Forty years after the Bangkok Declaration, which established the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new document was drafted as a result of “bold and visionary recommendations” of an ASEAN Committee of Eminent Persons. The ASEAN Charter, which came into force in 2008, provides ASEAN’s legal status and institutional framework. In effect, it is a legally binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN Member States. In many respects, however, the Charter is more important as an aspirational document. Written by one of the persons involved in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the Charter, this meticulously researched publication helps readers navigate the ambiguities of the Charter by detailing an insider’s background, provision by provision, of the debates that went into the making of the ASEAN Charter. It not only explains how the provisions of the Charter came to be drafted, but also how they relate to the realities of diplomatic practice. This volume will be an indispensable reference for scholars, working diplomats, and businesses and institutions that have a stake in ASEAN. "The ASEAN Charter is a commitment for us to become a rules-based community. It is time for us, especially the weaker countries among us, to be ruled by law rather than by political whim, national interest or military power. Walter Woon's work will be a major contribution to that end." - Rodolfo C. Severino, former Secretary-General of ASEAN (1998-2002) "Prof Walter Woon and I represented Singapore in the High-Level Task Force which drafted the ASEAN Charter; he is the ideal author for such a commentary on the Charter. This should be read by everyone interested in ASEAN." - Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

On the historic occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2007, the leaders of the ten-member countries signed the ASEAN Charter. This book captures the insiders' views of the drafting of the Charter. It is suitable for those interested in ASEAN, and international law.

Expert Roundtable Discussion on the "Road to Ratification and Implication of ASEAN Charter" organized by the ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, and the Habibie Center, Indonesia, on 17 July 2008 in Jakarta.

With the completion of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN needs to fully appreciate and work out the issues connected with its implementation. It is also important for ASEAN and its business sector to understand and implement the two newly completed key integration instruments (the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement 2009) and the business enhancing initiatives envisaged under them. Both areas of work have taken on added urgency in view of ASEAN's goal of pu...

In this booklet, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies has put together some ideas for the proposed ASEAN Charter. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had endorsed the concept of a charter for the association on the conviction that such a document would help in making ASEAN a more robust force for peace and stability, a more deeply integrated and more competitive economic community, a more effective instrument for regional cooperation, and a worthier vessel for the hopes of Southeast Asia's people. The ideas in the booklet are meant for the use, as they see fit, of those who may be involved in the drafting of the charter, including the Eminent Persons Group that has been formed to advise the leaders.

Charter of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.