Anniversaries, like birthdays, are opportune occasions for assessing what progress has been made, where we have fallen short of our goals, and for reflecting on future directions.

As we plunge into the year-long series of events and activities to commemorate ASEAN's 30t' anniversary, there is no doubt that the various ASEAN bodies have much to celebrate. At the same time, the challenges in store for ASEAN poised on the cusp of a new millennium and on the verge of realising Vision '67, are immeasurable, to say the least.

As new members, Laos and Myanmar, make the transition from centrally-planned economies to those more in tune with the rest of ASEAN, there will be much scope for cooperation in the various functional sectors such as education, human resources development, science and technology and the protection of the environment.

With a borderless ASEAN on the horizon, we need to ensure that our peoples, in particular, our youth will appreciate, understand and enjoy the diversity of the region's linguistic and ethnic heritage.

How to bring about a caring, cohesive and technologically competitive ASEAN - that is the challenge the functional committees will find themselves grappling with. I am sure, that given the solid foundation laid over the last thirty years, ASEAN will prove equal to the task.