The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. Malaysia was among one of the five founding members of ASEAN which signed the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration), setting out the aims and purposes of ASEAN. This year will be a very important year for ASEAN with significant developments in the areas of community-building, economic integration and regional architecture. ASEAN Community is expected to be fully realised by 31 December 2015 under the leadership of Malaysia as the Chairman of ASEAN 2015.
On 13 November 2014, at the closing ceremony of the 25th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Myanmar President Thein Sein handed over the Chairmanship of ASEAN to Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak. Malaysia officially assumed ASEAN Chairmanship on 1 January 2015. The theme of Malaysia's Chairmanship 2015 is "Our People, Our Community, Our Vision".
Malaysia hosted the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 27-28 January 2015. It was the first high-level meeting since Malaysia officially assumed ASEAN Chairmanship on 1 January 2015.
At the Retreat, Malaysia has outlined its eight (8) priorities for its 2015 Chairmanship, as follows:
· To formally establish the ASEAN Community by 31 December 2015 by completing the remaining action lines of the 3 ASEAN Community Blueprints;
· To develop the ASEAN Community’s Vision 2016-2025 as a guidance for the ASEAN Community to further prosper and grow with a higher sense of belonging as one community;
· To steer ASEAN closer to the peoples and strive towards providing more opportunities for greater engagement with the stakeholders;
· To strengthen the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the region to ensure the industry continues to prosper even as regional integration places SMEs under pressure to compete;
· To expand intra-ASEAN trade and investments by promoting cross-border investments and trade;
· To strengthen ASEAN’s institutions by implementing the recommendations of the High Level Task Force on Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and Reviewing the ASEAN Organs;
· To promote regional peace and security through moderation as a shared value, in order to address conflicts and find solutions to issues concerning regional peace and security; and
· To enhance ASEAN’s role as a global player by developing common platform on global issues of mutual interests and promoting enhanced ties with external parties.
Malaysia will host the 26th ASEAN Summit in April 2015, and the 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur. The Related Summits include, among others, ASEAN-China Summit, ASEAN Plus Three Summit and East Asia Summit (including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, ROK, Russia and US).
Malaysia was the host to the 2nd ASEAN Summit in August 1977 and the 11th ASEAN Summit in 2005. 2015 is the first time for Malaysia to host the ASEAN Summits twice within one year following the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter on 15 December 2008, providing legal status and institutional framework for ASEAN.
Description of the Logo of Malaysia's Chairmanship of ASEAN 2015
Description of the logo:
The ten colored curved elements that form a circle around the ASEAN logo reflect harmony, close partnership and aspiration of the peoples of ASEAN wanting to achieve a shared and common vision;
The ten curved elements also represent the atomic molecular loop that denotes the progress made by ASEAN Member States in science and technology to bring about economic growth and prosperity;
The combination of multiple colors represents the diversity of talents among the peoples of ASEAN in various fields which help propel their countries forward.
The colors in the logo reflect:
i. Red : - Boldness
ii. Yellow : -Prosperity
iii. Blue : - Peace and Stability
iv. Green : - Dedication and Close Rapport
v. Purple : -Wealth, Wisdom and Intelligence.
For more information, please kindly access to www.asean2015.gov.my
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By the Information and Public Relations Division (IPRD)
ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)
Approved by Malaysia on 11 February 2015
