The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an intergovernmental organization and regional grouping that promotes economic and security cooperation among its eleven member states in Southeast Asia. It was established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by five founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The organization was created to promote regional stability, economic development, and cooperation, and to form a collective front against the spread of communism during the Cold War era.
The institutional framework is provided by the ASEAN Charter, which was adopted in 2007 and entered into force in December 2008, granting the organization legal personality. The Charter structures the organization around three core pillars: the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). A key mechanism is that decision-making is primarily based on consultation and consensus, upholding the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.
ASEAN is central to regional economic integration, notably helping to negotiate the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is a major free trade agreement. A foundational document is the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, signed in 1976, which emphasizes mutual respect. The organization is currently undergoing a significant change: the proposed Cebu Protocol to Amend the Charter of ASEAN is set to introduce the first amendment to the Charter since 2007. This amendment is primarily aimed at supporting the full integration of the newest member, Timor-Leste, which formally became the 11th member in October 2025.