September Holiday Assignment- Mursalina Binte Ismail (6)

ASEAN
/ˈäsēˌän/

Abbreviation: Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

1.   What is ASEAN?

It is a geopolitical and economic organization consisting of Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. It was formed on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines due to the group’s common fear of communism, distrust of external powers and desire for economic development and nation building.
(source: http://internationalinvest.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/What-Is-Asean-And-Who-Belongs-To-It.htm)

(Image source: http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/02196/regionalpeace.html)

What does the logo or the ASEAN Emblem represent?

It represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colours of the Emblem – blue, red, white and yellow- represent the main colours of the state crests of all the ASEAN Member States.

The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism, white shows purity and yellow symbolises prosperity. The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEAN’s Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.
(source: http://www.asean.org/asean/about-asean/asean-emblem)

AIMS AND PURPOSES

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 endeavors 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.(source: http://www.asean.org/asean/about-asean)

A summaries article on ASEAN: Haze Exposes ASEAN Failure

This year’s Trans boundary haze is worse than in previous years. It is bigger, blacker, thicker, and harder to clear. It caused air pollution indexes to soar to record levels in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Since the haze involves several countries in Southeast Asia, it is futile to put all blame and responsibility on Indonesia alone. What is needed is a regional intervention; and the only institution capable of fulfilling this crucial task is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

Resolving Trans boundary issues is one reason why ASEAN exists. Unfortunately, the current haze disaster reflects the utter failure of ASEAN as a regional grouping.

Indeed, ASEAN initiated various programs to prevent forest fires and Trans boundary haze pollution as early as the 1980s. It has three components: prevention, mitigation, and monitoring. Curiously, it assigned Malaysia to take the lead in prevention, Indonesia in mitigation, and Singapore in monitoring of haze – the three countries that are currently suffering.

In 1999, ASEAN adopted a “zero burning” policy targeted at plantation companies and timber concessionaires. In 2002, the landmark ASEAN Agreement on Trans boundary Haze Pollution was signed by the ten member countries.

In the past decade, ASEAN has spearheaded numerous activities to fight the haze scourge, which ranged from community level fire-fighting programs to high-level task force meetings of country ministers.

Clearly, ASEAN has done many things and used a lot of money to stop the dreaded haze, yet all have been ineffective. The haze has continued to return and worsen year after year.

Today there are demands for an ASEAN intervention to address the haze pollution. Indeed, ASEAN should act quickly but it should stop repeating what it has been doing for the past two decades. Albert Einstein purportedly once quipped that insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Instead of organizing another meeting, workshop, or conference, ASEAN should simply review its records, implement the action plan, enforce the anti-haze agreement, and punish companies that violate environment laws.  

(source:http://thediplomat.com/asean-beat/2013/06/27/haze-exposes-asean-failure/)

2.   What is United Nations (UN)?

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

(source: http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/)

(source: http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/unintro/unintro.asp)

The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. It affords the opportunity for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests when addressing international problems.

The Aims of the United Nations:

·       To keep peace throughout the world.

·       To develop friendly relations between nations.

·       To work together to help people live better lives, to eliminate poverty, disease and illiteracy in the world, to stop environmental destruction and to encourage respect for each other's rights and freedoms.

·       To be a centre for helping nations achieve these aims.

(source: http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/unintro/unintro2.htm)

What does the logo represent?

Olive branches symbolize peace. The world map depicts the area of concern to the United Nations in achieving its main purpose, peace and security.