Civil society organisations and trade unions across Southeast Asia gathered at the 3rd ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC III) in Singapore on November 2-4, 2007. About 200 participants came to discuss issues of common concerns, particularly in calling for transparency and public discussions on the drafting of the ASEAN Charter.

From November 2 to 4, 2007, more than 200 representatives of civil society organisations from across Southeast Asia gathered in Singapore for the 3rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Civil Society Conference (ACSC III) wherein they jointly called for public consultation on the ASEAN Charter.

Civil society present in the conference critiqued ASEAN's approach in drafting the ASEAN Charter, saying that it had been far from being people-centred, since a draft version was not circulated among civil society for consideration and comments prior to its forthcoming signing at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on November 18-22, 2007.

According to the participants, as stated in the Singapore Declaration, “Heads of States should ensure that the following requirements are met before the signing of the ASEAN Charter:
(1) Ensure transparency through the disclosure of the draft ASEAN Charter for meaningful public consultations and discussions, and guarantee substantive peoples participation at the national and regional levels in the adoption of the ASEAN Charter; and
(2) End and prevent all serious breaches of principles that should be fundamental to the ASEAN, including undemocratic change of government and systematic and gross violations of human rights.”

“Civil society groups have continued to ask why it is necessary to cram the drafting of the charter into a two-year time frame. Many times, ASEAN would reply that to improve the lives of the peoples, the charter must be signed. How can this be so if the people’s voices are not being taken into account?” said the Thailand-based Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA).

“If ASEAN wishes to make this charter a truly people-oriented one, it must bring in the voices of the people. Delaying the ASEAN charter until this is done will be more acceptable than adopting a fake 'people-centred' one. Otherwise ASEAN will continue to be as an 'elitist organisation' if it adopts a charter which has had little people participation in its drafting.”

Participants of ACSC III also agreed that the current political crisis in Burma should first be resolved in accordance with basic human rights standards before ASEAN’s leaders sign a Charter. In particular, participants called for concrete actions on Burma. ASEAN countries, specifically Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia were urged to impose ban on the trade of arms and end the flow of resources to the military junta. Indonesia, being the current Chair of the UN Security Council, was asked to call on the imposition of sanctions on Burma. ASEAN also needs to put more pressure on China and India in bringing Burmese military generals to engage in a democratic process of reform, according to participants.

With much disappointment, Southeast Asian civil society then suggested the drafting of an alternative ASEAN People's Charter which will embody the shared values and collective aspirations of the peoples of the region. This is agreed to be completed before the 2008 ASEAN Summit in Thailand.

With the theme “Moving Forward: Building an ASEAN + People's Agenda,” ACSC III was organised by the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), Focus on the Global South, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Human Rights Working Group-Indonesia, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), ThinkCenter-Singapore, and Third World Network (TWN).

To read the statements from the 3rd ASEAN Civil Society Conference, dubbed as “Singapore Declaration,” visit <http://www.focusweb.org/acsc-iii-singapore-declaration.html?Itemid=1>.

FYI: The ASEAN Charter  

Wanting to formalise its existence, the ASEAN decided to codify its agreements in a Charter, and in 2004 crafted the Vientiane Action Programme, a six-year plan leading to the establishment of an ASEAN Community in 2010. During the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2005, the heads of states of the member-countries appointed an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to draft recommendations for the said Charter.   

When the EPG’s terms of reference expired in December 2006, a high-level task force was appointed in January 2007 to write the actual Charter that would serve as the legal and institutional framework to support the realisation of ASEAN’s goals and objectives. A final draft was completed on October 20, 2007, and ASEAN member-countries are now being urged to sign the Charter during the upcoming Singapore summit on November 20, 2007.   

Civil society groups in the ASEAN’s 10 member-countries have been criticising the lack of transparency in the crafting of the said document. Very few citizens of ASEAN, including their parliaments, are even aware of the Charter. In fact, NGOs have mostly been responsible for the scant media projection it has been getting across the region.  

The draft ASEAN Charter has been leaked to the media and is now available online. Alternative Thai media organisation, Prachatai, has obtained a copy of the said Charter and is now posted on their website, <<http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=362>.

Sources:
“Confidential ASEAN Charter Leaked” from Focus on the Global South, posted on November 7, 2007, <http://www.focusweb.org/confidential-asean-charter-leaked.html?Itemid=1>.
“Why is draft of ASEAN charter being kept from public?” from Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, posted on November 7, 2007, <http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=2045>.

Sources:
“No Bloody Hands on an ASEAN Charter” from Focus on the Global South, posted on November 6, 2007, <http://www.focusweb.org/no-bloody-hands-on-an-asean-charter.html?Itemid=94>.
“No people participation – No ASEAN Charter signing” from FORUM-ASIA, posted on November 6, 2007, <http://www.forum-asia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1190&Itemid=42>.