During the year under review, the ASEAN Secretariat was actively involved in the preparation for the Third ASEAN Summit.

Attendance at ASEAN Meetings

The Secretary-General and officers of the ASEAN Secretariat took part in the various meetings of the High Level Steering Committee (HLSC) and its Issues Committees. They prepared relevant working papers for the consideration of the Issues Committees and assisted member countries in finalizing the papers of some of the Issues Committees.

The staff of the ASEAN Secretariat also attended Ministerial Meetings, annual dialogues, meetings of the ASEAN Standing Committee, ASEAN functional committees and some of their subsidiary bodies. They acted as resource persons, provided relevant inputs as well as assisted in the meetings hosted by the respective countries.

Venue of ASEAN Meetings

The ASEAN Secretariat hosted the following ASEAN meetings during the year:

a) 12th Meeting of the ASEAN Audit Committee, 11 - 14 January 1988;

b) 8th Meeting of the Advisory Group of the ASEAN Cultural Fund, 1 - 2 March 1988; and

c) 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Budget, 11 - 14 April 1988

The Secretariat was the venue of the Third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment held on 29 - 30 October 1987, during which the Jakarta Resolution on Sustainable Development was adopted.

Administration of ASEAN Trust Funds

The ASEAN Secretariat continued to manage and administer the following funds:

a) ASEAN Cultural Fund Operational Account;

b) Japan Scholarship Fund for ASEAN Youth;

c) ASEAN Regional Studies Promotion Programme (ARSPP);

d) Japan - ASEAN Cooperation Promotion Programme (JACPP);

e) Canadian Technical Assistance (Library Fund).

Commemoration of 20th Anniversary of ASEAN

To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN, ASEAN Day celebrations featured various events of significance. A flag-raising ceremony was held on 8 August 1987 at the premises of the ASEAN Secretariat. The Secretary-General hosted a reception in the same evening.

For the occasion, the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat issued an ASEAN Day Message on 8 August 1987. The; message was featured prominently in the local news media in Indonesia as well as the other ASEAN member countries.

Information Services

Dissemination of information on the activities of ASEAN to the general public has been done mainly through publications of the ASEAN Secretariat. The members of the staff at the Secretariat also gave talks and briefings to visitors, journalists, researchers and groups of university students. Discussions and briefings were also held for politicians and members of national defence colleges from various countries.

Over 200 university students from Indonesia, Japan and the U.S.A. visited the ASEAN Secretariat on several occasions. They were briefed on ASEAN background and various aspects of ASEAN cooperation by the Public Information Officer. Films about ASEAN were sometimes presented to them. Publications on ASEAN were also distributed to the students and their universities during these visits. Briefings and discussions also took place among the ASEAN Secretariat staff and scholars or academics conducting research on ASEAN.

A number of publications were produced to mark the 20th anniversary of ASEAN. One of the publications was "ASEAN: The First 20 Years" which was first released during the Third Meeting of ASEAN Heads of Government in Manila.

Other publications produced by the ASEAN Secretariat included:

a) The Annual Report of the ASEAN Standing Committee, 1986 - 1987;

b) Statements of the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial Conferences with the Dialogue Partners, Singapore 1987;

c) ASEAN Newsletter - six bimonthly issues;

d) ASEAN Information Series (occasional publication) - one issue on: An Overview of ASEAN;

e) Statements by ASEAN Foreign Ministers at ASEAN Ministerial Meeting 1967 - 1987 (20th anniversary publication);

f) Meeting of the ASEAN Heads of Government and Meeting of the ASEAN Heads of Government and the Prime Minister of Japan, Manila, December 1987;

g) ASEAN Documents Series, 3rd Edition, 1967 - 1988 (20th anniversary publication);

h) Monthly Calendar of ASEAN Meetings;

i) Monthly Selected Press Clippings on ASEAN News and Views - 12 issues (only for selective distribution).