There have been in recent years increasing calls upon ASEAN to be “people-centred” or “people-oriented”, to take the “people's” concerns into account, and to consult with the “people's representatives” in what is often called “civil society”. The implication is that regional security is the domain of politicians, diplomats and generals and that regional economic integration is the concern only of governments, corporations and captains of industry. This is somewhat surprising, since people, in very real ways, do benefit from regional security and would profit from the effective integration of the regional economy. An atmosphere of regional stability and security allows people to live their lives and pursue their livelihoods in peace — provided, of course, that the domestic situation is also largely free of violence. Regional economic integration would, if done right, attract investments, spur economic growth, generate jobs, and lower costs. If accompanied by national policies to distribute the benefits of growth equitably, it would benefit the people at large. The problem is that this linkage between regional security and economic integration on the one hand and people's personal welfare on the other is seldom made. Moreover, legitimate governments are expected to reflect the interests of their people and articulate and advance them in inter-governmental processes.

Nevertheless, ASEAN does take cooperative action on matters that more directly affect the quality of people's lives and are publicly perceived to do so. The most prominent of these have been communicable diseases and the environment, together with transnational crime and international terrorism. ASEAN cooperation with respect to natural disasters has also gained prominence, particularly as a consequence of the 2004 tsunami and the other catastrophes that have visited the region in recent years. The ASEAN position on human rights has been the subject of occasional public attention.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

The ASEAN response to the 2003 SARS crisis has been hailed as an achievement in regional cooperation against a common threat.