CSEET CURRENT AFFAIRS- INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - PART 2

THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN)

8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding countries of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The current members of the group include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn is the Secretary General of ASEAN.

Aim and Purpose

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region

through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;

2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;

3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the

economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;

4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;

5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;

6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and

7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN Charter

The ASEAN Charter serves as a firm foundation in achieving the ASEAN Community by providing legal status and institutional framework for ASEAN. It also codifies ASEAN norms, rules and values; sets clear targets for ASEAN; and presents accountability and compliance. The ASEAN Charter entered into force on 15 December 2008 at the presence of ASEAN Foreign Ministers at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

The importance of the ASEAN Charter can be seen in the following contexts:

• New political commitment at the top level

• New and enhanced commitments

• New legal framework, legal personality

• New ASEAN bodies

• Two new openly-recruited DSGs

• More ASEAN meetings

• More roles of ASEAN Foreign Ministers

• New and enhanced role of the Secretary-General of ASEAN

• Other new initiatives and changes.

• What remains unchanged?

ASEAN Summit

The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits were held on 11 November, 2022 under the Chairmanship of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Summits were chaired by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and convened in accordance with the ASEAN Charter.

ASEAN Chairmanship

The Chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States.

ASEAN in News

ASEAN Chairmanship 2023 - Indonesia

Prior to the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen handed over a hammer to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as a symbolic handover of ASEAN presidency from Cambodia to Indonesia.

Indonesia is honored to be the Chair of ASEAN in 2023. The chairmanship of Indonesia will adopt the theme ‘ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth’.

BRICS

BRICS is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.

In 2006, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China met for the first time on the sidelines of

the UN General Assembly, marking the beginning of BRIC cooperation.

In 2016, India became the head of the Association. The leaders of five countries signed the Declaration of Goa, which expressed a coherent position on issues related to the development of the Association and critical issues.

BRICS is an important group bringing together the major emerging economies from the world, comprising 41% of the world population, having 24% of the world GDP and over 16% share in the world trade.

In recent years, the influence and attractiveness of the BRICS mechanism has been increasing. The BRICS countries uphold fairness and justice, actively promote reform of the global governance system and make the BRICS voice heard on international and regional hotspot issues.

The World must unite as one to decisively confront global challenges. Corrective action must begin with the reform of institutions of global governance. This has been on the BRICS agenda since its inception.

Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

The 13th BRICS Summit was held under India’s Chairship on 09 September 2021. It was third time that India hosted the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016. The theme of the Summit, chosen by India, was, BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.

BRICS in News

• 14th BRICS Summit

As the BRICS Chair of 2022, China successfully held the 14th BRICS Summit on June 23, 2022. The theme of the 14th BRICS Summit was ‘Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development’. As the BRICS Chair of 2022, China looks forward to working with BRICS partners and making full use of the 14th BRICS Summit to promote the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, strengthen practical cooperation in all fields and embark on a new journey of BRICS cooperation.

• 15th BRICS Summit

The 15th BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 22-24, 2023.

(For more news, students may visit http://brics2022.mfa.gov.cn/eng/gyjzgj/jzgjjj/)