The president of Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, declares the month of August annually as ASEAN Month, under the Proclamation No. 282. This was an amendment to Proclamation No. 1008 (issued in 1997) which had earlier declared August 7-13 of every year as ASEAN Week.
In the proclamation statement released by Duterte, it states that this initiative intends to “to further promote and heighten awareness of the ASEAN, and instil in the minds of the Filipino people the importance, value and meaning of the ASEAN in achieving and maintaining regional peace and sustainable development.”
This proclamation coincides with ASEAN’s 50th anniversary and the country’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017. ASEAN celebrated its 50th anniversary, with a grand celebration held in Manila, the Philippines on August 8. Foreign affairs ministers from 27 countries were gathered in Manila for the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), which was hosted from 2-8 August.
Apart of marking the month of August as the ASEAN month, Duterte is also urging civil service officials and employees to actively participate in raising the public awareness of the half-century old association.
The proclamation directs various government agencies to initiate and implement programs and activities to help garner public awareness and support in promoting the observance of ASEAN Month in offices, schools, universities, local government units and business establishments.
Earlier this year, South Korea announced May and June as the ASEAN Month in celebration of the 50th anniversary and ASEAN-ROK Cultural Exchange Year. Based on the slogan of “Hello ASEAN@50”, various cultural awareness programmes were held to enhance the understanding of ASEAN and the importance of ASEAN-Korea relations. South Korea is part of the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) forum that coordinates cooperation between ASEAN and three of its East Asian counterparts – which includes China and Japan as well.
According to a study by the ASEAN Secretariat in 2015, three out of four people (or 76%) “lack a basic understanding” of what ASEAN means and what it does. The survey was carried out across all 10 ASEAN member countries. Based on the findings of this survey, it is evident that public’s understanding of ASEAN is limited. These initiatives taken by different ASEAN or related governments will help increase awareness on ASEAN and how it impacts them.