The ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information, namely, the Special Adviser to His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Home Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, the Minister of Information of the Republic of Indonesia, the Minister of Information of Malaysia, the Press Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines, the Minister for Information and the Arts of the Republic of Singapore, and the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office in charge of Information of the Kingdom of Thailand;

REAFFIRMING their faith and commitment to the principles of the Bangkok Declaration of 1967 and the Bali Declaration of the ASEAN Concord of 1976;

NOTING the advances made by ASEAN in various cooperative endeavours which have in the process enhanced the conditions conducive to the development of a peaceful and prosperous community of Southeast Asian Nations;

RECALLING the Joint Declaration of their First Conference in 1989 in Jakarta and their decisions during their Second Conference in Kuala Lumpur in 1991 which stressed the vital role of information in promoting awareness of ASEAN, advancing its goals as well as enhancing its image within and outside the region;

AWARE of the technological advancements in global communications, their ramifications in the media environment of the Region as well as the possible effects they may have on the values member countries hold sacred;

NOTING the new directions and thrusts to make ASEAN a free trade area by 2008 as declared by the ASEAN Heads of Government in Singapore in January 1992 and affirming their commitment and full support of this effort;

COGNIZANT of the strategic role of information and mass media to contribute to the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and realising the need for a coordinated and effective approach in the field of information;

DO HEREBY DECLARE their agreement to strengthen their regional cooperation and collaboration in the field of information by adopting the following framework for a plan of action.

Goals and Objectives

1.     To promote and project ASEAN within and outside the Region effectively and positively through a more intensified use of mass media.

2.     To generate, disseminate and exchange information materials in support of values important to member countries and ASEAN initiatives in economic developments and integration, political and security cooperation, functional cooperation including environmental protection, socio-cultural development, and other relevant concerns.

3.     To upgrade and enhance the professionalism of ASEAN communication practitioners through human resource development programmes, attachments and exchanges.

4.     To undertake studies on the upgrading and use of new communications technology to benefit ASEAN cooperation in information and mass media.

5.     To take active steps to intensify and ensure mass media coverage and dissemination of news and information on all principal concerns of ASEAN regional cooperation.

6.     To continue providing full information support to the thematic thrusts and priorities spelt out by the various ASEAN bodies.

New Cooperation Programmes

In addition to existing information programmes and to complement projects of the ASEAN bodies, the following cooperation programmes shall be pursued:

1. Strengthen the ASEAN News Exchange (ANEX) programme particularly in the area of AFTA-related economic reporting and expand the network to include the information and broadcasting organizations of member countries and regional networks.
   
   

2. Study the feasibility of establishing a regional information and databank centre at the ASEAN Secretariat to serve the information needs of ASEAN member countries.
   
   

3. Reproduce videos, films, radio programmes and publications produced by COCI for wider dissemination regionally and internationally.
   
   

4. Complement ASEAN regional projects with appropriate bilateral and multilateral initiatives among member countries in the field of information.

Coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat as well as other ASEAN bodies and institutions, the private sector, and non-government organizations shall be intensified to bring about greater collaboration and support for information programmes as well as ensure the extension of mass media facilities and services for information requirements.

Done in the City of Manila, Philippines, on the 17th day of December. Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Three.

For the Government of Brunei Darussalam:

H.E. PEHIN DATO ISA BIN IBRAHIM

For the Government of the Republic of Indonesia:

H.E. MR. HARMOKO

For the Government of Malaysia:

H.E. DATO'MOHAMED RAHMAT

For the Government of the Republic of the Philippines:

H.E. MR. JESUS C. SISON

For the Government of the Republic of Singapore:

H.E. BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE YEO

For the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand:

H.E. MR. SURASAK THIAMPRASERT

The ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information, namely, the Special Adviser to His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Home Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, the Minister of Information of the Republic of Indonesia, the Minister of Information of Malaysia, the Press Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines, the Minister for Information and the Arts of the Republic of Singapore, and the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office in charge of Information of the Kingdom of Thailand;

REAFFIRMING their faith and commitment to the principles of the Bangkok Declaration of 1967 and the Bali Declaration of the ASEAN Concord of 1976;

NOTING the advances made by ASEAN in various cooperative endeavours which have in the process enhanced the conditions conducive to the development of a peaceful and prosperous community of Southeast Asian Nations;

RECALLING the Joint Declaration of their First Conference in 1989 in Jakarta and their decisions during their Second Conference in Kuala Lumpur in 1991 which stressed the vital role of information in promoting awareness of ASEAN, advancing its goals as well as enhancing its image within and outside the region;

AWARE of the technological advancements in global communications, their ramifications in the media environment of the Region as well as the possible effects they may have on the values member countries hold sacred;

NOTING the new directions and thrusts to make ASEAN a free trade area by 2008 as declared by the ASEAN Heads of Government in Singapore in January 1992 and affirming their commitment and full support of this effort;

COGNIZANT of the strategic role of information and mass media to contribute to the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and realising the need for a coordinated and effective approach in the field of information;

DO HEREBY DECLARE their agreement to strengthen their regional cooperation and collaboration in the field of information by adopting the following framework for a plan of action.

Goals and Objectives

1.     To promote and project ASEAN within and outside the Region effectively and positively through a more intensified use of mass media.

2.     To generate, disseminate and exchange information materials in support of values important to member countries and ASEAN initiatives in economic developments and integration, political and security cooperation, functional cooperation including environmental protection, socio-cultural development, and other relevant concerns.

3.     To upgrade and enhance the professionalism of ASEAN communication practitioners through human resource development programmes, attachments and exchanges.

4.     To undertake studies on the upgrading and use of new communications technology to benefit ASEAN cooperation in information and mass media.

5.     To take active steps to intensify and ensure mass media coverage and dissemination of news and information on all principal concerns of ASEAN regional cooperation.

6.     To continue providing full information support to the thematic thrusts and priorities spelt out by the various ASEAN bodies.

New Cooperation Programmes

In addition to existing information programmes and to complement projects of the ASEAN bodies, the following cooperation programmes shall be pursued:

1. Strengthen the ASEAN News Exchange (ANEX) programme particularly in the area of AFTA-related economic reporting and expand the network to include the information and broadcasting organizations of member countries and regional networks.
   
   

2. Study the feasibility of establishing a regional information and databank centre at the ASEAN Secretariat to serve the information needs of ASEAN member countries.
   
   

3. Reproduce videos, films, radio programmes and publications produced by COCI for wider dissemination regionally and internationally.
   
   

4. Complement ASEAN regional projects with appropriate bilateral and multilateral initiatives among member countries in the field of information.

Coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat as well as other ASEAN bodies and institutions, the private sector, and non-government organizations shall be intensified to bring about greater collaboration and support for information programmes as well as ensure the extension of mass media facilities and services for information requirements.

Done in the City of Manila, Philippines, on the 17th day of December. Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Three.

For the Government of Brunei Darussalam:

H.E. PEHIN DATO ISA BIN IBRAHIM

For the Government of the Republic of Indonesia:

H.E. MR. HARMOKO

For the Government of Malaysia:

H.E. DATO'MOHAMED RAHMAT

For the Government of the Republic of the Philippines:

H.E. MR. JESUS C. SISON

For the Government of the Republic of Singapore:

H.E. BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE YEO

For the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand:

H.E. MR. SURASAK THIAMPRASERT