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(http://www.aseanfoundation.org/)
The ASEAN Foundation was established by the ASEAN Leaders in December 1997 during ASEAN's 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit to help bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to all 10 ASEAN Member Countries, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
On the same day, the ASEAN Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to this purpose with the ASEAN Vision 2020 which foresees "ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies… as well as a community conscious of its history, aware of its cultural heritage and bound by a common regional identity." The ASEAN Vision 2020 also stipulated to "use the ASEAN Foundation as one of the instruments to address issues of unequal economic development, poverty and socio-economic disparities."
The two-fold objectives of the ASEAN Foundation as reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding establishing it are as follows:
- It shall promote greater awareness of ASEAN, and greater interaction among the peoples of ASEAN as well as their wider participation in ASEAN's activities inter alia through human resources development that will enable them to realize their full potential and capacity to contribute to progress of ASEAN Member States as productive and responsible members of the society.
- It shall also endeavour to contribute to the evolution of a development cooperation strategy that promotes mutual assistance, equitable economic development, and the alleviation of poverty.
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ASEAN Foundation