1. Introduction
The 13th
ASEAN Summit held in Singapore on 20th
November, 2007, agreed to develop an
ASCC Blueprint to ensure that concrete actions are undertaken to promote the establishment
of an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
The Socio- Cultural Pillar or the “ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community” (ASCC) forms an
important part of the ASEAN Community which aims for a common identity which
encompasses social and cultural diversities in each country.
Building the ASEAN Socio- Cultural Community is a great challenge to the present social
and cultural diversities in the ten ASEAN Countries. Over 580 million people in the region
are rich with similarity and difference in ways of life, races, religions, languages and local
traditions. ASEAN encourages its people to maintain and develop individual community’s
culture and tradition while promoting basic elements in social development.
Education is one of the most important areas of socio- cultural development. ASEAN aims to
provide equal opportunity for all the people to have access to quality education by the year
2015. Building a socio- cultural community in ASEAN also involves development of
transportation infrastructures, information and communication technology, and free media so
that the people can freely travel and communicate for better understanding and inter- cultural
exchanges. The socio- cultural community will also look after its environment and recognize
the importance of sustainable development and the preservation of the region’s rich diversity.