The ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam ;

REFERRING to the Ha Noi Plan of Action adopted by the ASEAN Heads of State and Government in Ha Noi on 16 December 1998 to promote ASEAN awareness and its standing in the international community;

RECOGNIZING that making ASEAN known within and outside the region has been a longstanding concern of the Member Countries;

NOTING that this concern has been addressed through the years by the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) and the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) through their various programmes, projects and activates;

ADDRESSING the need for more concerted, substantive and systematic effort to increase general awareness about ASEAN, its current work and achievements as well as its goals as expressed in ASEAN Vision 2020.

For the purpose of this Memorandum :

1. “Parties” refer to ASEAN Member Countries which have entered into this multilateral Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of ensuring the coordinated and successful implementation of the “National Communication Plans” to promote ASEAN awareness within and outside the region.
   
   

2. “Mass Media” refers to radio, television, print media, interpersonal media, the Internet, film/video and other forms of mass communication directed to a large number of audiences, owned or operated by government or the private sector.
   
   

3. “Promotion of ASEAN” means creating awareness and understanding of ASEAN in the national, regional and international levels; providing mass media exposure and coverage of its programmes, thrusts or events; and integrating these programmes and activities in the regular programmes of their respective Ministries responsible for Information.
   
   

4. “National Communication Plans” refer to country plans to promote ASEAN awareness and understanding formulated by representatives of ASEAN Member Countries in workshops and later refined and endorsed by their respective governments;

The Parties will pursue the following objectives :

1. To implement a more effective and sustained programme of promoting ASEAN.
   
   

2. Specifically,

2.1 To put in place a more effective coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting system for the implementation of the National Communication Plans to promote ASEAN.

2.2 To integrate ASEAN promotion programmes and activities in the regular information activities of the Ministries responsible for Information of ASEAN Member Countries.

2.3 To establish a National Information Desk in the Ministry responsible for Information in each ASEAN Member Country.

1. The National Communication Plans shall be part of the regular information programmes of ASEAN Member Countries to promote ASEAN and its activities among members of their public.
   
   

2. The content of the National Communication Plans will be ASEAN and its benefits, its achievements, its current work as reflected in the Ha Noi Plan of Action, and its goals as expressed in ASEAN Vision 2020.
   
   

3. To ensure the success of the implementation of the National Communication Plans, ASEAN Member Countries shall provide the resources necessary for their integration into the regular programs and functions of the respective Ministries responsible for Information.

1. Each ASEAN Member Country shall establish an ASEAN National Information Desk to coordinate the implementation of its National Communication Plan.
   
   

2. A system for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting of ASEAN promotion projects and activities shall be established by the Parties.

This Memorandum may be amended by an Exchange of Notes among the Parties.

Signed in Ha Noi, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on this l3th day of October, Year Two Thousand.

Brunei Darussalam

Kingdom of Cambodia

Republic of Indonesia

Lao PDR

Malaysia

Union of Myanmar

Republic of the Philippines

Republic of Singapore

Kingdom of Thailand

Socialist Republic of Viet Nam