Singapore Declaration on the ASEAN
Charter
WE, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei
Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of
Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the
Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of
Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member
Countries of ASEAN, on the occasion of the 40th
Anniversary of ASEAN and the 13th ASEAN Summit in
Singapore;
REAFFIRMING our conviction, as expressed in the Kuala
Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN
Charter on 12 December 2005 and the Cebu Declaration
on the Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter on 13 January
2007, that the Charter shall serve as a legal and
institutional framework, as well as an inspiration for
ASEAN in the years ahead;
REITERATING our full resolve and commitment to
narrow the development gap and to advance ASEAN
integration through the creation of an ASEAN Community
in furtherance of peace, progress and prosperity of its
peoples; and
HAVING SIGNED the ASEAN Charter;
DO HEREBY DECLARE:
To faithfully respect the rights and fulfil the obligations
outlined in the provisions of the ASEAN Charter;
To complete ratification by all Member Countries as soon
as possible in order to bring the ASEAN Charter into force;
and
To undertake all appropriate measures in each Member
Country to implement the ASEAN Charter.
ADOPTED in Singapore, this Twentieth Day of November
in the Year Two Thousand and Seven.
The ASEAN Charter serves as a firm foundation in
achieving the ASEAN Community by providing legal
status and institutional framework for ASEAN. It also
codifies ASEAN norms, rules and values; sets clear
targets for ASEAN; and presents accountability and
compliance.
The ASEAN Charter entered into force on 15 December
2008. A gathering of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers was
held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to mark this very
historic occasion for ASEAN.
With the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN
will henceforth operate under a new legal framework and
establish a number of new organs to boost its community-
building process.
In effect, the ASEAN Charter has become a legally
binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN Member States.
It will also be registered with the Secretariat of the United
Nations, pursuant to Article 102, Paragraph 1 of the
Charter of the United Nations.
The importance of the ASEAN Charter can be seen in
the following contexts:
 New political commitment at the top level
 New and enhanced commitments
 New legal framework, legal personality
 New ASEAN bodies
 Two new openly-recruited DSGs
 More ASEAN meetings
 More roles of ASEAN Foreign Ministers
 New and enhanced role of the Secretary-
General of ASEAN
 Other new initiatives and changes
THE ASEAN SECRTARIAT
The ASEAN Secretariat was set up in February
1976 by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN. It was
then housed at the Department of Foreign Affairs
of Indonesia in Jakarta. The existing ASEAN
Secretariat at 70A Jalan Sisingamangaraja,
Jakarta was established and officiated in 1981 by
the then President of Indonesia, H.E. Soeharto.
 The ASEAN Secretariat’s basic function is to
provide for greater efficiency in the coordination
of ASEAN organs and for more effective
implementation of ASEAN projects and activities
 The ASEAN Secretariat’s vision is that by 2015, it
will be the nerve centre of a strong and confident
ASEAN Community that is globally respected for
acting in full compliance with its Charter and in the
best interest of its people.
 The ASEAN Secretariat’s mission is to initiate,
facilitate and coordinate ASEAN stakeholder
collaboration in realising the purposes and
principles of ASEAN as reflected in the ASEAN
Charter.
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim
Jock Hoi
 Dato Lim Jock Hoi was the Permanent Secretary
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Brunei Darussalam since 2006.
 During his tenure, he served as Brunei
Darussalam’s Senior Official for the ASEAN
Economic Community Pillar (SEOM), APEC
(Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and the
ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting). He was a member
of the High Level Task Force on ASEAN
Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) since 2001,
serving as the HLTF-EI Chair in 2017. He was
Brunei Darussalam’s Chief Negotiator for the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), as
well as for the P4, precursor to the TPP
negotiations. Previously, he was also the Co-
Chair during the negotiations for the ASEAN-
Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area
(AANZFTA), and also served as Brunei
Darussalam’s Chief Negotiator for the Brunei
Darussalam-Japan Economic Partnership
Agreement (BJEPA).
 From June 2011-2017, he was the Chairman of
the Governing Board of the Economic Research
Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). He
was also on the External Advisory Board for the
ASEAN 2030 Study being undertaken by the
Asian Development Bank (ADB).
 He entered the Government Service as an
education officer in 1977 and served as principal
of a Secondary School from 1981 – 1985. From
February 2001 – July 2005, he was appointed as
Director-General, International Relations and
Trade Development, Ministry of Industry and
Primary Resources. In September 2005, he was
appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
 He graduated from the City of London
Polytechnic in B.Sc (Hons) Economics in 1976
and received his Post Graduate Certificate of
Education in 1977.
 He was awarded The Most Honourable Order of
Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei, second Class
(D.P.M.B) in 2007. He is married with two sons.