Question

STEPS

• Divide the classroom into three groups.
• Assign each group one organisation to work on a fact file on the EU, ASEAN and SAARC.
• Students have to prepare a fact file that contains information on the objectives, functions and recent activities of these organisations. Pictures of the conferences/summit meetings can be collected.
• Each group is to present its fact file before the class.

Ideas for the Teacher

• The teacher is to focus on the functions of these organisations.
• Draw the attention of students to the achievements of regional organisations.
• Link the role of regional economic organisations to the overall development of the member countries.
• Sensitise students to the growing importance of regional economic organisations as an alternative approach to the peace and security of the world.

Answer 1

Comparative Fact File on Regional Organisations

Group 1: Fact File on the European Union (EU)

1. Establishment & Headquarters: Established on 7 February 1992 via the Maastricht Treaty; Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
2. Membership: 27 member states (post-Brexit, 2020).
3. Core Objectives:
   • Foster peace, promote European values, and ensure the well-being of its citizens.
   • Establish a single internal market with the four freedoms (free movement of goods, capital, services, and people).
   • Maintain a single currency (the Euro) and a common foreign and security policy (CFSP).
4. Key Functions:
   • Legislative and policy-making through the European Parliament and Council of the EU.
   • Executive governance via the European Commission.
   • Judicial oversight through the European Court of Justice.
5. Achievements & Recent Activities:
   • Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 for promoting peace and reconciliation.
   • Unified climate leadership via the European Green Deal targeting climate neutrality by 2050.
   • Implementation of the Next Generation EU pandemic recovery fund (€800 billion+).

Group 2: Fact File on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

1. Establishment & Headquarters: Founded on 8 August 1967 via the Bangkok Declaration; Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
2. Membership: 10 member nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia).
3. Core Objectives:
   • Accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region.
   • Promote regional peace and stability through justice and the rule of law based on the UN Charter.
4. Key Functions:
   • Operates on the ‘ASEAN Way’ an informal, consensual, non-confrontational approach.
   • Organised around three pillars (2003): ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
   • Oversees regional security consultations via the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) (est. 1994).
5. Achievements & Recent Activities:
   • Successfully negotiated major Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) including RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership).
   • Formulated the Five-Point Consensus on the Myanmar crisis.
   • Maintained centrality in Indo-Pacific architectures (East Asia Summit, ADMM-Plus).

Group 3: Fact File on SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)

1. Establishment & Headquarters: Established on 8 December 1985 in Dhaka; Secretariat located in Kathmandu, Nepal.
2. Membership: 8 countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan).
3. Core Objectives:
   • Promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improve their quality of life.
   • Accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development.
   • Promote collective self-reliance among South Asian nations.
4. Key Functions & Limitations:
   • Forum for high-level ministerial meetings and sectoral cooperation in agriculture, public health, disaster management, and rural development.
   • Formulated SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) in 2004 (operational 2006).
   • Stalled due to bilateral acrimony (primarily Indo-Pak tensions), with summits remaining suspended since 2016.
5. Recent Activities:
   • Joint coordination via video conference during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) and creation of the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund initiated by India.