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Title: Challenges of Cambodia as the Chair of ASEAN in 2012

Student ID Class Lecturer Words

: LONG KimKhorn : 61283 : Master - Research Study : Dr. Mr. NOU Keosothea : 1756

Date: March 1st, 2012

Concept Note
Challenges of Cambodia as the Chair of ASEAN in 2012
The Heads of States/Governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, assembled in Kuala Lumpur to ensure their commitment to the dream of the Association as stated in the Bangkok Declaration of 8 August 1967, in particular to promote regional cooperation in Southeast Asia in the spirit of equality and partnership and thereby contribute towards peace, progress and prosperity in the region. ASEAN have established the community at peace with one another and the world, speedily achieving prosperity for the regions peoples and steadily improving their living standard. The rich bio/diversity has provided the strength and inspiration to encourage one another in a strong sense of community. ASEAN are now a market of around 500 million people with an integrated gross domestic product of US$600 billion. It has achieved eminent outcomes in the economic sector, such as high economic growth, stability and significant poverty alleviation over the past few years. Members have enjoyed mutual-interests trade and investment capitalizes from significant liberalization expectations. ASEAN shake hands to build upon these commitments. Now, as ASEAN was approaching the second decade of 21st century, thirty years after the birth of ASEAN, It gathers to chart a vision for ASEAN on the basis of today's realities and prospects in the decades leading to the Year 2020. That vision is of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies region (ASEAN VISION 2022, 1997). But the question - Do these factors in terms of number of population, regional GDP, comprehensive economic tie, free trade agreements, sizes of land mass are enough to keep region in peace, prosperous and can ASEAN gets away from conflict in home country, regionally or globally regarding to mutual economic interests challenges still discussing among economists, political scientists and Member States leaders. Furthermore, if they look at the purposes of ASEAN, It still so many tasks to tackle by bilateral and multilateral partnership regionally and globally on those are - To maintain and enhance peace, security and stability; To enhance regional resilience by promoting greater political, security, economic, and socio-cultural corporation; To preserve Southeast Asia as nuclear weapon free zone and free of all other weapons of mass destruction; To ensure that the people and Member States of ASEAN live in peace with the world at large in a just and democratic and harmonious environments; To create a single market and production base which is stable, prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated with affective facilitation for trade and investment in which there is free flow of goods, services and investment; facilitated movement of business persons; professionals, talents and labour; and free flow of capital; To alleviate poverty and narrow development gap within ASEAN through mutual assistance and cooperation; To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the

rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, with due regard to the rights and responsibility of the Member States of ASEAN; To respond effectively, in accordance with the principle of comprehensive security, to all forms of threats, transnational crimes and trans-boundary challenges; To promote sustainable development so as to ensure the protection of the regions environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural heritage and the high quality of life of its peoples; To develop human resources through closer cooperation in education and life-long learning and in science and technology, for empowerment of peoples of ASEAN and for the strengthening of ASEAN community; To enhance the well-being and livelihood of peoples of ASEAN by providing them with equitable access to opportunity for human development, social welfare and justice; To strengthen cooperation in building a safe, secure and drug-free environment for the peoples of ASEAN; To promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in, and benefit from; To promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse culture and heritage of the region; and; To maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations and cooperation with its external partners in a regional architecture that is open, transparent and inclusive (ASEAN Charter, 2008 ). Due to seeing the consequences of the previous challenges of ASEAN, Member States leaders at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur December 2005, it has been agreed that an ASEAN Charter is of utmost importance to be able to face new and future challenges. For that purpose an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) has been established. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now facing, and will face in the future, the greatest challenges of its 40 years of existence. In the beginning ASEAN also faced some big challenges. First, the leaders had to get to know each other in order to be able to cooperate. In 1976, at the first summit, the main task was to consolidate the organization and its agenda, economically as well as politically. In 1993 the ASEAN Free Trade Area was launched, and the Cambodian conflict was overcome, opening the way for a one Southeast Asia to be achieved, the dream of ASEAN's founding fathers 25 years earlier (Jusuf, 2006). And then again in February 2011, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took a historic decision to intervene in the Thai/Cambodian border. While this decision could potentially boost the regional organisations capacity to manage internal conflicts, the current difficulties in implementing it could reverse this potential gain, argues Regional Director for Asia at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue Centre (2011). Today and tomorrow, the challenge for ASEAN is to maintain its relevance. ASEAN must be able to respond effectively to globalization and its dramatic impact on the economy, political life and even values of ASEAN members. Second, is the new threat posed by international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, plus the new strategic developments and balance in East Asia that have and will come with the dramatic rise of China, and possibly soon

also of India (Jusuf, 2006). Territorial claims in the South China Sea are one of the most longstanding security issues in South East Asia. In this article, former ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo C. Severino reviews the claims of ASEAN members in the area, and details ASEAN's involvement in the dispute since the 1992 ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea. China fears the expanse of water being used to threaten or attack it from the southeast, as it has been in the past. At the same time, some accuse Beijing of seeking dominion over the South China Sea in order to achieve a measure of hegemony over Southeast Asia. Vietnam needs its footholds in the South China Sea to avoid being practically surrounded by Chinese power, with which it was in conflict for many centuries. The Philippines feels compelled to extend its zone of jurisdiction and responsibility westwards, having been invaded by the Japanese from that direction at the start of the Pacific War. A vast area of the South China Sea both separates West and East Malaysia and connects them to each other. Brunei Darussalam has to ensure for itself the resources in its claimed exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, which overlap with other claims (Rodolfo, 2010). Only if they work together can ASEAN members answer these new challenges adequately. To do so, they must strengthen and deepen ASEAN cooperation in many fields. An ASEAN Charter is only the beginning, but it is a very important symbol and could provide a stronger basis for the organization to proceed. Conscious that the strengthening of ASEAN integration through accelerated establishment of an ASEAN Community will reinforce ASEANs centrality and role as the driving force in charting the evolving regional architecture, the ASEAN Leaders at the 12th ASEAN Summit in the Philippines decided to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 (Roadmap for an ASEAN community 2009-2015, 2009). In addition to strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Secretary General, the ASEAN Standing Committee should be elevated to consist of permanent representatives from each member-state that are accredited to ASEAN to represent their respective government, and are capable of making decisions on their behalf. One other body that might be important to assist the ASEAN Security Community would be an ASEAN Peace and Reconciliation Council that could act as an advisor, research body and early warning system in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and postconflict building (Jusuf, 2006). Indonesia hosted the 18th ASEAN Summit on 7-8 May 2011 in Jakarta. To this end, the Leaders agreed to develop an ASEAN common platform on global issues to be optimally attained by 2022 and reinforced their commitment by issuing a Joint Statement on the ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations to reshape the global development (18th ASEAN Summit, 2010-2011). In the Chairs statement in 19th ASEAN summit meeting in Bali, Indonesia; Cambodia, as the Chair of ASEAN in 2012, agreed, adopted and noted other landmark and significant outcome documents under the three pillars of ASEAN Community as following ASEAN Framework for Equitable Economic Development: Guiding Principles for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth; ASEAN Framework for

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; ASEAN Declaration of Commitment: Getting to Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination, Zero AIDS-Related Deaths; Bali Declaration on the Enhancement of the Role and Participation of Persons with Disabilities; ASEAN Leaders Statement on Climate Change to the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-17 UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7 Kyoto Protocol); Report on the Progress of the List Annual Targets for 2011; Term of Reference of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) (Chairs Statement of the 19th ASEAN Summit, 2011). A new formula that is more tenable and could increase the budget adequately should be contemplated. All eyes have now returned to the Eminent Person Group that was established by ASEAN Leaders and consisted of the best sons of ASEAN. They should first come up with proposals that will boost the hope and confidence of ASEAN's population as a whole; so that ASEAN can fully understand the challenges and can come up with proposals that will make ASEAN relevant for the next 40 years (Jusuf, 2006). And the question is how Cambodia, as Chair of ASEAN in 2012, handles the previous and present challenges in the region and with the global communities. References: 1. ASEAN VISION 2022 (December 1997), Kuala Lumpur, (p.1). 2. The ASEAN Secretariat, Public Affairs Office: The ASEAN Charter (2007, 1st Reprint 2008), p. 3-5, Indonesia: Jakarta 3. The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue: New challenges for ASEAN (2011), p. 1, Switzerland: Geneva 4. Wanandi, J., (2006), Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): ASEAN Future Challenges and Importance of an ASEAN Charter, p. 85-87, Jakarta 5. Severino, C. R., (2010), ASEAN and the South China Sea: Security Challenges, 6(2), p. 37 6. ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, (2011), Chairs Statement of the 19th ASEAN Summit, p. 2, Indonesia 7. The ASEAN Secretariat, (2011), ASEAN Annual Report 2010-2011, p. 3, Jakarta 8. The ASEAN Secretariat: Public Affairs Office, (2009), Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015: ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, p. 5, Indonesia: Jakarta

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