(Singapore, 5 November 2007) Over 200 participants from civil society organizations and trade unions from across Southeast Asia and beyond have called upon the leaders of ASEAN to postpone the signing of the ASEAN Charter due to the Burmese junta's recent violent crackdown on peaceful protests.

At the conclusion of the third ASEAN + Civil Society Conference (ACSC III) held in Singapore from 2-4 November, all participants agreed that the current political crisis in Burma must first be resolved in accordance with basic human rights standards before ASEAN's leaders can sign a Charter for a "caring, sharing community" (ACSC III declarations attached).    

Participants urged ASEAN countries, particularly Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, to do more than issue strong statements and to take concrete action, including the imposition of an arms embargo and the stemming of the flow of resources to the military junta.   There was also a call on the Indonesian government, as current Chair of the UN Security Council, to advocate the imposition of sanctions and other targeted measures, and for ASEAN to place more pressure on China and India to take concrete measures to bring the Burmese military generals to engage in a democratic process of reform.

Apart from the focus on events in Burma, participants also agreed that ASEAN's approach to drafting a "people's charter" had been far from people centred, with no release of a draft version of the Charter for civil society to consider and provide feedback on prior to its signing at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Singapore (18-22 November).   Any engagement that had taken place with civil society had been little more than a public relations exercise.  Therefore, participants demanded that ASEAN go through a process of "meaningful public consultation and discussion" before signing a Charter on behalf of the people of Southeast Asia and, furthermore, that a referendum on the Charter be held in each member state.    

In response to dissatisfaction over the entire Charter drafting process, the decision was taken to launch the drafting of an alternative ASEAN People's Charter by national and regional civil society groups "that will embody the shared values and collective aspirations of the peoples of the region", and which will be completed prior to the 2008 ASEAN Summit in Thailand.

Background information:

ACSC III was organized in Singapore by the following civil society organizations:

Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), Focus on the Global South, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Human Rights Working Group - Indonesia, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), Think Center - Singapore, and Third World Network (TWN).

There was also an ACSC III Singapore Local Organizing Committee.

The local host was Union Network International-APRO.

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Third ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III)

2-4 November 2007, Singapore 

"No Bloody Hand on an ASEAN Charter"

(Final Version)  

1. We, the participants of the ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III) held in Singapore on 2-4 November 2007:
2. inspired by the courage of the people of Burma in standing up for their basic rights in the face of continuous repression by  the Burmese military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
3. outraged by the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators,
4. strongly condemn SPDC's brutal crackdown on the monks' led peaceful protests since 26 September 2007,   
5. denounce the ongoing attacks on the ethnic nationalities by the SPDC, and human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, forced labour, forced relocation, forced recruitment of child soldiers, and sexual violence against women and girls,
6. urge the SPDC to end all acts of violence against civilians, the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, and to begin the process of tripartite dialogue with the National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic nationalities,
7. Urge the SPDC to fully cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation of Burma, Mr. Paul Pinheiro, and give him unconditional access to people and locations during his mission,
8. Appeal to the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, to initiate steps towards genuine political reform including genuine dialogue with all political groups in the country, as recommended by the UN,
9. Call on the Indonesian government, being the current Chair of the UN Security Council, to proactively advocate the imposition of sanctions and other targeted measures by the UNSC.
10. Call on neighbouring countries, particularly Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to take concrete measures to bring meaningful pressure on the Burmese junta, including the instigation of an arms embargo and measures to stem the flow of resources from ASEAN countries to the Burmese army and its associated elites.
11. Call on the ASEAN

• to reject the roadmap to democracy drawn up by the SPDC and advocate tripartite dialogue
• to postpone the signing of the ASEAN Charter by the military junta at the upcoming 13^th ASEAN Summit (Singapore, 18-22 Nov. 2007) until the political crisis in Burma is resolved in accordance with international human rights standards. Failing this, it must consider suspending Burma's membership from ASEAN if the SPDC continues to ignore all calls to find a lasting resolution to the crisis in Burma.
• to urge China and India to take concrete measures to pressure the SPDC to engage in a democratic process of reform.

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Third ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III)

2-4 November 2007, Singapore 

Singapore Declaration

(Final Version)  

1. We, about 200 participants from civil society organizations and trade unions across Southeast Asia gathered at the Third ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III) in Singapore on 2-4 November 2007 to discuss issues of common concerns to people's lives in the context of the upcoming 13^th ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Summit which is scheduled to take action on the adoption of an ASEAN Charter.
2. Based on our deliberations during the ACSC-III under the theme "Moving Forward - Building an ASEAN+ People's Agenda" III as well as in line with the statements adopted at the ACSC-I (Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 2005) and ACSC-II (Cebu in Dec. 2006) and submission of proposals to Eminent People's Group (EPG) and High-level Task Force for the ASEAN Charter by SAPA (Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy) Working Group on ASEAN, we strongly urge the ASEAN and its member-states to consider our proposals  and demands in their deliberations of the proposed draft Charter at the Summit.
• Universally recognized values, principles and normative standards should be fully enshrined, in all standard-setting processes within the ASEAN, in particular, human rights, social and economic justice, participatory democracy and rule of law, right to development, ecologically sustainable development, cultural diversity, gender equality, peace and people's security and peaceful transformation of conflicts. 
• People-centered regional cooperation and solidarity in accordance with the above-mentioned values and principle should be a key guiding principle for regional integration process in ASEAN.
• A holistic approach should be adopted that reflects the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of human rights.
• All key international legal instruments including human rights, humanitarian law and core labour and environmental standards should be ratified and fully implemented.
• Effective mechanism should be established for accountability and participation of civil society organizations, trade unions, social movements, rural sector and other affected communities in all processes and deliberations of ASEAN and its bodies.
• Effective measures to eliminate all forms of direct and indirect discriminations and promote substantive equality for the full development and advancement of all disempowered and marginalized sectors, in particular women.
• Effective measures should be established to prevent conflicts and systematic and gross human rights violations within the ASEAN and within countries in the region including strict imposition of sanctions on violators.
• Effective measures should be developed and implemented to address the adverse impact of globalization and regional integration. An ASEAN Environment Community should be established to promote and protect ASEAN's environmental integrity and sustainability in line with the other three pillars (Economic, Security and Socio-Cultural).
• An effective and accountable human rights mechanism for ASEAN in accordance with international standards should be established.
3. We also strongly support the Statement of the Singapore Civil Society issued by the Singapore Working Group for ASEAN (SWGA) for the ACSC-III which echoes most of our calls in this Declaration, particularly on the need for ASEAN member-states to ratify key human rights Conventions and prioritize human rights education; guarantee decent work; enable the people to exercise their freedoms of expression, organization and collective bargaining; providing social protection and social security; recognition of the right to self-determination of cultural identity and the rights of indigenous peoples; and ensure the participation of women in politics at all levels.
4. We call on the ASEAN and its member-states to ensure that these fundamental principles and demands are enshrined in the ASEAN Charter towards the realization of a caring and sharing ASEAN Community. 
5. Heads of States should ensure that the following requirements are met before the signing of the ASEAN Charter:
• Ensure transparency through the disclosure of the draft ASEAN Charter for meaningful public consultations and discussions, and guarantee substantive peoples participation at the national and regional levels in the adoption of the ASEAN Charter
• End and prevent all serious breaches of principles that should be fundamental to the ASEAN, including undemocratic change of government and systematic and gross violations of human rights
6. We reaffirm our call for the ASEAN to require democratic referendum process at the national level to allow the peoples in each country to give direct mandate to the ASEAN Charter.
7. We urge the ASEAN to create effective mechanisms for transparency, accountability, people's participation, and Social Dialogue.
8. We reaffirm our strong commitment to work for the creation of a just, people-centered, caring and sharing ASEAN Community that shall be enshrined in an ASEAN Peoples' Charter. 
9. Through this Declaration, we are launching the process of drafting the ASEAN Peoples' Charter that will embody the shared values and collective aspirations of the peoples of the region.  We commit to drafting an ASEAN Peoples' Charter by the ACSC-IV to be held in Thailand in 2008.