Priority Areas of Cooperation
ASEAN considers social welfare and development as a key strategy to promote human development and sustainable development. Strengthening social welfare and development particularly for vulnerable and groups is paramount to reduce poverty.
Through high-level political declarations and regional action plans and frameworks, ASEAN promotes the welfare and empowerment of all children, persons with disabilities, older persons and other vulnerable groups by safeguarding their rights, protecting them from abuse, violence, discrimination and exploitation, and ensuring their meaningful participation in society.
More importantly, ASEAN upholds the critical role of all children, persons with disabilities, older persons, and those who are vulnerable and as agents of change and as a resource to chart their own development. This is undertaken by strengthening and expanding multi-stakeholder engagements, and multi-pronged and multi-sectoral approach in advancing social welfare and development agenda at the regional, national and community level.
Development of evidence-based studies and action researches, as well as guidelines on promoting the welfare of children, persons with disabilities, older persons and other vulnerable and groups.
Establishment of various regional knowledge platforms to exchange good practices and engage children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in strategic and substantive policy discussions.
In addressing issues of vulnerabilities in the region, ASEAN adopts an integrated and comprehensive life-cycle and system-based approach. This will enable policy and programme initiatives to articulate intersectionalities and underlying vulnerabilities in order to develop responsive interventions. ASEAN initiates and develops inclusive and participatory consultation mechanisms with various stakeholders which includes interface meetings with relevant agencies and institutions working in the area of social welfare and development, and target beneficiaries through the regional platforms to ensure that regional initiatives are developed to, by and for the ASEAN peoples.
Major Sectoral Bodies/Committees
ASEAN’s regional cooperation on social welfare and development is overseen by the Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD). Comprising senior government officials representing the national ministries in-charge of social welfare and development, SOMSWD’s mandate is to implement ASEAN’s commitment to foster cooperation in social development aimed at raising the standard of living of disadvantaged groups, and seek the active involvement of all sectors of society to realize its objectives. SOMSWD supports and reports to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD). Comprising ministers in-charge of social and development in all ASEAN Member States, the AMMSWD sets the strategic policy direction on ASEAN’s regional cooperation on social welfare and development.
In enhancing the quality of life and improving the standard of living for all children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, SOSMWD is guided by the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and other regional documents; Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities; the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA); and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, among others.
SOMSWD is currently implementing its Strategic Framework on Social Welfare and Development 2016-2020 which focuses on the following thematic areas:
- Leveraging social welfare and development to reduce poverty, empowering vulnerable groups, and addressing impacts of social and economic crises.
- Promoting and protecting the rights of all children, persons with disabilities, older persons and other vulnerable groups through the following:
- fostering an enabling and supportive environment for healthy, active and productive ageing,
- enhancing the survival, and strengthening the protection, participation and development of the rights of children; and
- realising the rights and fostering the opportunities and participation of persons with disabilities towards inclusive societies.
- Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups through the following: i) promoting social protection policies for increased access and sustainability; ii) strengthening the resilience of families, care-givers in the societies, and iii) enhancing the participation and social responsibility of stakeholders.
Regional mechanisms
SOMSWD Plus Three was established in 2004 and constitutes the Plus Three Countries namely China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. It serves as a regular platform for exchanging policies and good practices on social welfare and development.
AMMSWD Plus Three was established in 2004 as a bi-annual meeting between the ministers in-charge of social welfare and development in China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. It serves as a venue to discuss strategic issues and steer development cooperation through partnerships.
ASEAN Government-Non-Government (GO-NGO) Forum on Social Welfare and Development is a consultative multi-stakeholder forum that brings together governments, civil society organisations, the private sector, and other stakeholders, to exchange knowledge and experiences on policy and programme development and implementation as well as best practices on social welfare and development, following the selected theme of each year.
ASEAN Social Work Consortium (ASWC) serves as a platform that brings together social work practitioners, educators and schools of social work to promote capacity building, and policy and action research in the social work profession.
Key Documents
The regional strategic direction that ASEAN is taking on social welfare and development is guided by the following regional instruments:
- The Senior Officials Meeting on Social Work and Development (SOMSWD) Work Plan 2021-2025 and Its Results Framework
- Regional Guidance on Strengthening the Role of Social Workers and the Wider Social Service Workforce in Social Protection
- Regional Guidance on the Development and Use of Social Service Workforce to Population Ratios in ASEAN
- Regional Guidance for ASEAN Member States on Strengthening the Role of Social Workers and the Wider Social Service Workforce in the Justice Sector
- Regional Guidance for ASEAN Member States on Strengthening the Role of Social Workers and the Wider Social Service Workforce in the Health Sector
- Recommendations of the 17th ASEAN GO-NGOs Forum“ Accelerating the Implementation of ASEAN’s Commitments for Gender Equality through Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion”
- Brunei Darussalam Declaration on Strengthening Family Institution: Caring for the Elderly (2010)
- Ha Noi Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare and Development of ASEAN Women and Children (2010);
- Bali Declaration on the Enhancement of the Role and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in ASEAN Community (2011)
- Mobilisation Framework of the ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2011-2020)
- ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection (2013)
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Elimination of Violence Against Children in ASEAN (2013)
- Regional Framework and Action Plan to Implement the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection (2015)
- Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing: Empowering Older Persons in ASEAN (2015)
- ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Children (2015)
- ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2018)
- Declaration on the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN (2019)
- Joint Statement on Reaffirmation of Commitment to Advancing the Rights of the Child in ASEAN (2019)
- ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration (2019)
Publications
- SOMSWD Work Plan 2021-2025
- ASEAN Strategic Framework on Social Welfare and Development (2011-2015) (2012)
- Bali Declaration on the Enhancement of the Role and Participation of the Persons with Disabilities in ASEAN Community and Mobilisation Framework of the ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2011-2020) (2013)
- Report of the ASEAN Regional Assessment of MDG Achievement and Post-2015 Development Priorities (2015)
- Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Network of Experts on Inclusive Entrepreneurship for ASEAN (2017)
- ASEAN Strategic Framework on Social Welfare and Development 2016-2020 (2018)
- ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2018)
- Autism at a Glance in ASEAN Part I
Overview
The region is home to a diverse population of persons with disabilities, ranging from children with disabilities, women with disabilities, and older persons with disabilities, with varying types of impairments and support requirements . Such intersectionalities of disabilities with sex, gender, race and age continue to impinge upon their accessibility, mobility and meaningful participation in decision-making processes. This condition has often times led to marginalisation and exclusion from services, fair treatment and complete information which is a manifestation of discrimination, violence, neglect and abuse.
The region is rapidly becoming an ageing society with an increasing number of older persons of which the majority are women . A significant number of older persons are working and staying in formal and informal labor markets due to financial and related needs. While some of them experience poverty, particularly those living in poor and overcrowded urban and in rural areas, some of them actively contribute to the growth of the economy by being part of the Silver Economy that recognizes the potential purchasing power and specific needs of population over 60 year-old. Older persons continue to experience ageism and discrimination, and are prone to abuse and neglect. Yet, as older persons in the region assert their agency and independence, there is greater demand for policy innovations that promote their dignity, ensure respect, and secure equal accessibility to long-term care.