Committe on Social Development


At the Third Meeting of the Committee on Social Development held in Pattaya on 21-23 May 1980, it was agreed that the Chairmanship of the Committee for the next three years starting 1981 would move to Indonesia from Thailand which had been the seat of the Committee from 1978 to 1980.

The COSD comprises the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) on Education with the ASEAN Development Education Project (ADEP); the ASEAN Population Programme Heads (APPH) with the ASEAN Population Coordination Unit (APCU), the Experts Group on Drugs and Narcotics and the Experts Group on Health and Nutrition and National Disasters.

Notable achievements were made in the field of education where the ADEP project, with Australian assistance, was initiated and five major projects (a total of 25 sub projects) have been formulated and are now under operation. The Population sector has almost completed the Phase I operation where five major projects (25 sub-projects) are in near completion. The Phase II operation with seven major projects (35 sub-projects) have started in 1980. The Drugs and Narcotics Experts Group has undertaken a number of cooperative efforts and assistance from country has been progressing satisfactorily.

The ASEAN Health Ministers met for the first time in Manila on 22-24 July 1980, and formulated policy guidelines on health and nutrition development. The Expert Group on Health and Nutrition under the COSD was assigned to implement these policy guidelines.


Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) and the ASEAN Development Education Project (ADEP)

The RCC, at its Second Meeting in Manila on 28-30 May 1979 agreed on the following terms of reference:
  1. to formulate and recommend policies and programmes and strategies for ASEAN cooperation in the field of education;
  2. to monitor and evaluate the implementation of approved projects and activities of the RCC;
  3. to be responsible for the preparation and implementation of the ASEAN Development Education Project under the ASEAN-Australia Forum; and
  4. to coordinate projects and activities on education under the various ASEAN Dialogues and Forum with the Third countries. At this and the Third and Fourth Meeting of the RCC in Manila (February 1980 and March 1981), details of the ASEAN Development Project (ADEP) were formulated and finalized. Australia had agreed to finance the ADEP of a total between individual member countries and Australia have been signed in 1980. The five projects, which began operation in July 1980, and the respective country coordinator are as follows:

    - Special Education - Indonesia
    - Education Management Information System - Malaysia
    - Teacher Education Reform - Philippines
    - Work-Oriented Education for In-School and out-of-School Youth - Singapore
    - Test Development - Thailand

Each of the above sub-projects are now being undertaken by a member country. The ADEP covers a period of three years and are now in the early implementation stage. The member countries have already set-up National Develoment Centres (NADEC) to implement the project activities as follows:

Ministry of Education, NADEC-Malaysia; College of Education, University of the Philippines, NADEC-Philippines; Office of University Affairs, NADEC-Thailand; Vocational and Industrial Training Board; NADEC-Singapore; Office of Educational and Cultural Research and Development, Ministry of Education and Culture, NADEC-Indonesia. The overall coordinator/secretariat for the ADEP is NADEP Philippines.


ASEAN Population Programme Heads (APPH)

The five population projects (Phase 1), funded by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and coordinated by the Food Agricultural Organization, have a total funding of US$ 2.0 million and are in their stages of near completion by the end of 1981. Each project has five components undertaken by each member countries totaling 25 projects in operation. The projects with coordinators and stages of operation are as follows:
  1. Integration of Population and Rural Development Policies and Programmes (Indonesia) - near completion and may be extended into another programme.
  2. Development of an Inter-Country, Modular Training Programme for Personnel in Population and Rural Development (Malaysia) - to be completed in 1983.
  3. Multi-Media Support for Population Programme in the Context of Rural Development (Philippines).
  4. Seminar on the Utilization of Research - Findings in Population and Family Planning (Singapore) - completed.
  5. Migration in Relation to Rural Development in ASEAN countries (Thailand) - to be completed in 1981 and enlarged to extend to Phase II.

For Phase II, the Australian Government had agreed to provide financial assistance at A$ 3.1 million for seven major projects following the Agreement at the Fifth ASEAN-Australian Forum, held on 16-17 April 1980 in Jakarta. AU the Memoranda of Agreement between each member country with Australia were signed and the projects are in the early stage of implementation. The projects and the country coordinator are as follows:

Institutional Development and Exchange of Personnel (Indonesia)

The field of research in population and family planning has reached such levels of sophistication that a gap has been created between researhers and the program managers, policy devision makers and linkers. Ms proposal is an attempt directed to improving the quality of research including personnel and facilities and increasing the utilization of research findings in the context of bridging the gap between researchers and program managers, planners, policy decision makers and the linkers.

The proposed project consists of four components, namely: (1) ASEAN research seminars (2) provision of research grants (3) training in policy research methodoligies, and (4) personnel exchanges. These activities will be conducted in each of the four ASEAN countries. Although Singapore will not establish her national project director, she will be participating in the inter-country activities. The total budget proposed for this research project is US$ 250,000.

Women in Development (Malaysia)

In order to achieve the active involvement of women in socioeconomic activities, service centers in both urban and rural areas will be established. The center will provide links to agencies and personnel engaged in educational and training activities and fields such as cooperative activities, handicraft and budgeting to improve the status of rural and urban women in the labour force. The emphasis is on coordination and utilization of existing services. The project will be implemented for three years after which a comprehensive evaluation report will be prepared with necessary recommendations to provide inputs to the existing policies and programmes of the countries. The total budget is US$ 753,800.

Developing/Strengthening National Population Information Systems and Network in ASEAN countries (Philippines)

Population information, which is the cornerstone of national population, policies, and programmes, has become a focal point within population programmes in the ASEAN region. However, though population information systems and network exist in the region, they are all in various stages of development. Individually, and in relation to one another, these population information units have limitations and deficiencies.

The project, therefore, is intended to meet two levels of need:
    (a) the need to further develop and/or strengthen the core population information centers as well as the other existing supportive units, and;

    (b) the need to further develop and/or strengthen the national population information systems through networking or linkage of the activities of the various information network within the country and the region.

To be able to do these, the project intends to carry out a number of activities, which include training in population information documentation identification of both information users and producers, collecting, processing, storing and making available to users core documents and other materials, coordination and establishment of link- ages with other institutions/members of networks disseminating information, and conduct of re- search studies. The total budget is US$ 739,600.

Population and Development Dynamics and the Manpower/Resources Balance (Philippines)

This project aims to assist policy makers and planners to develop comprehensive policies and programs dealing with population, resources and environmental balance both at the macro and micro-level. To attain this general objective, the project proposes the following activities: (a) the preparation of an analytical report which systematically analyses the current state and anticipated trends in and interrelationships between demographic, economic and social development within each ASEAN country with emphasis on identifying strategies for the 1980s; and (b) the preparation of an analytical report which reviews and assesses the nature and magnitude of population-related problems among various population sub-groups often left out in major developmental programs (e.g. small scale farmers and landless laborers, urban squatter communities; the urban informal sector, etc.) with the aim of providing both a national and an ASEAN perspective to these problems and of identifying possible new approaches to the solution of these problems. The total budget is US$ 86.750.

Health and Family Planning Study for Programming and Management in ASEAN countries (Singapore)

The project aims to make a comprehensive analysis of existing medical/health care and family planning systems in ASEAN countries to provide health and population planners and adrninistrators with the basis for not only assessing present needs, but also for planning and programme management in order to promote and maintain optimal health for all. The project will be carried out in two phases over a three-year period.

Phase I focuses on the collection of secondary data on health/family planning and biomedical research on contraceptives and ending with an ASEAN workshop to review Phase I findings and to formulate guidelines for the conduct of a Survey/Experimental Study on biomedical research in Phase II.

Phase II focuses on the collection of primary data by means of survey and experimental studies on population groups who seek traditional or custom medicine/method, and self-medication and the acceptability, efficacy and safety of the use of specific to contraceptive methods. The project would end in an ASEAN Seminar to review research findings and formulate guidelines for planning and programme management. The total budget is USS 588,600.

Development of ASEAN Social Indicators (Thailand)

This project will develop social and welfare indicators that can be fully utilized for planning purposes at the national as well as sub-national levels. These indicators can be used to evaluate development efforts, particularly in the social sectors.

The components of this project will be a pilot study on a particular feature of social development in order to promote and identify the outstanding features of social indicators for development planning, a technical workshop to discuss the 'State of the Art" of social indicators in ASEAN countries; and conducting studies to assess the roles of social indicators leading to a national Workshop. The total budget of this project is US$ 102,250.

Population Migration Movement and Development (Thailand)

This project investigates the causes and the effects of population migratory movement in areas of different levels of development (urban and rural). The relationships would be investigated at individual, household and community levels, in both places of origin and destination.

Major components of this proposed include:
    (a) Collection of baseline data concerning the interrelationships between development and population migratory movement and

    (b) establishment of information and counselling centers, in both rural and urban areas, to provide migrants and potential migrants with necessary information of adjustment and migration decision-making. The total budget is US$ 447,600.

The ASEAN Population Coordination Unit (APCU) was set up in early 1980 to coordinate the Phase II projects. The APCU is presently located in an office at the University of the Philippines, Manila.

Drug and Narcotics

The four major areas of cooperation under the purview of the ASEAN Drugs Experts Group of the Committee on Social Development (COSD) are: Law Enforcement, Treatment and Rehabilitation, Preventive Education and Information and Research and Training. At its Fifth Meeting in Manila on 11-16 December 1980 the ASEAN Drugs Experts agreed on joint cooperative efforts covering twenty seven recommendations under the above areas as well as appropriate action to be taken by the COSD to fill the position of Narcotics Desk Officer be set up at the ASEAN Secretariat.

The ASEAN Training Centre for Law Enforcement has been established in Bangkok, Thailand since July 1980 and now offers a number of courses. The centre is also involved in research activities. It was agreed, following the Fourth and Fifth Meetings, that the College of Education, University of the Philippines, be designated as the ASEAN Centre for Preventive Drug Education and the Memorandum of Understanding be endorsed by the COSD for action. The framework of US-ASEAN Dialogue concerning cooperation in narcotics and dangerous drugs control is to be enlarged to cover the awarding of training fellow-ships and scholarships, the supply of training equipment and the provision of technical assistance for the establishment of ASEAN Training Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation in Malaysia.

Health and Nutrition

The First Meeting of ASEAN Experts on Health and Nutrition Development which met in Bangkok on 24-26 April 1979 had studied health and nutrition problems and identified programme areas for cooperation. The areas which were proposed to be taken up by each member country are:
Indonesia	- Health Care Delivery particularly  Primary Health Care

		- Mental health


Malaysia 	- Environmental Health

		- Oral Health



Philippines	-Nutritional Aspect of Health

		- Health Manpower Development (Auxiliary level)




 Singapore 	- Occupational and Industrial Health and Accident Control

 Thailand 	- Health Planning, Management and   Information System

		- Health Manpower Development (Academic level)

		- Traditional Medicine
Following the First Meeting of the ASEAN Health Ministers in Manila on 22-24 July 1980 which set a number of policy guidelines on health development and cooperation, the Standing Committee had designated that the ASEAN Expert Group on Health and Nutrition is to be the appropriate body to undertake the implementation work as coordinated by the COSD.

Applied Tropical Medicine and Public Health Scholarship Programme

Following the Third ASEAN-US Dialogue in Manila on .10-12 September 1980 the ASEAN Scholarship Programme for Applied Tropical Medicine and Public Health as approved by the Third Meeting of COSD was agreed to be funded by the United States. The Project aims to provide training opportunities for health personnel in order to meet the needs of the ASEAN countries and the funding will start in February 1981.

The Informal Meeting on the Establishment of the Governing Body for the Scholarship Programme which met in Manila on 27 September 1980 drafted the Terms of Reference of the Governing Body for the Scholarship Programme. It was recommended that Mahidol University, Bangkok, shall be the Executory Agency for an initial period and the Governing Body shall meet at least' once a year on a rotation basis.

The First Meeting of the Governing Body took place in Manila on 29-30 January 1981 and the revised Terms of Reference was approved. Dr. Chamlong Harinasuta of Mahidol University was elected the First Programme Coordinator for a term of three years starting 29 January 1981.

Natural Disasters

The ASEAN Disasters Preparedness Seminar was successfully held in Manila in January 1980. Measures for the implementation of the ASEAN Declaration for Mutual Assistance on Natural Disasters as recommended by the ASEAN Experts Meeting in Yogyakarta in October 1979 were undertaken in particular, the designation of existing national agencies to serve as National Natural Disasters Coordinating Agencies and the National Disaster Centre of the Philippines serve as the first ASEAN Natural Disaster Centre.

Japan Scholarship for ASEAN Youth

The Government of Japan has offered to donate one million US dollars per year for a period of ten years for the establishment of a Japan Scholar- ship for ASEAN Youth. The offer was made by the late Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira in Manila in May 1979 and subsequent discussions between ASEAN-Japan Officials were held in Tokyo on 26-27 September 1979.

The first year contribution was transferred to the ASEAN Secretariat in June 1980 for distribution of US$ 200,000 to each member nation when requested. By the end of 1980 all member countries have requested and received the said amount and a special committee or authority has been set up in each nation to oversee the utilization of the funds according to the agreed overall guidelines. Some countries have already indicated that initially, the funds would be utilized for scholarships in the fields of pure sciences, applied-technical sciences and social sciences as well as short-term and non-degree (vocational) courses.

For more information, please refer to the project details