COOPERATION IN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
(COSD)
The Fourteenth Meeting of the Committee
on Social Development was held in Manila on 31
May to 3 June 1989. One of the Meeting's more
important task was to analyse deeply the problems
confronting the Committee and to seek solutions
to them.
The ASEAN - COSD has 5 Subsidiary
Bodies, namely:
a) ASEAN Heads of Population Programme
b) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Health and
Nutrition
c) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth
d) ASEAN Women's Programme
e) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour
Affairs
Population
The ASEAN Heads of Population Programme
(AHPP) held their Annual Executive Meeting in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 13 April 1989. The
Meeting discussed:
- The status of the Phase IV ASEAN - Australian
Population Projects;
- The draft of the 1987 Annual Report
- The programme made by the ASEAN
COSD in obtaining financial assistance to
launch the Fourth Phase of the ASEAN
Population Programme;
- The Provisional Agenda of the forth-coming
Meeting of the ASEAN Committee
on Social Development;
- The 7th ASEAN Parliamentarians Conference/
Study Tour;
- The interest of FAO to continuously
collaborate with ASEAN Population Programme, and
- Other new developments
The AHPP is seeking funds for the implementation
of the following projects:
a) Community Based Health and Social Programme
for the Elderly;
b) Urbanization in Development;
c) Strengthening Population/Family
Planning Programme Management in
ASEAN;
d) Integration Population and Development;
e) Reduction of Infant Mortality Rates.
Health and Nutrition
The Seventh Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee
on Health and Nutrition (ASCH&N)
was held in Manila, Philippines on 11-13 April
1989. This Sub-Committee reviews and
recommends cooperative programmes on Health
and Nutrition developments in ASEAN countries.
The ASCH&N has the following projects
under its purview:
I. On-going Projects:
a) ASEAN Primary Health Care project
This is an on-going project hosted by
the ASEAN Training Centre for primary
Health Care in Bangkok, Thailand. The
project received funding assistance from
Japan for the first five years beginning
1982. The two year extension from 1987
ended in September 1989. As in the past
the project continued with similar activities
such as training, mode development
collection of information and documentation
of materials in the related fields.
b) Technical Cooperation in Pharmaceuticals
Among ASEAN Countries
The ASEAN Working Group on
Pharmaceutical Technical Cooperation
held its 8th Meeting in Malaysia on 22-23
June 1988 and endorsed the 1989 project
workplan. The on-going activities of the
project in accordance with the agreed
workplan were as follows:
- Development of Clinical Pharmacy
coordinated by Brunei Darussalam in
Replacement of Activity Formulation
of an Essential Drug Information Manual;
- Establishment of a Regional Training
Centre for Good Manufacturing
Practices (GMP) coordinated by
Indonesia;
- Establishment of a Regional Training
Centre for Drug Information coordinated
by Indonesia;
- Standardization, Quality Control and
Utilization of Herbal Medicine Coordinated
by Indonesia and cordinated by Thailand;
- Training Programme for Drug Management
at Peripheral Level coordinated by Malaysia;
- Establishment of Regional Training
Centre for Laboratory Quality
Control coordinated by Malaysia;
- Establishment of a Regional Training
Centre in Drug Evaluation coordinated
by Philippines;
- Strengthening of Communication,
information and Education on
Medicine to the Community coordinated
by Singapore;
- Development of Hospital pharmacy
Management coordinated by
Thailand; and
- Establishment of a Regional Training
Centre for the Production and
Utilization of Regional Standards
and Reference Substance coordinated by Thailand
c) ASEAN Scholarship Programme for
Applied Tropical Medicine
and Public Health
The project is one of ASEAN efforts
to improve quality of life of the rural poor
and to bring them more into the mainstream
of national development. The project started
in 1989 and its primary function is to
provide scholarships to health personnel
from ASEAN countries to undertake long-term
and short-term training courses at the
participating institutions.
The regional training courses were
conducted at the following ASEAN - Tropmed
participating institutions:
Indonesia - Faculty of Medicine
University of Indonesia
Jakarta
Malaysia - Institute for Medical
Research
Kuala Lumpur
Philippines - College of Public Health
University of the
Philippines, Manila
Singapore - Department of Community
Occupational and Family
Medicine,
National University of
Singapore
Short courses proposed for implementation
in 1987/1990 areas follows:
Indonesia
a. Health Planning and Management for
Mid-Level Health Personnel (4 weeks)
b. Community Nutrition Intervention for
Health Personnel ( 6 weeks).
Malaysia:
a. Viral Hepatitis - Theory, Diagnostic
and Laboratory Techniques (4 weeks)
b. Laboratory Diagnosis of Intestinal
Protozoan Infections (4 weeks).
Philippines:
a. Diagnosis and Management of Specific
Acute Infections Diseases.
b. Occupational and Environmental
Health.
Singapore:
a. Pesticide Poisoning and other Occupational Hazards ( 2 weeks).
b. Epidemiology of Non-communicable
Diseases ( 3 weeks).
Thailand:
a. Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology
of Tropical Diseases ( 2 weeks).
b. Advance Course in Biostatistics
(4 weeks).
In addition to the regular training courses at
participating institutions, there were also
postgraduate training courses which received
financial assistance from USAID.
II. Approved Projects for Funding
a) ASEAN Collaborative Project on
Mental Health;
b) ASEAN Collaborative Project on
Nutrition;
c) ASEAN Diabetes Prevention and
Control of Acute Respiratory Infection
in Children (ARIC);
d) Proposal for ASEAN - Tropmed
Workshop and Short Training
Courses (1990-1991).
Youth
The Sixth Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee
on Youth (ASY) was held in Bandar
Seri Begawan on 27 February to 1 March 1989.
The Meeting endeavoured to ensure the continuity
of present adult efforts to promote regional contacts,
understanding, cooperation and development in ASEAN.
The Sub-Committee enhances active participation
and integration of youth in national and
regional development by formulating and coordinating
Programmes and strategies for regional
cooperation in the field of youth.
The ASY has the following regional projects
under its purview:
1. Approved Projects under implementation:
a) ASEAN Volunteer Corps Exchange
Programme
This project is being coordinated by
Malaysia. It is a one year project involving
five volunteers from each ASEAN member country.
The project aimed to develop the
talent of the ASEAN Youth toward international
development, thus strengthening
the existing cooperation among the
ASEAN countries in social, cultural and
economic fields. The projects also aimed
to provide an avenue for ASEAN volunteers
to serve as exchange volunteers to
other ASEAN countries, with a view of
widening their own experience.
The project cost about US$
123,000.00 and is funded by the Japan
ASEAN Exchange Programme.
b) ASEAN Directory of Accommodation
Facilities for Youth Travel
This project was being coordinated
by Singapore. The first of the Directory
was presented at the Sixth Meeting of the
ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth which
was held in Brunei Darussalam from 21
February - 1 March 1989. A total of
2,000 copies were published and 300
copies were distributed to each ASEAN
member country.
c) ASEAN Youth Leadership Training
Programme
This project was implemented by
Indonesia. Five participants were invited
from each ASEAN member country. The
project included, training, seminar, lecture
and field trips and the duration was 2
weeks.
d) ASEAN Training of Trainers for
Youth Work
This project was implemented in
Malaysia in October 1988. Seventeen parcipants
from ASEAN member countries took part.
The project was implemented in cooperation
with ESCAP, Asian Youth
Council (AYC), the Malaysian Youth
Council (MYC), and the Ministry of
Youth and Sports of Malaysia.
The project was hosted at the Youth
Training Centre, Pertak, Kuala Bharu,
Selangor, Malaysia from 2 to 29 October
1989.
The objective of the projects were to
develop among participants an in depth
understanding of current training
approaches, methodologies and techniques
in youth work. It was also to
equip the participants with knowledge
and skill for designing training programme.
II. Approved Projects for Funding:
a) Preparing Rural Youth for a better
future in agriculture,
b) Workshop on Training for Programme
Managers and Associated
Personnel on Skill Training for Out-of-School Youth,
c) Workshop on Youth Entrepreneurship Development.
Women
The Eighth Meeting of the ASEAN Women's
Programme was held in Manila, Philippines, on
24-26 May 1987. This Sub-Committee promotes,
implements and strengthen active participation and
integration of ASEAN Women in sharing the future
development and progress of ASEAN and meeting
the needs and aspirations of women in the ASEAN
member countries. The Eighth Meeting of the AWP
also served as a forum for the exchange of views as
well as the sharing of experiences with one another
through the presentation of Country Papers on
Women and Work, Women and Family, and
Women and Politics.
The AWP has the following regional projects
under its purview:
I. Approved Project awaiting implementation:
a) ASEAN Network of Vocational
Training for Women
b) ASEAN Seminar and Experts Group
Meeting on Women's Studies and
Development
c) Finalization of the Thesaurus on
Women in Development (WID)
II. Approved Project for Funding
a) Project proposal in Indicators and
Statistics on Women.
ASEAN Cooperation in the Field of Labour
The 7th ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting
(ALMM) was held on 13-14 October 1988 in Bali,
Indonesia. The Ministers exchanged views on inter-related
issues such as the adverse development over
the preceding years of recession. They expressed
their concern on the crippling economic condition,
dwindling commodity prices, drastic changes in
foreign exchange rates, rising unemployment and
the protectionist trends, all of which had serious
repercussions on the economic development in the
ASEAN region.
The Meeting in Bali agreed, among others
that ASEAN member countries should continue to
coordinate their positions regarding the various
issues tabled at the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Ministers' Meeting also agreed on the
need to increase employability of the unemployed
and underemployed workers particularly in the
informal sector.
ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs
The Third Meeting of the 22nd ASEAN
Standing Committee, Brunei Darussalam, 24-26
November 1988, took note of the formal linkage
between the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour
Affairs (ASCLA) and the COSD under the purview
of the ASC. The Meeting also agreed that ASCLA
could coordinate on Labour matters with the
ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting (ALMM) and
Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM).
The First Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee
on Labour Affairs was held in Bandar
Seri Begawan on 1-2 August 1988.
For more information, please refer to the project details
