WE, the Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts of the ASEAN Member States representing Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the 19th ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia on 17 November 2011;

RECALLING the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community’s primary goal of realizing an ASEAN Community that is people-centred and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the nations and peoples of ASEAN by forging a common identity and building a caring and sharing society which is inclusive and harmonious where the well-being, livelihood, and welfare of the peoples are enhanced;

ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of promoting an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse cultures and heritage of the ASEAN region;

ASSERTING the principle of respect for the different cultures, languages, and religions of the peoples of ASEAN, while emphasizing their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity;

UNDERSTANDING that cultural traditions are an integral part of ASEAN’s heritage and an effective means of bringing together ASEAN peoples to recognize their regional identity and relatedness;

REAFFIRMING our commitment to create an ASEAN sense of belonging, consolidate unity in diversity and enhance deeper mutual understanding among ASEAN Member States about their culture, history, religion, and civilization in order to establish the ASEAN Community by 2015;

COGNIZANT of the potential of culture as an engine for economic growth, a building block for social cohesion and transformation, an asset for regional pride, and a vehicle for forging closer friendship and understanding;

ENSURING sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations by enhancing ASEAN togetherness through cultural creativity and the promotion and cooperation on cultural industries;

CONSIDERING the need to respect the right to culture for all, as cultural creativity and diversity guarantee the viability of the ASEAN Community, inform and motivate people, and help realize their full human potential while achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals;

DO HEREBY DECLARE that ASEAN Member States will actively pursue the following spheres of cooperation, collaboration and common goals:

1. PROMOTING AN ASEAN MINDSET
To achieve the goal of a truly ASEAN Community by 2015, ASEAN Member States will promote Think ASEAN as the framework for designing and crafting regional policies, programs, projects and promotional strategies in the area of culture. This framework is meant to promote a shared cultural discourse at the regional (ASEAN) level, towards the strengthening of the ASEAN Community.

2. PROTECTION, PROMOTION AND UTILIZATION OF ASEAN CULTURAL DIVERSITY
2.1 Whilst recognizing and respecting cultural diversity, ASEAN Member States will strengthen their cooperation to protect and promote the diversity of their cultures consistent with their respective international obligations. Furthermore, ASEAN Member States will ensure the utilization of their cultural diversity with a view to achieving the establishment of the ASEAN Community.

2.2 ASEAN Member States will strengthen regional cooperation to ensure that commercial utilization does not impinge upon the integrity, dignity and rights of any ASEAN society.

3. ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURAL CREATIVITY AND INDUSTRY
3.1 ASEAN Member States will promote regional cooperation and partnership for wider ASEAN markets in the cultural industry.

3.2 ASEAN Member States will encourage the government and private sectors to support the development of Small and Medium-sized Cultural Enterprises (SMCEs).

3.3 ASEAN Member States will optimize appropriate use of tangible and intangible cultural assets for economic growth and poverty alleviation.

3.4 ASEAN Member States will advocate the protection, promotion and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and communal rights of cultural products, consistent with their respective international
obligations with the view to promote cultural creativity and industry.

3.5 ASEAN Member States will encourage a conducive business environment by sharing information, knowledge and experience in both public and private sectors.

3.6 ASEAN Member States will support and promote the quality of cultural industry products for commercialization in domestic and international markets.

4. CULTURE AS A MEANS TOWARDS AN ASEAN CARING AND SHARING SOCIETY
ASEAN Member States will utilize culture for the enhancement of the well-being and welfare of their peoples in building a caring and sharing community. This includes leveraging on culture as an important component for rehabilitation in response to natural and man-made disasters and other crisis situations impacting the ASEAN region.

5. HUMAN RESOURCE AND NETWORKING DEVELOPMENT IN THE CULTURAL CONTEXT
5.1 ASEAN Member States will cooperate in human resources capacity building on preservation and protection of cultural heritage and achievements through documentation, workshops, seminars, trainings, exchange of experts, grass-root people to people exchanges, youth camps, cultural study tours, sharing of best practices for improving the level of knowledge and experience within ASEAN Member States.

5.2 ASEAN Member States will encourage the strengthening of the networks of centres of excellence for training on conservation and preservation of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible.

5.3 ASEAN Member States will encourage the convening of regular cultural dialogues bringing together intellectuals, renowned artists and experts in the field of culture who will address issues concerning the building of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

6. COOPERATION WITH OTHER ASEAN SECTORAL BODIES
ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) will seek to cooperate with other ASEAN Sectoral Bodies in the utilization and promotion of culture, in areas such as disaster management and humanitarian assistance, environmental protection, promotion of biodiversity, education, and sports.

SIGNED in Bali, Indonesia, this Seventeenth day of November, in the Year Two Thousand and Eleven, in a single original copy in the English Language.

For Brunei Darussalam:
H.E. PEHIN DATO HAJI HAZAIR BIN HAJI ABDULLAH

Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports
For the Kingdom of Cambodia:
H.E. SUN CHANTHOL
Senior Minister and Vice Chairman
Council for the Development of Cambodia

For the Republic of Indonesia:
H.E. PROF. DR. IR. MOHAMMAD NUH, DEA
Minister for Education and Culture

For the Lao People’s Democratic Republic:
H.E. DR. THONGLOUN SISOULITH
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

For Malaysia:
H.E. DR. RAIS YATIM
Minister for Information, Communication and Culture

For the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
H.E. KYAW HSAN
Union Minister for Ministry of Information and
Ministry of Culture

For the Republic of the Philippines
H.E. FELIPE M. DE LEON, JR
Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

For the Republic of Singapore
H.E. K SHANMUGAM
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law

For the Kingdom of Thailand
H.E. DR. SURAPONG TOVICHAKCHAIKUL
Minister of Foreign Affairs

For the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
H.E. PHAM BINH MINH
Minister of Foreign Affairs