It is not surprising therefore that Asean's "wise men" continue their brainstorming exercises in an effort to come up with best practices and ideas that will both increase its relevance and enable the organisation to stay ahead of the curve.

The Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on the Asean Charter met in Bangkok last week to work out what should be included in the charter. The ideas were many and varied, but one thing was clear: Asean members need to be more committed to agreed objectives and work diligently to achieve them. In short, more action, less talk.

This kind of solidarity seems hard to come by, even though the grouping turns 40 next year.

When Asean was created, it was the founding members' desire that they stick together and overcome the political uncertainty engulfing the region at the time.

Economic cooperation was added to strengthen political cooperation. Now, the whole gamut of community building, including security, economic and social issues, has become part of the grouping's noble objectives. For this, Asean will need to change its practice of voluntarism into something more serious such as a legal framework that could force members to follow rules and regulations. Members that fail to do so would be reprimanded.

When the Asean High-Level Task Force begins to draft the charter after the Manila Summit in December, they must be bold and visionary. Otherwise, by the time Asean meets the deadline for the Asean Community in 2020, the proposed principles could be outdated.

Other regional organisations have already made much progress. For instance, the African Union has adopted measures to intervene in conflicts in member countries if the majority agree to do so, as well as a comprehensive mechanism to protect the human rights of Africans. Therefore, principles that are introduced in the Asean Charter must stand the test of time and should be considered "value addition" to existing international norms and values.

The principle of collective responsibility has been discussed by the Asean EPG in the past few months, and could be included in the charter. This concept derives from the grouping's experience in coping with members' internal problems. For example, the grouping has been trying to persuade Burma - since its admission in 1997 - to act with responsibility as part of the Asean family, without success.

At this juncture, new members are continuing to resist this approach. They view the existing principle of non-interference as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) as sufficient to enforce compliance and safeguard a member's sovereignty.

It is interesting to note that Vietnam, which joined in 1995, has since proved to be an effective mover and shaker in Asean. As its confidence grows along with economic expansion, Vietnam no longer wants to be associated with the CLMV group - an acronym used by Asean in 1995 for Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Vietnam. After all, Vietnam is on the way to becoming a member of World Trade Organisation. Cambodia will naturally be the next graduate from this group.

With the fast-changing regional and international environment, Asean also needs a quicker and better decision-making process. There are currently at least two or three Asean meetings - always back to back - being held daily in various Asean capitals.

It is possible that by next year, Asean will introduce the permanent representative system used by the United Nations and the European Union. The idea was broached in 1982 by a special task force to strengthen the secretariat, headed by Anand Panyarachun.

Asean permanent representatives are to be based in Jakarta. If the plan materialises, it could lead to the establishment of a ministry for Asean affairs in member countries. As such, the Asean secretary-general would naturally have more authority to shape and adjust policies and speak on behalf of all members.

Unlike other regional groupings such as the EU, Asean is not an observer at the UN. This is strange because Asean and the UN have enhanced their cooperation in the past five years, both in peacekeeping and other development issues. The UN Development Programme is the only international organisation that has dialogue partner status with Asean. The grouping can learn from the UN about the management and settlement of conflicts, especially the role of facilitator. The resolution of conflicts within Asean have so far relied on foreign facilitators.

As Asean ponders its future, one area the grouping is very proud of is its external relations. Major and middle powers have found Asean a useful partner for regional peace and security. The grouping is looking forward to the Asean-China Summit at the end of October in Nanning to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their relationship.

Countries like China, India, Japan and Australia have already agreed to subscribe to the regional code of conduct contained in the TAC, and France will soon become the first EU member to accede to the TAC.

Kavi Chongkittavorn