Gimana neh pendapatnya tentang ASEAN charter`s first anniversary observed in Jakarta?
Antara News, Wednesday, December 16, 2009 10:18 WIB
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The ASEAN Secretariat here on Tuesday observed the first anniversary of the ASEAN Charter which was adopted at a special ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta on December 15, 2008.
The Charter which aims to transform ASEAN from a loose association of states to a more integrated and rules-based organization, has many ground-breaking institutional arrangements and inspirational goals in its provisions.
"We are now in high gear placing all the elements of the ASEAN Charter into place," said ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, according to press statement from the ASEAN Secretariat, Tuesday.
On the first anniversary of the Charter`s entering into force, a new Jakarta-based Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to ASEAN institution was established under the charter.
Consisting of full-time permanent representatives from the ASEAN member States, the CPR will coordinate on a broad range of issues and with all relevant stakeholders.
The first year of the implementation of the Charter also saw the ASEAN Summit as the supreme policy-making body in ASEAN.
There has also been a flurry of non-ASEAN member states and inter-governmental organization appointing and accrediting their ambassadors to ASEAN. In fact, some 27 non-ASEAN ambassadors have been accredited to ASEAN.
Another ASEAN initiative was the launch of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) by the ASEAN leaders at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand in October 2009.
The AICHR`s work will begin with education and the promotion of human rights and gradually take up the more challenging task of protection, as mandated by the ASEAN Charter. The Agreement on ASEAN Privileges and Immunities was also adopted earlier.
This agreement provide ASEAN with a legal personality and the necessary privileges and immunities for all those performing official work in the region for the first time.
In tune with the purposes of ASEAN, which includes the creation of a single market and production base, there has been considerable progress in the building of the ASEAN Economic Community.
The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is near completion, with tariffs for the six older ASEAN Member States almost zero by January 2010.
One of the aspirations of the Charter is for ASEAN to become a more people-oriented organization, with the Charter recognizing the important roles which parliamentarians, the business community, civil society organizations, youth and students play in the life of the ASEAN Community, dialogue and engagement between the region`s political leaders and these stakeholders have been institutionalized.
About the chairmanship handing over from Thailand to Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretary General, Dr Surin said that many efforts has been achieved in the past year, though much more is to be done in 2010.
"Vietnam will take over the ASEAN Chairmanship from Thailand on 1 January 2010 and a high-level ASEAN Secretariat delegation will soon be heading to Ha Noi to discuss with senior Vietnamese officials on priorities under their chairmanship," Surin added.
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