Earlier, ASEAN member countries adopted an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community master plan at their 14th Summit in Thailand.

The plan covers human development, social welfare and security, social equality and rights, sustainable environment, establishment of ASEAN characteristics and narrowing development gap.

The ASCC meets twice a year, aiming to check the implementation of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community master plan and report it to the leaders in service of the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The 9th ASCC meeting was organized in Brunei Darussalam from March 20-24. At this meeting, Viet Nam proposed naming natural calamity management and climate change as priorities of the ASCC in 2013.

By Thuy Dung