ASEAN Law and Policy

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), alongside the European Union, is the most well-known and successful regional organisation in the world today. It has grown from a declaration between five states focused on non-interference, to an international organisation that is a central hub for cooperation between ten states on matters as diverse as financial services, energy, investment, consumer protection and human rights. It also has a prodigious output. The ASEAN Economic Community alone comprises over 1100 measures. Since 2010, CIL has looked at the place of law in the construction of ASEAN.

The CIL ASEAN Law and Policy team is building on this research in two ways in the next few years. First, it is researching matters at the forefront of ASEAN law and politics, such as the remit and style of economic integration; the way ASEAN is transforming systems of law and administration within its member states; the relationship of ASEAN to wider trade and investment regimes in the region; and ASEAN as a hub for security cooperation in the region. Second, CIL is disseminating its knowledge and expertise to those within the region, be these civil servants, judges, academics or students, through an extensive outreach programme across the region. The ASEAN Law and Policy Curriculum and Training Programme was developed to fulfil these objectives. 

The ASEAN Law and Policy Team at CIL also maintains the only cross-referenced full text collection of ASEAN documents. The collection contains over 700 agreements, declarations, statements and work programmes, organised thematically according to sectoral areas within the three community pillars, external relations and procedural aspects of ASEAN. The accompanying International Law section of the CIL Document Database tracks the ratification and accession status of ASEAN member states to key international instruments. To access the CIL Document Database, please click here.

Research Team

Professor Damian CHALMERS

Co-Director (Research), ASEAN Law and Policy Programme

Professor Joseph WEILER

Leading Co-Director, ASEAN ITL Research Project
University Professor, New York University

Dr TAN Hsien-Li, Teresa

Co-Director (Teaching), ASEAN Law and Policy Programme

Dr Marija JOVANOVIC

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr KIM Heejin

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ms CHAN Sze-Wei

Research Associate

Ms LOO Jing Xi, Gloria

Research Associate

Ms Melissa LOJA

Research Associate