Page 144 - The Ethics of ASEAN

The Ethics of ASEAN

As ASEAN has evolved its human development, ethics are a central part of the Socio
Cultural Community. 7

The ASEAN Socio Cultural Community is all about realizing the
full potential of ASEAN citizens. The ASCC Blueprint 2025 was
adopted by the ASEAN Leaders at the 27th ASEAN Summit on
22 November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ACSS is working towards:
A committed, participative, and socially responsible
community for the benefit of ASEAN people
An inclusive community that promotes high quality of life,
equitable access to opportunities for all, and promotes and
protects human rights.
A sustainable community that promotes social development
and environmental protection
A resilient community with enhanced capacity and capability
to adapt and respond to social and economic vulnerabilities,
disasters, climate change, and other new challenges, and
A dynamic and harmonious community that is aware and
proud of its identity, culture and heritage.

But there are risks for the ASEAN vision of human development despite the region’s
impressive economic growth. The nature of this risk is different than for freedom
and human rights: in this case the risk is in losing the political will that makes human
development a results-based ethics for all.
We start with human development inclusivity. A 2019 World Bank report concluded
that ASEAN is not developing its human potential well: 8

The World Bank’s Human Capital Index projects that upon
adulthood, children born in ASEAN today will be just 59% as
productive as they could have been.

The World Bank’s key development indicators are malnutrition, access to quality education
and access to health.
• Despite reduction of absolute poverty in ASEAN, stunting afflicts a third of its
children caused by poor nutrition for pregnant women, babies and toddlers which
later makes them highly prone to lifelong cognitive and physical limitations.
7 ASEAN website, about ASEAN in the Socio Cultural Community pillar https://asean.org/our-communities/
asean-socio-cultural-community/ retrieved 29 July 2023.
8 World Bank Feature Story 28 September 2019 “How Countries in Southeast Asia are Working Together to
Accelerate Human Capital Development” https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/28/how-
countries-in-southeast-asia-are-working-together-to-accelerate-human-capital-development retrieved 28
July 2023

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