ESTABLISHMENT
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025 seeks to complement and concretise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 in mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities across all three pillars of the ASEAN Community, and fosters Member States’ commitment towards an inclusive community. It is guided by the underlying principles that for all actions concerning persons with disabilities whether undertaken by individuals, public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies or entities, their interests and needs must be taken into consideration, acknowledging that inclusion and mainstreaming should be promoted and specialised approaches considered as a last resort. Additionally, as ASEAN is aiming at embedding sustainable development in line with the 2030 Agenda, the Enabling Masterplan serves as a key instrument in steering its policies and programmes to be inclusive for persons with disabilities.