The objective of the paper is to examine the significance of the Charter in the
context of ASEAN's continuing evolution from a loose political-based
organization to a rule-based entity predicated on the Charter, and its implications
on ASEAN's ability to cope with old and new challenges of the future ASEAN
community. The paper will examine the Charter's aims, objectives, salient
features, and how the Charter relates to the more established 'ASEAN Way' of
doing things. The paper will also try to identify the new needs and challenges that
emerged in recent times which require appropriate adjustments on the part of
ASEAN in order to remain competitive and relevant in the future. The paper will
conclude with some suggestions on what could be done by post Charter to move
the organization forward to a higher level of credibility and achievements to
realize the ASEAN Vision 2020 objectives.