Their directive, recorded in the Fifth ASEAN Summit Declaration, evolved into the Framework on Elevating Functional Cooperation to a Higher Plane in the six months that followed.

The Framework was in turn endorsed by the ASEAN Standing Committee and adopted by the 29th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Jakarta from 20 to 21 July 1996.

Framework for elevating functional cooperation to a higher plane

• The theme for ASEAN functional cooperation shall be: Shared prosperity through human development, technological competitiveness and social cohesiveness.

• Selected programme and activities shall be prioritised in line with the Bangkok Summit Declaration’s 15-point consensus on functional cooperation with special emphasis on the agreed theme

• High profile or flagship projects shall be developed by the functional committees

• Greater publicity shall be given to functional cooperation activities of ASEAN through, among others, the publication of a newsletter

• The public profile of functional cooperation activities shall be raised by giving ASEAN Awards to individuals and organisations

• The functional committees shall develop projects using various cost-sharing schemes, involving, in particular, the private sector

• The Functional Cooperation Bureau of the ASEAN Secretariat shall be strengthened