Established by the ASEAN Leaders in December 1997 during ASEAN's 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit, the ASEAN Foundation aims to bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future for the peoples of the ten ASEAN countries, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The ASEAN foundation is mandated to undertake a two-fold mission to:

a. Promote greater awareness of ASEAN and greater interaction among the peoples of ASEAN, as well as their wider participation in ASEAN activities through human resources development; and

b. Contribute to the evolution of a development cooperation strategy that promotes mutual assistance, equitable economic development and the alleviation of poverty.