1. Embedded in ASEAN Vision 2020, Declaration of ASEAN Concord I (1976), Declaration of ASEAN Concord II (2003) and the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) is ASEAN's goal of a community of cohesive, equitable and harmonious societies, bound together in solidarity for deeper understanding and cooperation. Its key features are:
· Equitable access to opportunities will be universal -- rising above the barriers of religion, race, language, gender and social and cultural background;
· Human potentials are nurtured to the fullest, so that all individuals can participate meaningfully in a competitive world in a manner that gives paramount importance to their welfare and dignity;
· Norms of social and distributive justice are upheld by addressing issues of poverty and equity, and special care is given to vulnerable groups -- children, youth, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities -- who could be the subject of abuse, neglect and discrimination;
· The environment and natural resources are protected and managed to sustain development and as a legacy for future generations;
· Civil society is engaged in providing inputs for policy choices;
· People are healthy in mind and body and living in harmony in safe environments; and
· ASEAN citizens interact in a community conscious of its ties of history, aware of its cultural heritage and bound by a common regional identity.