This mandate reaffirmed the ASEAN Plan of Action on Culture and Information (1994-97) which was now in the third and final year of implementation. The Plan of Action had been drawn up under the inspiration of the Fourth ASEAN Summit's Singapore Declaration of 1992 calling for the continued enhancement of ASEAN awareness among people in the region, hastening the development of a regional identity and solidarity, and promoting human resources development. In 1993, the ASEAN Information Ministers also called for active steps to intensify and ensure mass media coverage and dissemination of news and information on all principal concerns of ASEAN regional cooperation. All of these calls were incorporated in the Plan of Action on Culture and Information for 1994-97 which COCI adopted in June 1995.

To provide for projects of better value and impact, the Plan of Action recommended a redefinition of COCI's programme areas and thematic thrusts. The types of projects focused on promotional activities and human resources development projects. For the three-year programme cycle, a total of sixty-eight projects, twenty-one under the culture sector and twenty-four under information sector, separate annual meetings of the four COCI working groups, five special projects, three annual meetings of the Advisory Group of the ASEAN Cultural Fund were approved by the ASEAN Standing Committee with a total budget of US$ 8 million.

The Plan of Action on Culture and Information for 1994-1997 recommended a redefinition of COCI's programme areas, focusing on projects on promotional activities and human resources development.

COCI reviewed its accomplishments since 1994 and noted that the projects implemented over the 1994-1997 period were more focused and had generally achieved most of their objectives as outlined in the plan of action.

New study source materials on ASEAN and more publications arising out of workshops, seminars and conferences have been generated by ASEAN scholars and experts touching on the themes recommended by the plan of action. The use of radio and television to promote ASEAN awareness has been carried out more regularly in the broadcasting networks of Member Countries. In news coverage and exchange, the ANEX continued to undertake training workshops and adopted a "pooled coverage" approach in covering major events such as the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit Meeting in Subic, Philippines in November 1996.

Performances and exhibitions of COCI, on the other hand, have generated creative ideas and discourses of aesthetics among artists, scholars, performers and organisers.

Although many projects have been undertaken to promote ASEAN awareness, COCI observed that there was a need to increase the impact of these activities to make them more sustainable, especially in the "grassroots" level and among the younger generation. In general, however, COCI's festivals, performances, productions and exhibitions together with its human resources development projects have resulted in a larger community of mass media practitioners and artists more aware and more conscious of their ASEAN identity.

COCI also examined its weaknesses, foremost of which is the problem of delay experienced in many projects. Members were requested to give more careful consideration in meeting their commitments to these projects. Project proponents were also encouraged to limit the duration of an activity to a maximum of two weeks, except in special cases, since it is difficult to release staff for long periods.

COCI also concluded that it still lacked an institutional and effective system of evaluating the impact of its projects. Evaluation tended to be lukewarm because of the reluctance to critically assess each members' implementation of projects.

For the year 1996-97 in review, the 31st COCI Meeting held in Bali in July 1996 endorsed twenty-three project proposals (eleven projects under culture and twelve projects under information).

COCI also agreed to hold a Combined Meeting of the COCI Working Groups to Formulate the Second Plan of Action on Culture and Information. In addition, COCI also endorsed a special project of the ASEAN Secretariat to produce a video documentary entitled ASEAN at 30 in time for ASEAN's 30th anniversary.

All together, an amount of US$3.3 million from the ASEAN Cultural Fund has been budgeted for the projects for implementation in Financial Year 1996-97. The following projects were undertaken during the year in review:

Literary & ASEAN Studies

The ASEAN Writers Conference/Workshop Series (Essay) was held in December 1996 in Depok, Serang and Anyer, Indonesia. This is part of the three-year series to establish an ASEAN network on literature to assist in the dissemination of information among ASEAN Member Countries. The first year focused on ASEAN poetry and resulted in the publication entitled ASEANO. The second year covered fiction. The third publication on ASEAN essays is expected to be completed in December 1997.

Scheduled for completion in 1996-97 are three publications on Film, Broadcast Media, and Print Media under the ASEAN Studies Publication Series. The three-year series on ASEAN Studies aims to produce scholarly and analytical source materials on ASEAN members covering aspects of their arts, economy, government, religion, history, social organisations and customs, and other institutions. Thailand is this year's coordinator for these three publications. A preparatory meeting was held in Khon Kaen, Thailand in October 1996 to discuss the preliminary outlines of the country essays.

The preparatory meeting on the Comparative Museology and Museography in ASEAN was held in Manila in September 1996 while the conference was held in April 1997.

The Fifth Exchange of ASEAN Archivists was held in Singapore in May 1997. This is part of a three-year exchange programme on Archives and Documentation to promote better understanding of archival policies, procedures and practices among Member Countries, promote cooperation and enhance exchange of archival materials among ASEAN archival institutions.

The second seminar under the project ASEAN: Culture Strategic Studies was held in Kuching, Sarawak in May 1997 and covered the following topics: (1) Culture and Urbanisation; (2) Culture and Tourism; and (3) Culture and Community. The seminar sought to examine both the past and present in order to provide a better intellectual framework for the understanding of ASEAN and to formulate or define the necessary concepts and terminology that best reflect the content of ASEAN culture as manifest in the heritage of Member Countries.

The ASEAN Writers Conference is a three-year series of workshops to establish an ASEAN network on literature, namely poetry, fiction and essays

Visual & Performing Arts

The Fourth ASEAN Dance Festival was held in Singapore in December 1996 and attended by some 250 artists and dance officials of Member Countries. The festival coincided with the conference of the World Trade Organization in Singapore which gave delegates from all over the world the rare opportunity of seeing one of ASEAN's most colourful performing arts projects.

The ASEAN Artists Creative Interaction, a performance art activity and workshop, was held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in April 1997. The project was a creative sharing of experience and interaction among artists from the different fields of visual and performing arts.

Radio/TV & Film Video

The Fourth Conference of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information called for the development of an ASEAN Satellite Channel in line with the need to harness technological advances in communications to promote ASEAN awareness. Such a channel was to be driven by cultural, social, political and economic developments of the region and be operated by the private sector with the endorsement of the ASEAN governments. In December 1966, a meeting of experts on the proposed Satellite Channel was held in Kuala Lumpur. They discussed the technical specifications, programmes, marketing plan and strategy, organizational structure and HRD, financial plan and supervisory committee and other aspects to put up such a channel.

The weekly 15 to 20 minute radio programme of ASEAN in Action, now in its third year, continued to be broadcast in the radio networks of Member Countries. The same was also true for the three-year project on the TV Coverage and Promotion of ASEAN and its Activities which will be completed in October 1997.

To complement the weekly radio programmes, an ASEAN Radio DJ Workshop was held in Bangkok in November 1996. A joint radio production culminated the workshop.

In September 1996, a Conference on Censorship and Market Access of Film/Video in ASEAN was held in Jakarta. This was attended by officials of the national film censors board of Member Countries, and ministries in charge of the film industry and trade. The conference was held to exchange information on film/video censorship management among the ASEAN countries, to study ways of fostering cooperation among ASEAN film producers/importers/distributors and to increase the market for their film or video productions in the region.

A Training Seminar on Film/Video Archive Preservation and Restoration was conducted in Manila in February and March 1997 to enable archivists specializing on film and video to exchange information on current policies, standards, practices and other concerns related to the preservation of film and video collections in the region. The Seminar is part of the Three-Year Development Plan for Film/Video Archives in the ASEAN Region. The Seminar also sought to assess the sustainability and practicability of adopting international standards and techniques for the preservation of film and video in the region. The project was carried out under the ASEAN-Australia Cooperation Programme.

In the field of film, the project ASEAN Film Week and Exchange of Film Personages was held in Yogyakarta in April 1997. This project promotes regional awareness of the different stages of the development of the film and video industry of the ASEAN countries. As a means for social interaction among film artistes and personages, the film week enhances mutual appreciation of the film industry and of each Member Country.

Print & Interpersonal Media

The ASEAN Regulators' Forum on Internet was held in September 1996 in Singapore. The holding of this Forum was one of the directives of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information. Attended by local and foreign speakers, the Forum discussed and exchanged views on policy and regulatory frameworks on Internet such as cyber-laws, safeguarding values, regional programmes on the use the Internet as a communications and information resource. The Forum agreed that regulations and laws were necessary to set up a framework for Internet to develop and flourish, given the great potential for business, information and cultural exchange.

The ASEAN Journalists/Media Personnel Encounter on Drug Preventive Information was held in Jakarta and Tasikmalaya in November 1996 to enhance the professional skills of ASEAN journalists on drug prevention coverage as well as promote closer cooperation and communication among journalists associations in ASEAN.

Among communication educators and trainers, a forum was held in Manila in December 1996 entitled ASEAN Communications Educators' Forum: Retooling for Emerging Cybercommunity. The forum drew up an action plan and a common framework for integrating the ASEAN perspective in the training curriculum and programme for communications education.

During the Summit Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Subic, Philippines in November 1996, a regional desk was established for a pooled news coverage of the APEC. Called the ANEX Regional Desk on Economic Reporting: Focus on APEC, the project sought to develop the participants' ability to look at economic developments from an ASEAN perspective. The project was implemented in November 1996.

The ANEX Seminar Editorial Manage-ment and Internet was also held in Jakarta in April 1997 and came up with an inventory of concerns and challenges faced by those working in the editorial management of the news agencies of ASEAN. The seminar sought to seek alternative ways and strategies for the dissemination of ASEAN news and put to optimal use the ASEANWEB.

The ASEAN Regulators' Forum on Internet agreed that regulations were necessary to set up a framework for the Internet to develop and flourish

Cooperation with Dialogue Partners

Australia

During the period 1994-1997, Australia has been co-funding with COCI the Three-Year Development Plan for Film/Video Archives in the ASEAN Region. Training seminars under the Plan, were: Film/Video Archives Management in Australia in May and June 1995; Film/Video Archive Collection, Development and Control in April and May 1996; and Film/Video Archive Preservation and Restoration in Manila in February and March 1997.

Canada

The project Training Course on the Archival Management of Machine Electronics Readable Records which was later retitled as Training Course on Archival Management of Electronic Records was conducted in Vancouver, Canada in May and June 1997. The Training Internship on Audio-Visual Records Management, on the other hand, is still pending implementation.

Republic of Korea

After the successful first study tour project, the Republic of Korea has presented a proposal for the Second Study Tour of Korean Libraries by Senior ASEAN Librarians.

United States of America.

The proposed programme on the promotion of social and cultural cooperation based on the "people-to-people contact" is still being pursued by ASEAN through its Country Coordinator.

A Higher Plane for Culture & Information

In response to the call of the Fifth ASEAN Summit to elevate culture and information to a higher plane and to prepare for its next three-year programme cycle, the Com-mittee approved the proposal for regional coordination through the appointment of a Programme Coordinator stationed at the ASEAN Secretariat. Part of this proposal also involves the publication of a newsletter on ASEAN Functional Cooperation. Called InterFace, the first issue came out in December 1996 and copies were distributed to ASEAN officials involved in functional cooperation activities.

The 31st COCI Meeting also saw merit in considering projects with higher profile and impact. A new category of "flagship" projects was instituted for the next programme cycle for better impact and publicity. Taking into consideration the recommendations of the Fourth Conference of the ASEAN Information Ministers in March 1996, COCI agreed to adopt as flagship projects the establishment of an ASEAN Satellite Channel and the expansion of the ASEANWEB to include homepages on culture and information.

In March 1997, COCI convened its four Working Groups in a combined meeting to formulate the Second Plan of Action on Culture and Information for 1997-2000. The combined meeting was held in Udon Thani, north-eastern part of Thailand where the delegates were also treated to a tour of the Phu Phra Bat Historical Park, noted for its prehistoric archaeological findings and spectacular rock formations. At the meeting were observers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar whose membership in ASEAN were anticipated. Earlier, at its 31st Meeting in July 1996, COCI welcomed the full participation of Vietnam for the first time in its programme of activities.

At their combined meeting, the COCI working groups noted with optimism and confidence the challenges and opportunities to elevate ASEAN cooperation in culture and information to a higher plane. They observed that COCI has reached a stage where its working procedures and structures needed to be reviewed and revised to take into account the eventual enlargement of ASEAN and to make the Committee's programmes and projects more effective and better coordinated.

Towards the second cycle of its three-year programme for 1997-2000, the Committee on Culture and Information has adopted, to be its main thrust, the theme of ASEAN functional cooperation: Shared prosperity through human development, technological competitiveness and social cohesiveness.