ASEAN has also enjoyed functional cooperation in many areas, such as education, disaster
management, health, environment, rural development, and science and technology (S&T), to
name just a few. Such cooperation has helped increase regional resilience and enabled us to
respond effectively to challenges such as pandemics (SARS), natural disasters (2004 tsunami
and 2008 Cyclone Nargis), and other transboundary challenges such as haze and drugs.