FOR THE period 1981-1983, Indonesia presides over the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee on Social Development (COSD). Since its transfer from Thailand in 1980, the Committee has had two meetings held in Jakarta on 20-22 August 1981 and on 24-27 March 1982.
COSD's goal is to promote effective regional cooperation in the fields of education, health and nutrition, labour, population, women and youth, natural disasters, drug abuse, and human resources development for the well-being and prosperity of the ASEAN peoples.
In carrying out its programmes and activities,
the Committee is assisted by:
1) the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) on
Education;
2) the ASEAN Population Programme Heads
(APPH);
3) the Experts Group on Drugs and Narcotics;
4) the Experts Group on Health and Nutrition;
5) the Experts Group on Natural Disasters; and
6) the ASEAN Women's Programmes (AWP).
ASEAN Development Education Project (ADEP)
The ASEAN Development Education Project (ADEP) is a joint project of the Governments of ASEAN and the Government of Australia, approved for implementation by the First Meeting of ASEAN Ministers of Education held in Manila on 8-9 December 1977. The aims of this project are to strengthen the national capabilities through the sharing of expertise, experiences and resources in education by using the existing institutions in the region and to pursue projects and activities that are development-oriented with the view to enhancing the contribution of education to national development.
Under this project are five sub-projects namely:
1. Education Management Information System;
2. Special Education;
3. Teacher Education Reform;
4. Test Development; and
5. Work-Oriented Education for In-School and
Out-of-School Youth.
Each of these sub-projects is being undertaken by a member country. The ADEP covers a three- year period.
Each ASEAN member country has its own National Education Center (NADEC) that directs and supervises the implementation of the ADEP sub-projects at the national level. At the Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Standing Committee in Bangkok on 8 June 1978, a Regional Coordinating Committee composed of NADEC Directors was set up to implement the educational projects under the ASEAN-Australia Forum.
The RCC on Education is responsible among others in: i) formulating and recommending policies and programmes and strategies for ASEAN cooperation in education, ii) monitoring and evaluating the implementation of approved projects, which are incorporated in the ADEP, where it deals with four problem areas in ASEAN education, namely: a) manpower development, b) teacher education, c) education system, and d) special education.
The ADEP consists of five major projects where all ASEAN member countries participate in all activities. There are a total of 25 major sub-projects. A member country is responsible for the coordination of each major sub-project while the Philippines is responsible for the overall coordination of all projects.
To implement the ADEP, ASEAN received financial assistance from the Australian Government amounting to A$2.6 million or US$2.8 million for a four-year period. This amount is disbursed bilaterally and on a yearly basis. The allocation of the budget for four years is:
1st year - US$ 480,135 2nd year - US$1,025,755 3rd year - US$ 731,l49 4th year - US$ 565,587 5th year - US$2,800,646Population
The ASEAN Population Programme (APP) was initiated as a result of the Declaration of ASEAN Concord, signed by the five Heads of Government in Bali, Indonesia in February 1976 calling for "intensification and expansion of existing cooperation in meeting problems of population growth in the ASEAN region, and where possible, formulation of new strategies in collaboration with appropriate international agencies". This Declaration gave an impetus to the ASEAN Heads of Population Programme (AHPP) to develop and implement regional projects in population and family planning.
The current APP consists of two phases with a total of 12 projects, five of which are under Phase and seven under Phase II. Phase I projects are financially assisted by UNFPA with FAO serving a the executing agency and have a total funding of US$2.0 million. Each project has five components undertaken by each member countries totalling 25 projects in operation and expected to be completed in a period of two years. Phase II projects are supported by the Australian Government amounting to A$ 3.0 million with the ASEAN Population Coordination Unit (APCU) as the executing agency to coordinate the implementation of the projects in a period of three years.
Phase I Projects
a. Integration of Population and Rural Development
Policies
b. Modular Training for Trainers of Population and
Development Agencies
c. Multi-Media Support for Population Project in
the Context of Rural Development
d. Migration in Relation to Rural Development
Phase II Projects
a. Institutional Development and Exchange of Personnel Research Seminar/in February 1982
b. Women in Development
c. Developing/Strengthening National Population Information Networks
d. Population and Development Dynamics and Men/Resource Balance Need for funding of expanded project on analysis of population and development relationships
e. Studies on Health and Family Planning Need for Budgetary Flexibility
f. Development of ASEAN Social Indicators
g. Population Migratory Movement and Development Project
Of the five Phase I projects, one of which has been accomplished, first part of two of which are about to be completed, and the rest are in the process of implementation. While the Phase II projects, which started in September/October 1980, are in the process of implementation.
The Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Heads of Population Programme (AHPP) held in Singapore Programming Exercise in 1981, the final outcome of which is to develop a long-term ASEAN Population Programme whose main objective is to develop a comprehensive APP in the context of national population plans which will guide collaborative efforts in the fields of population in the 1980s and enable long-term funding to be obtained from appropriate donor countries and international organizations.
It was proposed in the Fifth Meeting of the AHPP held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in November 1981 that the theme for Phase II of the APP be "Population and Development in the 1980s" with the program to have nine areas of concern, namely: (1) Population size and growth; (2) Information, education and communication; (3) Mortality, sanitation and nutrition; (4) Health and family planning; (5) Fertility; (6) Education; (7) Social Welfare; (8) Migration and urbanization; and (9) Population and development.
Drugs and Narcotics
The growing problem of drug abuse and trafficking causes a grave concern among ASEAN Governments. The need to combat this problem is included-in the Declaration of ASEAN Concord signed by the Heads of Government in Denpasar, Indonesia in February 1976. Hence the ASEAN Drug Experts Group was established in the same year to translate the ASEAN Declaration of Principles to Combat the Abuse of Narcotic Drugs into positive action to jointly eradicate this menace from the ASEAN region.
In their First Meeting in Singapore in October 1976, three main areas of activity to eliminate the drug abuse were agreed upon namely: Preventive, Repressive, Treatment and Rehabilitation. In their Fourth Meeting in Malaysia on 26-30 November 1979, these areas were translated into four projects: (1) Law Enforcement; (2) Preventive Education and Information; (3) Treatmentand Rehabilitation; and (4) Research and Training.
The Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Drug Experts held in Singapore on December 1981 made 23 recommendations addressed to ASEAN governments and designed to strengthen regional and national institutions and activities on law enforcement and legislation, treatment and rehabilitation, preventive drug education, information and research training.
Law Enforcement. The Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Drug Experts deliberated on the above projects and agreed that illicit drug trafficking and abuse be recognized as a threat to national security, stability and resilience, and therefore, encouraged the respective Government of ASEAN countries to: (a) to initiate legislation which will provide compulsory preventive detention of illicit drug traffickers, manufacturers and financiers; (b) to adopt measures to deny the issuance and renewal of travel documents to such illicit activities; (c) to exercise stricter control on the importation, distribution and exportation of chemicals used in the manufacture of heroin, and (d) to initiate legislative measures providing stiff penalties for the illicit traffic of these chemicals.
Preventive Education and Information. The ASEAN Training Centre for Drug Enforcement Officers has completed the first training course in July 1980 which is undertaken by Thailand; while the second course, held in Chiang Mai, started in December 1981.
The ASEAN Center for Preventive Drug Education was established at the University of the Philippines, College of Education. A governing board for the Center was also put up with representation from each member country. The Center organized and conducted on 3-15 May 1982 the Third ASEAN Seminar-Workshop on Curriculum Development in Preventive Drug Education with funding from ASEAN, the Philippines Dangerous Drugs Board and the U.S. State Department.
The Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Drug Experts agreed that there should be maximum use of mass media in mobilizing public support in favour of Law Enforcement and Legislation, Treatment and Rehabilitation, and Preventive Education and Information to combat the drug problem.
Treatment and Rehabilitation. On the treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent people, it was agreed that community participation and social re-integration of drug-dependent or ex-drug- dependent people should be strengthened and efforts by voluntary organizations should be encouraged and financed by the Government.
Research and Training. It was agreed that all ASEAN training projects should utilize regional, international and third countries aid; and also make maximum use of ASEAN consultants, lectures, technical personnel, resource persons and teaching materials. It was also agreed that courses should be organized with a practical element including simulation exercises. Any research materials in the fields of narcotics enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, and preventive education should be channelled to the respective training centres for use in the training programmes and for dissemination to member countries.
ASEAN Narcotics Desk. An ASEAN Narcotics Desk will soon become part of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta for which the U.S. has pledged technical support. This will be supervised by an ASEAN Narcotics Officer who will collect, collate, analyze and monitor projects and activities of member countries in connection with the prevention of drug abuse. Police Lt. Colonel Chakrthep Amesbutr of Thailand will be assuming this position soon.
Health and Nutrition
There is a need to develop a regional frame- work for collaborative efforts in the field of health and nutrition development. In order to realize such a scheme of cooperation, the ASEAN Standing Committee has designated the ASEAN Expert Group on Health and Nutrition Development to give recommendations to the ASEAN Committee on Social Development.
In their first Meeting in Bangkok, 24-26 April 1979, they discussed the terms of reference and procedure for development programmes and identified programme areas of cooperation in health and nutrition.
The programme areas which were proposed for the member countries are: Indonesia - (1) Health Care Delivery particularly Primary Health Care; - (2) Mental Health; Malaysia - (3) Environmental Health; - (4) Oral Health; Philippines - (5) Nutritional Aspect of Health; - (6) Health Manpower Development (Auxiliary Level); Singapore - (7) Occupational and Industrial Health and Accident Control; Thailand - (8) Health Planning, Management and Information Systems; - (9) Health Manpower Development (Academic Level); and - (l0) Traditional Medicine.
The activities involved in these programme areas may be in the form of consultantship, study tours, meetings, joint strategies, standardized technology and indicators, research and development, reference laboratory, training programmes, production of materials and/or legislation.
ASEAN Women's Programmes
The most notable activity under the COSD that was undertaken in 1981 was the reactivation of the programmes and activities related to development of women in ASEAN. As agreed in a meeting held in Jakarta on 18-21 November 1981, the Sub-Committee on Women which held its last meeting in Manila in 1977 has been renamed "ASEAN Women's Programmes (AWP)". The AWP has agreed that Indonesia preside over the charimanship of AWP for the next three years co-terminus with that of the COSD Chairman�s tenure.
The common problems of the ASEAN Women that hinder the improvement of their situation have been identified as follows: frequent child bearing, poor nutrition, ill health, strenuous dual workload that leaves women, especially from rural areas, in a state of physical and mental exhaustion, illiteracy, and lack of know-how and skills.
During the First Meeting of the ASEAN Women's Programmes, the objectives and terms of reference of COSD's new subsidiary body were defined. A plan of action for 1981 to 1986 was formulated with emphasis on health, education and employment. Five projects were recommended: (1) ASEAN Women's Programmes on Art and Culture; (2) Clearing House and Information on Women in Development; (3) Women's Vocational Training Centre; (4) Population Development Project; and (5) Legal Literacy and Legal Aid.
Pharmaceuticals
A technical cooperative program in pharmaceuticals among the member countries is now at the initial stage of implementation. The program has seven thrusts and each country is assigned areas to coordinate: (a) exchange of information on drugs (Indonesia); (b) training and exchange of expertise in drug supply and management (Singapore); (c) development, production and utilization of regulatory standards and reference substance (Thailand); (d) exchange of information on an essential drugs list (Indonesia); (e) development of practical guidelines for the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practice (Indonesia); (f) drug and evaluation control (Philippines); (g) development of adequate control laboratories (Malaysia).