Which declaration founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1967?

The Bangkok Declaration founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1967.

Foreign ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand signed the declaration in Bangkok on 8 August 1967. The document is also known as the ASEAN Declaration and created ASEAN as a regional organization focused on cooperation, peace and economic, social and cultural development.

The founding members were sometimes described as the organization’s original five. Brunei joined after gaining independence in 1984, followed by Viet Nam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia during the 1990s. ASEAN later became a major framework for Southeast Asian economic cooperation and regional diplomacy.

The Bangkok Declaration should not be confused with the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. The treaty was adopted in Bali in 1976 and established principles for relations among participating states, but it did not create ASEAN. ASEAN’s later economic initiatives include the ASEAN Free Trade Area, launched in 1992.