ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which was formed on August 8th 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member in 1984, right after its independence. In 1995, Viet Nam became the seventh member. Laos and Myanmar joined the bloc in 1997, and Cambodia joined two years later.

The bloc has a land area of 4.46 million km2 and a population of about 600 million people. Its sea area is about three times larger than its land area. ASEAN would rank as the eighth largest economy in the world if it were a single country. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Viet Nam are called the six majors. These countries are the six largest economies in the region.

ASEAN aims at promoting economic growth, social progress and cultural development. At the same time, it focuses on protecting regional peace and stability, and providing opportunities for its member states to discuss differences peacefully. The bloc's motto is: 'One Vision, One Identity, One Community'.

The ASEAN Charter came into force on 15 December 2008. It is the Constitution of ASEAN and the ten member states must act in accordance with it. After entering into force on December 15th 2008, the Charter has become a legal agreement among the ten ASEAN member states. Its main principles include respect for the member states' independence and non-interference in their internal affairs.

ASEAN organises different projects and activities to integrate its members. These include educational awards, and various cultural and sports activities. Examples of these are the Singapore-sponsored ASEAN Scholarships, the Southeast Asian Games, the ASEAN Para Games, the ASEAN Schools Games and the ASEAN Football Championship.