We, more than 1,300 delegates at the 2011 ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ ASEAN Peoples’ Forum, representing various civil society organizations and , movements of workers from rural and urban sectors as well as migrant sector, peasants and farmers, women, children, youth, the elderly, people with disabilities, people affected by leprosy, urban poor, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, traditional fishers, refugees, stateless persons, people in exile, victims of human rights violations, domestic workers, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender/Transsexual Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ), sex workers, women in prostitution , drug users, people living with HIV/AIDS, human rights defenders and other vulnerable groups, gathered together in Jakarta, Indonesia, 3-5 May 2011 to discuss the main concerns confronting the peoples of ASEAN and developing key proposals for the 18th ASEAN Summit.
We reaffirm the fundamental principles of democracy and rule of law, human rights and dignity, good governance, the best interests of the child, meaningful and substantive peoples’ participation, and sustainable development in the pursuit of economic, social, gender and ecological justice so as to bring peace and prosperity to the ASEAN region.
Human conditions and issues confronting the peoples cut across all current pillars of the ASEAN. ASEAN governments must adopt a more holistic approach with regards to development, equal and just treatment of the peoples, and harmonize its policies and practices of all its pillars. Furthermore, the principle of free, prior and informed consent of for all peoples, especially indigenous peoples must be pursued in the fulfilment of all political, economic and social agreements under the ASEAN. The ASEAN must ensure that its development initiatives do not further aggravate environmental hazards, destruction of traditional community coastal area lands and forest and global warming.
ECONOMIC PILLAR
While ASEAN recognizes the development asymmetries that exist in the region and the urgent need to narrow the development gap to ensure that economic benefits are felt by the poorest and marginalized sectors, its continued and aggressive push for neoliberal policies including free trade agreements (FTAs). These agreements are negotiated in almost total secrecy and devoid of people’s participation, and in the absence of clear mechanisms to coordinate trade policy at the regional level, poses a very serious threat to people’s rights to jobs and livelihood, food, health, access to medicines and education; and would undermine efforts to address poverty and inequality in the region.
Extractive industries (hydrocarbon, coal and mineral) are important in the South East Asian context as they are vital for the ongoing socio-economic investment and development in the region – and are likely to be so in future. The challenge now facing most countries is how to make the operations of extractive industries transparent and accountable across all stages of the extractive decision-chain. This is a challenge requiring the attention of all stakeholders: governments, citizens and corporations alike.
Current policies and programs on trade liberalization, as well as unjust taxation systems, have not protected the peoples of ASEAN and instead privilege business sector and investments such as various mega projects in coastal waters and along major rivers like deep sea ports, mega hydropower plants, sand mining, mining of mineral resources, establishment of large-scale plantations, which results in degradation of national resources and exacerbates the impacts global climate change in the region. This has resulted in increasing displacement of communities, erosion of culture, hunger, disease, malnutrition and poverty, deteriorating living conditions of farmers, fisher folk, indigenous people, workers, especially women and children.
