CHARTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

PREAMBLE

WE, THE PEOPLES of the Member States of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as represented by the Heads of
State or Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of
Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the
Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam:

NOTING with satisfaction the significant achievements and expansion
of ASEAN since its establishment in Bangkok through the promulgation
of The ASEAN Declaration;

RECALLING the decisions to establish an ASEAN Charter in the
Vientiane Action Programme, the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the
Establishment of the ASEAN Charter and the Cebu Declaration on the
Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter;

MINDFUL of the existence of mutual interests and interdependence
among the peoples and Member States of ASEAN which are bound by
geography, common objectives and shared destiny;

INSPIRED by and united under One Vision, One Identity and One
Caring and Sharing Community;

UNITED by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of
lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth,
shared prosperity and social progress, and to promote our vital
interests, ideals and aspirations;

RESPECTING the fundamental importance of amity and cooperation,
and the principles of sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, noninterference,
consensus and unity in diversity;

ADHERING to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good
governance, respect for and protection of human rights and
fundamental freedoms;

RESOLVED to ensure sustainable development for the benefit of
present and future generations and to place the well-being, livelihood
and welfare of the peoples at the centre of the ASEAN community
building process;

CONVINCED of the need to strengthen existing bonds of regional
solidarity to realise an ASEAN Community that is politically cohesive,
economically integrated and socially responsible in order to effectively
respond to current and future challenges and opportunities;

COMMITTED to intensifying community building through enhanced
regional cooperation and integration, in particular by establishing an
ASEAN Community comprising the ASEAN Security Community, the
ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural
Community, as provided for in the Bali Declaration of ASEAN Concord
II;

HEREBY DECIDE to establish, through this Charter, the legal and
institutional framework for ASEAN,

AND TO THIS END, the Heads of State or Government of the Member
States of ASEAN, assembled in Singapore on the historic occasion of
the 40th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, have agreed to this
Charter.