51st founding anniversary of the ASEAN

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrated yesterday its 51st Founding Anniversary. Member-states have lined up various activities to mark the occasion.

The ASEAN was established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on January 7, 1984, Vietnam on July 28, 1993, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar on July 23, 1997, and Cambodia on April 30, 1999. These 10 countries make up the current member states of the ASEAN.

Since its inception, the ASEAN has worked toward strengthening regional resilience, deepening economic integration, increasing connectivity, enhancing human capital, investing in the region’s youth, and engaging and collaborating with external partners. The year 2015 saw the launching of the ASEAN Community, “a community of opportunities under three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, and Socio-Cultural Community.” Serving as its foundation and legal framework in the establishment of new organs to boost its community-building process is the ASEAN Charter which entered into force on December 15, 2008, in Jakarta. This year, Foreign Ministers from ASEAN and ASEAN’s partners met in Singapore from July 30 to August 4 for the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, to discuss both ongoing and future cooperation, as well as engage their counterparts at various meetings on key regional and international developments and the evolving regional architecture.”

ASEAN 2018 is chaired by Singapore with the theme “Resilient and Innovative.” The theme encapsulates “our vision for ASEAN to be united in the face of growing uncertainties in the global strategic landscape… adaptable and forward looking, so that we can harness opportunities and manage challenges from disruptive digital technologies, equip our citizens with skills to build a future-ready ASEAN and boost our capabilities to make our cities smarter.”

The 2018 ASEAN chairmanship logo shows the diverse cultures and backgrounds of ASEAN member states, yet sharing a common interest in promoting peace, stability, and security in the region. Its pink and lavender colors are a mix of red, blue, and white, with red symbolizing peace. These three colors demonstrate ASEAN’s unity and innovativeness, while Lavender, which is commonly associated with dignity, passion, and vitality, represents the dynamism, innovativeness, and vibrance of the ASEAN Community.