RECALLING that the ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the 2^nd ASEAN Informal Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997, envisioned ASEAN as a socially cohesive and caring ASEAN where hunger, malnutrition, deprivation and poverty are no longer basic problems, where strong families as the basic unit of society tend to their members particularly the children, youth, women and elderly;

RECALLING the ASEAN Plan of Action for Children adopted by the 3^rd Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare held in Manila on 2 December 1993 to promote regional cooperation for the survival, development, protection and participation of the ASEAN Child;

ENCOURAGED by the Hanoi Plan of Action adopted by the ASEAN Heads of State and Government in Hanoi on 15 December 1998 to implement the ASEAN Plan of Action on Children;

GUIDED by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the outcomes of the World Summit on Children, the World Summit for Social Development and other international instruments concerning children;

AWARE that despite significant progress made in uplifting the quality of life of individuals, poverty continues to remain a major challenge to the pursuit of a world fit for children;

MINDFUL that holistic development of children enable and equip them for the achievement of their full potential and shall contribute to a future of prosperity and progress in ASEAN;

DO HEREBY AGREE, IN THE SPIRIT OF ASEAN SOLIDARITY AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE, TO:

(1)           Promote regional cooperation for the survival, development, protection and participation of ASEAN children, as an integral part of ASEAN’s efforts to improve the lives of peoples in the region.

(2)           Intensify ASEAN economic and social development cooperation so as to eradicate the scourges of poverty, hunger and homelessness, which have a far-reaching impact on children, in order to promote their welfare and well-being.

(3)           Protect, respect and recognise the rights of all children, including those of indigenous people, consistent with the customs and traditions of their respective communities.

(4)            Recognise and encourage respect for children’s rights through mutual sharing of information on the rights of the child by ASEAN members, taking into account the different religious, cultural and social values of different countries.

(5)             Acknowledge that children with special needs should be granted opportunities to enable them to take their proper place in society and live as independently as possible.

(6)            Create opportunities for children and young people to express their views, advocate their rights and concerns, and participate in community development.

(7)             Encourage the empowerment of children to meet the challenges of and seize the opportunities created by globalisation.

(8)            Create employment opportunities for adult family members in ASEAN countries, as stable families are the key to the social, physical and emotional development of children.

(9)           Develop family support and family life education programmes to help families, the primary caretakers of children, to nurture and protect their children.

(10)         Provide appropriate care, including alternative family care or home with a family environment, to homeless children and those without families.

(11)         Give attention to early childhood education and care through training and sharing of best practices among ASEAN child care professionals.

(12)         Give the ASEAN child a better future by strengthening functional literacy and promoting access to education, and information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

(13)         Ensure the protection of children from HIV/AIDs and drug abuse by instituting broad based programmes and strategies to halt its spread and provide care for its victims.

(14)         Strengthen primary health care services to children.

(15)         Protect children from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect, trafficking and exploitation while at home, in school and in the community.

(16)         Protect children from armed conflict, victimisation or deprivation of a childhood rooted in peace and joy.

(17)         Give priority to children in rescue and relief operations during calamities and natural disasters in the provision of services to alleviate their trauma and hasten their reunification with their families.

(18)          Establish a child-centred juvenile justice system which fully safeguards children’s rights and promotes children’s reintegration to society.

Done in English in one copy on this 2^nd Day of August 2001 at the 4^th Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare in Singapore.

H.E. Pehin Dato Haji Awang Hussain bin Pehin Dato Haji Awang Mohd. Yusof

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam

H.E. Mdm Prak Chantha

Secretary of State, Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation, Kingdom of Cambodia

H.E. Prof. Dr. Yaumil Chairiah Agoes Achir

Deputy Secretary of the Vice President, Republic of Indonesia

 H.E. Mr Somphanh Phengkhammy

Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

 H.E. Dato’ Dr. Hajah Siti Zaharah binti Sulaiman

Minister of National Unity and Social Development, Malaysia

 H.E. Major-General Sein Htwa

Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Union of Myanmar

 H.E. Mrs Corazon Juliano-Soliman

Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Republic of the Philippines

 H.E. Mr Abdullah Tarmugi

Minister for Community Development and Sports, Republic of Singapore

H.E. Mr Elawat Chandraprasert

Permanent Secretary and Representative of Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Kingdom of Thailand

H.E. Mr Dam Huu Dac

Vice-Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam