Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 03/2011

ASEAN Community Building: Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Civilian Protection in Southeast Asia

Mely Caballero-Anthony, Holly Haywood

February 2011

Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies

Abstract

Initiatives introduced under the various pillars of the envisaged ASEAN Community, notably the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), represent potential entry points for building a more effective framework for civilian protection in Southeast Asia. This policy brief attempts to delineate some ways by which the opportunities presented by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) initiatives, as well as the momentum surrounding the development of a regional capacity for ensuring peace and stability, could be advanced.