COOPERATION IN CULTURE AND INFORMATION (COCI)

1. During the year under review, ASEAN COCI continued with its active planning and Organisation of cultural and information exchange programmes to promote better understanding among the peoples of ASEAN. The cost of these exchange programmes amounted to about US$ 2 million per year.

   Mechanism for Evaluation of ASEAN-COCI Projects

2. The Twenty-First Meeting of the ASEAN-COCI held in December 1989 in Singapore endorsed the Mechanism for Evaluating ASEAN-COCI Projects. The Committee identified guidelines to be implemented at three levels i.e. at National Committee Level, Working Group Level and ASEAN-COCI Level. Through this mechanism, ASEAN-COCI could ensure its projects and programmes would have more positive impact on the peoples of ASEAN. It was also noted the need to adopt the principle of equitability in utilizing the ASEAN Cultural Fund, especially in the implementation of the agreed projects which should be evenly spread out among the member countries. Evaluation on completed projects or programmes could also provide feedback lessons for future planning in terms of policies, design and implementing strategy.

   Commercial Dissemination of Marketable COCI Products

3. The proposal for the commercial dissemination of marketable ASEAN-COCI projects goes back to September 1988 when the 4th Meeting of ASEAN Working Group on Literary and ASEAN Studies convened in Bangkok approved the idea. Due to the complexity and highly technical nature of the subject matter, a Meeting of ASEAN Copyright Experts was held in Bangkok in November 1989 to find ways and mean for ASEAN to commercially disseminate the said products without risk of being sued by copyright owners. The first Meeting was able to finalize only part of its assignment. This was because of the time constraint. Thailand, the coordinator of the project, in formed the Twenty-Second Meeting of the ASEAN-COCI held in Bandung in May 1990 of the need to convene the Second Meeting of the ASEAN Legal Expert in Bangkok in due course to iron out the problems. Though the solution has not yet materialised, ASEAN-COCI efforts to that end are certainly moving in the right direction.

   Standardization of Honoraria for ASEAN-COCI Projects.

4. During the Twenty-First Meeting of the ASEAN-COCI in Singapore in December 1989, a Task Force comprising representatives from member countries set up to examine and make recommendations on the standardization of honoraria for ASEAN-COCI Projects. The Task Force agreed that there was a need for standardization in four areas namely Per Diem, Air Fares, Honoraria and Organising Costs.

5. With regard to Per Diem, the Task Force took into consideration the fact that the present per them rate was established in 1981 and that inflation since then has warranted a revision. For non-local participants the per them should increase from US$ 80 to US$ 100. For local participants the increase was suggested from US$ 50 to US$ 60.

6. The Task Force recommended that air fares should remain at US$ 500 per non-local participant.

7. On Honoraria, the Task Force agreed that it should not be conceived as a salary but as a token for services rendered. Honoraria can only be paid to consultants, resource persons who have rendered professional services beyond mere at tendance of meetings or seminars. A receiver of honorarium may also receive per them where the project requires him to be accommodated in the hotel during the course of the project.

8. With regard to Organising Costs, the Task Force agreed that for Meetings which do not exceed five days, the Organising Costs should not exceed US$ 5,000. Any projects which propose organising cost of more than US$ 1,000 must have a detailed breakdown of the 6 mount. The proposed revised rates will be implemented after they are endorsed by the ASEAN Standing Committee.

9. With the 3 measures, the Committee hopes the annual programme of intra-ASEAN cooperation can be better formulated, financed and implemented.

   ASEAN-COCI Projects for FY 1990/1991.

10. At its 22nd Meeting on 28-31 May 1990 in Bandung, the COCI also agreed to recommend to the ASEAN Standing Committee's a budgetary requirements of US$ 2,378,517.50 for FY 1990/ 1991 to finance the implementation of the following twenty five (25) projects and activities :

    A.		Projects on Culture
    
    	Projects on Literary and ASEAN Studies
    
     1. 6th Meeting of ASEAN Working Group on Literary and ASEAN
        Studies
     2. Anthology of ASEAN Literatures
     3. ASEAN Fellowship Awards
     4. Literary Resource Materials for Drama Presentation
     5. Exploration of Historical and Cultural Sites of ASEAN
     6. ASEAN Colloquium on Oral History
    
    
    	Projects on Visual and Performing Arts
    
    1. 6th Meeting of ASEAN Working Group on Visual and 
       Performing Arts
    2. 2nd ASEAN Travelling Exhibition on Paintings,
       Photography and Children's Art
    3. 2nd ASEAN Theatre Festival
    4. 2nd ASEAN Youth Music Workshop (2nd Cycle)
    
    
    B.		Projects on Information
    
    	Projects on Radio/Television and Films/Video
    
    1. 6th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Prints and 
       Interpersonal Media
    2. ASEAN Radio Cultural Programme Exchange
    3. ASEAN TV Cultural Programme Exchange
    4. 5th ASEAN Festival of Songs
    5. 3rd ASEAN Film Week and Exchange of Film Personages
    6. Documentary Video on Tourism in ASEAN
    7. Workshop on Script Development for Films/Video and 
       Television
    8. Workshop on Films/Video Production Management
    
    
    	Projects on Print and Interpersonal Media
    
    1. 6th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Radio/TV 
       and Films/Video
    2. 4th Workshop Seminar for Journalists of the ASEAN News 
       Agencies and Related News Organisation
    3. 4th ASEAN Exchange of Journalists Programme
    4. 2nd ASEAN Awards: Culture, Communication and Literary Works
    5. Intra-ASEAN Training and Development Programme for Print 
       and Interpersonal Media
    6. A Comprehensive Survey of the Impact of ANEX in the ASEAN 
       Region
    7. ASEAN ANEX Training Programme