ASEAN SECRETARIAT
During the year 1988-1989, the ASEAN
Secretariat concentrated its efforts on
consolidating the activities pursuant to the New
Initiatives endorsed by the Third Meeting of the
ASEAN Heads of Government as well as coordinating
the wide-ranging activities under the
overall ASEAN cooperation.
Attendance at ASEAN Meetings
The Secretary-General and officers of the
ASEAN Secretariat attended Ministerial meetings,
annual dialogues, meetings of the ASEAN Standing.
Committee, senior officials in various fields,
ASEAN Economic committees and ASEAN
functional committees as well as some of their
subsidiary bodies. They also attended conferences
and seminars held under the framework of ASEAN
relationship with the dialogue partners. They make
contributions to the meetings as resource persons
and assisted in the meetings hosted by member
countries whenever appropriate to do so.
Venue of ASEAN Meetings
The ASEAN Secretariat hosted the following
ASEAN meetings during the year:
a) 1st Meeting of the ASEAN Experts Group
on the Utilization of the ASEAN Fund,
9-11 November 1988
b) 13th Meeting of the ASEAN Audit Committee,
16 - 19 January 1989
c) 9th Meeting of the ASEAN Advisory
Group on ASEAN Cutlural Fund, 14-15
March 1989
d) 2nd Meeting of the ASEAN Experts
Group on the Utilization of the ASEAN
Fund, 28-30 March 1989
e) 12th Meeting of ASEAN Committee on
Budget, 2 - 5 April 1989.
The ASEAN Secretariat was also the venue
for the Preparatory Meeting of the 9th ASEAN-New Zealand
Dialogue during 29 - 30 September
1988, the Meeting of implementing Agencies of
the Friendship Programme for 21st Century held
on 30 January-1 February 1989, as well as the two
meetings of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on APC-HRD
on 7 March and 19 May 1989. However, the
highlight of events held at the ASEAN Secretariat
is the First Meeting of the ASEAN Information
Ministers on 24-25 May 1989 preceded by the
Senior Officials Meeting on 21-22 May 1989.
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)
During the year under review, ASEAN Secretariat
was also given the task of administering the
fund for a joint study on ASEAN-US Economic
Relations.
ASEAN Day Celebrations
The 21st Anniversary of the founding of
ASEAN was celebrated on 8 August 1988 with
resplendent festivities under the auspices of the
ASEAN Secretariat. Sports events were held with
the participation of all ASEAN Embassies in
Jakarta in order to strengthen the spirit of friendship and solidarity.
On 8 August 1988, a flag-raising ceremony
was held at the ASEAN Secretariat premises with
ASEAN Ambassadors, Diplomats, members of
their family, and the staff members of the ASEAN
Secretariat. The Secretary-General hosted the
reception in the same evening, attended by high
ranking officials of the Government of the
Republic of Indonesia, members of the diplomatic
corps, and the notable figures from the business
sector in Jakarta.
Information Devices
Dissemination of information on the activities
of ASEAN to the general public is normally
through the various publications of the ASEAN
Secretariat. The members of the staff at the
ASEAN Secretariat also hold talks, discussions and
briefing to visitors, journalists, researchers and
groups of university students. Discussions and
briefings to visitors, journalists, briefings are also
held for politicians and members of national
defence colleges, groups of civil servants from
various countries who choose to visit the ASEAN
Secretariat.
About 100 university students from various
universities in Indonesia visited the ASEAN Secretariat
on several separate occasions during the past
year. They were briefed on ASEAN background.
and various aspects of ASEAN cooperation by the
Public Information Officer and other members of
the staff. 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
during the past year namely:
a) The Annual Report of the ASEAN
Standing Committee, 1987 - 1988
b) Statements of the 20th ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial
Conferences with the Dialogue Partners
Bangkok, 1988
c) ASEAN Newsletter - six bimonthly
d) Monthly Calendar of ASEAN Meetings
e) Monthly Selected Press Clippings on
ASEAN News and Views - 12 issues
(only for selective distribution).