ASEAN Abbreviation

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Popular abbreviations of ASEAN:

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What does ASEAN mean?

ASEAN is the short form for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is a political and economic organization consisting the 10 countries located in the South-Eastern Asian nations. The organization was established on 8th August 1967 when its Bangkok Declaration was signed. 

The body is responsible for promoting international cooperation among the members and facilitating political, economic, security, educational, military and socio-cultural integration among the member countries.

Objectives of ASEAN

The establishment of the organization took place considering a primary motive of leveraging economic growth. Along with economic prosperity, it wanted to promote social and cultural progress. Another objective of the organization was to instill a sense of collectivity, peace and harmony among the people of the member states on the principle of the United Nations Charter.

With the economies of the member states developing at a great pace, ASEAN has expanded its range of objectives. Just like the European Union, ASEAN has been divided into several communities – The security community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community.

Foundation of ASEAN

Before the formation of ASEAN, there was an organization called the Association of Southeast Asia consisting Federation of Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand. Later in 1967, ASEAN was formed by five countries namely – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. 

The first summit by the members was conducted in 1976. It saw agreements on several industrial projects and the geo-political conditions of the period allowed the ASEAN nations to exercise more freedom on trade and security issues.

Expansion of ASEAN

Since 1984, ASEAN consisted of only five-member states. On 7th January 1984, Brunei joined ASEAN and became the sixth member while Vietnam became the seventh member on 28th July 1995. Two years later, on 23rd July 1997, Laos and Myanmar also joined hands with other states. 

Cambodia became the latest entrant, becoming the tenth member on 30th April 1999. There are two more countries seeking entrance to the ASEAN – Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

Structure of ASEAN

The organization adopted the ASEAN Vision 2020 in the year 1997, for facilitating peace and harmony, economic development based on sustainability, human development, integration and cultural development. Under the ASEAN Vision 2020, three pillars of the organization were set up namely:

• ASEAN Political-Security Community
• ASEAN Economic Community
• ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

Working on the ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is headed by the chairperson – a representative chosen from the member states on a rolling basis. The chairperson is assisted by a secretariat. The majority of the decisions of the organization are taken on behalf of mutual consultation and consensus. These consultations are guided by peaceful resolution of conflicts and mutual non-interference in internal affairs. This approach of the organization has often been criticized since it is considered outdated and delays decision-making.

The methodology of resolving issues among the ASEAN is also called the ASEAN way. It is described in a personal and informal style. The leaders of the organization use compromises, consensus and consultation in an informal process of decision-making. This form of quiet diplomacy allows the leaders to avoid potential conflicts, without bringing the discussions to the public.

The ASEAN Charter

In November 2007, the member states signed a charter and in December 2008, it was launched as the ASEAN Charter. The charter was aimed at creating the ASEAN into an EU-styled community and converting ASEAN into a legal entity and entitled to the creation of a single free trade market. Later in 2009, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights was established and it adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration in November 2012.

People of the ASEAN region

The ASEAN region is one of the most diverse regions in terms of culture and heritage. As of July 2019, the region was home to about 655 million people constituting 8.5% of the world’s population. The region has an excellent sex ratio of 99.6, having 327.8 million females as opposed to 326.4 million males. It is also home to some of the fastest-growing cities in the world such as Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Surabaya.

The Economy of the ASEAN region

The primary reason for the establishment of the ASEAN organization was to lead the member states to economic prosperity. The average economic growth of the member states ranged from 3.8% to 7% during the period 1989 to 2009.

The economic welfare was more taken care of by the establishment of a single market in 2015. In 1992, the ASEAN Free Trade Area was also set up. It included a Common Effective Preferential Tariff, promoting the free trade of goods and services among the member states.

Tourism Industry in the Region

Since travel among the ASEAN countries is visa-free, travel and tourism have significantly escalated in the region. Records from 2010 suggest that 47% of the total tourists in the ASEAN region were from other member countries.

For promoting tourism in the region, ASEAN Promotional Chapters for Tourism were organized in 1986 in various parts of the world such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, Germany and North America.

Tourism has played a major role in the upliftment of the region. As of 2011, the region had 81 million tourists which grew to 109 million tourists by 2015, which is an increase of 34%. It plays a crucial role in the economy and employment opportunities for the people.

Importance of ASEAN

The ASEAN member states are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Thus, the association plays a crucial part in international affairs and hosts various diplomatic missions across the globe.

It regularly engages with countries all over the world for creating a global presence of the association. It maintains a network of alliances and is seen as a global powerhouse and an influential organization.