Much of the progress painstakingly, achieved by member countries in reducing poverty in two decades of economic growth has been eroded as millions of breadwinners lost their jobs in a spate of retrenchment and bankruptcies. Countless children have left the classroom to help their families cope. In general, the quality of life, the health and sense of security of house- holds all over the ASEAN region have suffered a sharp decline.

Yet every crisis presents its own unique opportunities and this one is no exception. How we collectively respond to it will determine the shape and direction of the ASEAN mission. As may be gathered from the articles in this issue of Interface, ASEAN has taken vigorous initiatives to address the challenges of this crisis. These are parts of an enormous undertaking to which every citizen of ASEAN can make a contribution.

Our collective will and resourcefulness will be tested as never before but we can rise to new heights of cooperation. We thus not only overcome the crisis, but also build the ASEAN society of our shared Vision, a cohesive and caring society in which hunger, deprivation and poverty are no longer a basic problem.

Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr.

Secretary-General of ASEAN