On the occasion of International Seminar on the issue of regional integration in relations to the establishment of ASEAN Community, the ASEAN Foundation, represented by its Executive Director, Dr. Makarim Wibisono, was requested to deliver a topic on the role and contribution of the ASEAN Foundation in the process of ASEAN Community building.
Dr. Makarim Wibisono highlighted that the establishment of ASEAN Community was not merely a political process, instead, a social process at the same time. Thus, the establishment of ASEAN Community would not be successful only through a declaration, resolution, or charter which were top-down in nature. It should involve social interaction among the peoples of the region. ASEAN’s activities carried out by Governments of Member States needed to be supported by interactions among all ASEAN society elements, such as scholars, media, parliamentarians, business practitioners, artists, professional from various disciplines, theologians, humanists, and non-governmental organisations. Further, Dr. Makarim Wibisono emphasised that it was important to promote the “we” feeling among ASEAN people with collective values and norms that served as the building block to the establishment of the ASEAN Community.
In the context of promoting ASEAN among peoples of the region, the ASEAN Foundation plays its roles as a second track agent to promote the awareness of the ASEAN identity through people-to-people contacts. To date, the ASEAN Foundation has supported over 100 projects through capacity building activities, promoting corporate social responsibility, partnering with business sector, and re-affirming cooperation with dialogue partners, in its effort to fulfill its mandate of raising awareness of ASEAN identity.
The Seminar was organised by International Relations Department of Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (Parahyangan Catholic University), Bandung, on 12 May 2012. Speakers included, among others, H. E. Mr. Bagas Hapsoro, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, and Professor Collin Brown, an international level researcher and academe and keen observer of Asia affairs. This one-day seminar aimed to provide venue for exchange of views on ASEAN Community building issues, identify potential obstacles to the successful establishment of ASEAN Community, and promote the ASEAN feeling to the seminar participants.
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