The ASEAN Charter is a constitution for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was adopted at the 13th ASEAN Summit in November 2007.
The intention to draft the constitution had been formally tabled at the 11th ASEAN Summit held in December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ten ASEAN leaders, one each from each member state, called the ASEAN Eminent Persons Group were assigned to produce recommendations of the drafting of the charter.
In the 12th ASEAN Summit held in January 2007 in Cebu, the Philippines, several basic proposals were made public. The ASEAN Leaders, therefore, agreed during the Summit to set up a "high level task force on the drafting of the ASEAN Charter" composed of 10 high level government officials from ten member countries.
The task force then held 13 meetings during 2007. Some of the proposals include the removal of non-interference policy that is central to the regional group since its formation in the 1960s, and to set up a human rights body.
Read more about ASEAN Charter: The Charter, Enactment, Launch
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