ASEAN ASEAN Political Structure 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which document serves as the constitutional framework of ASEAN?
- The ASEAN Charter (Correct answer)
- The Bangkok Declaration
- The Bali Concord II
- The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
Correct answer: The ASEAN Charter
The ASEAN Charter, signed in 2007 and entered into force in 2008, gives ASEAN legal personality and establishes its institutional framework.
Question 2: What is the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)?
- ASEAN's human rights body established under the ASEAN Charter (Correct answer)
- A UN subsidiary for ASEAN nations
- An NGO monitoring ASEAN governance
- A judicial court for ASEAN member disputes
Correct answer: ASEAN's human rights body established under the ASEAN Charter
AICHR, established in 2009, is ASEAN's overarching human rights institution, responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region.
Question 3: How is the ASEAN Chair selected?
- By alphabetical rotation among member states (Correct answer)
- By vote at the ASEAN Summit
- By the country with the highest GDP
- By the UN Secretary-General
Correct answer: By alphabetical rotation among member states
The ASEAN Chairmanship rotates annually among the ten member states in alphabetical order of their English country names.
Question 4: What is the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)?
- A dialogue platform for security issues in the Asia-Pacific with ASEAN at its core (Correct answer)
- An ASEAN internal security committee
- A trade arbitration panel
- A military alliance treaty
Correct answer: A dialogue platform for security issues in the Asia-Pacific with ASEAN at its core
The ARF, established in 1994, is a multilateral security dialogue forum involving ASEAN members and dialogue partners to address Asia-Pacific security concerns.
Question 5: Which ASEAN treaty prohibits member states from acquiring or developing nuclear weapons?
- Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) (Correct answer)
- ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
- Treaty of Bangkok
- Non-Proliferation Treaty extension
Correct answer: Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ)
SEANWFZ, also known as the Bangkok Treaty, signed in 1995 and entered into force in 1997, designates Southeast Asia as a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
Question 6: What does the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) include?
- ASEAN defence ministers plus eight dialogue partner countries (Correct answer)
- Only ASEAN defence ministers
- ASEAN leaders plus UN peacekeeping commanders
- ASEAN and NATO defence ministers
Correct answer: ASEAN defence ministers plus eight dialogue partner countries
ADMM-Plus brings together ASEAN's ten defence ministers with those of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the US for security cooperation.
ASEAN ASEAN Political Structure 2
Which document serves as the constitutional framework of ASEAN?