achievements in the field of functional cooperation. Among some of the most significant accomplishments in this filed are as follows :

• ASEAN-developved technologies, particularly in the field of microelectronics have began to be commercialized and transferred.

• Strategis for the implementation of environmentally sound and sutainable development are being formulated.

• The ASEAN Women's Programme (AWP) reached a milestone with the adoption of the Guidelines to Operationalize the Declaration on the Advancement of Women in ASEAN.

• Efforts to curb drug abuse and trafficking has been intensified through international collaboration between ASEAN and non-member countries.

External Relations

ASEAN continued to intensify its cooperative relations with its Dialogue Partners and to speak with one voice in various international, political and economic issues. ASEAN also continued to engage in consultative relationships with other interested countries and international organizations. Among the significant developments in ASEAN's external relations are the following :

• The agenda of some Dialogue Meetings included political and regional security issues for the first time.

• ASEAN continued to press for an early conclusion of the Uruguay Round; at the same time, ASEAN continued to engage its Dialogue Partners in an exchange of views on AFTA and other regional trading arrangements.

• ASEAN began to be more actively invloved in the formulation of development cooperation programmes and projects on the basis of mutually of interest.

The process of establishing the ASEAN-India Sectoral Dialogue was started during the year in the areas of trade, invesment and tourism. ASEAN has also decided to explore the possibilities of enhancing relations with the People's Republic of China. ASEAN continues to study various proposals coming from regional organizations proposing to establish relations with ASEAN.

Restructuring of ASEAN Institutions

In January 1993, the restructured ASEAN Secretariat becaem operational. Staffing of the Secretariat, which has moved from national nomination to open recruitment was completed during the first quarter of 1993. A total of 24 professional staff has been recruited to carry out the Secretariat's expanded set of responsibilities.

25 years of ASEAN Cooperation

ASEAN celebrated the 25th year of its founding in1992. Several commemorative activities were undertaken to mark this landmark event in the history of ASEAN.