Singapore in ASEAN

Singapore is one of the five original members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Singapore has been an advocate of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the ASEAN Investment Area. At the 2002 ASEAN Summit held in Phnom Penh, Singapore proposed the formation of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which was accepted by ASEAN leaders at the 2003 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. The AEC is one of the three pillars that make up the ASEAN Community. The other two pillars are the ASEAN Political & Security Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

Singapore has also been a large contributor to the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), a framework aimed at allowing ASEAN countries to contribute towards narrowing the developmental gap between the members of ASEAN. Singapore’s contribution accounts for 71.9% and 37% of funding available for the 1st and 2nd IAI Work Plans.

Singapore has chaired ASEAN in 1992 and 2007. Human rights-related achievements or statements of intent under Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship include:

• The 1992 ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea whereby ASEAN Member States stressed the  necessity to resolve all sovereignty and jurisdictional issues pertaining to the South China Sea by peaceful means, without resort to force.
• The ASEAN Charter, adopted at 13th ASEAN Summit in 2007, which provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Body and makes committing ASEAN to strengthening “democracy, good governances and the rule of law”, and to “promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms”.