The ASEAN Foundation was established by the ASEAN Leaders in December 1997 during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit to help bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to all 10 ASEAN Member Countries. In recognition of the fundamental importance of improving the livelihoods and well-being of the peoples of Southeast Asia, and the need to promote ASEAN awareness as well as people-to-people contact through scholarships, fellowships and other exchanges, the Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to establish the ASEAN Foundation on 15 December 1997 in Kuala Lumpur during the Association’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit. The ultimate aim was to help bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to all ASEAN countries which comprises of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The ASEAN Foundation from its inception was given a twin objectives reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the ASEAN Foundation which is:
They are an organization from and for the people of ASEAN. They exist because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN community. Its mission is to commit to promoting ASEAN awareness through people-to-people interaction and collaboration with ASEAN stakeholders to help ASEAN build a caring, cohesive, equitable and peaceful ASEAN Community.
Since 1967 ASEAN has gone on a long journey to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region. And, they have been an integral part of this mission for the last two decades.
As one of ASEAN’s body, they are tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction and development of the people of ASEAN.
They unite people. And, they help to develop them.
They are a strategic instrument to achieve the ASEAN’s goal.
They noted that the ASEAN Foundation in 2015 worked with strategic partners to develop programmes that build the sense of an ASEAN identity. The programmes help ASEAN people recognise and understand ASEAN through its cultures, stories, languages with the intention of encouraging collaboration and sharing. (Chairman's Statement of the 27th ASEAN Summit, November 201)
Where it All Began
Decades after ASEAN established, ASEAN leaders recognised that: there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among people of ASEAN.
It was of this concern that ASEAN leaders established ASEAN Foundation during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 15 December 1997.
The foundation takes pivotal role to fulfil these gaps.
Activities
In view of the fact that industries and economies of the future will more and more be dependent on human skills and knowledge, the ASEAN Foundation deems that the most beneficial and effective means to attain its objectives would be by focusing on human resources development activities or projects such as education, training, seminars, workshops, exchanges, network-building, fellowships and information dissemination.
Thus, to accomplish its objectives, the ASEAN Foundation carries out a range of activities that help solve urgent regional problems, including to:
1. Organise and support activities to promote education, training (including in the areas of science and technology), health and cultural life;
2. Provide assistance to uplift the social condition of the peoples in the ASEAN region;
3. Provide fellowships to and support exchanges of ASEAN youths and students;
4. Promote collaborative work among academics, professionals and scientists;
5. Implement projects assigned by ASEAN Leaders or Ministers;
6. Organise its own projects; and
7. Actively raise funds for the Foundation's activities.
The ASEAN Foundation advocates the involvement of the private sector and civil society in the work of ASEAN. This advocacy runs parallel to the advocacy of the ASEAN Secretariat for policy integration among ASEAN governments. Thus, there is a complementation in the work of the two ASEAN bodies: the ASEAN Secretariat is the advocate, coordinator and instrument of the ASEAN governments, while the ASEAN Foundation is the advocate and conduit for ASEAN peoples including private sector, NGOs and individuals. With the two working together, much synergy can be generated.
