RULE-BASED DISPUTE SETTLEMENT MECHANISM TOWARDS PEOPLE-CENTRED AND PEOPLE-ORIENTED ASEAN

As a growing and dynamic regional organization, ASEAN has issued another Vision in 2015 to keep up with the changing circumstances ASEAN 2025 that reaffirmed ASEAN’s resolve to continue along the path of regional integration and provide an insight as to the regional organisation’s priorities focus and goals. ASEAN Charter 2007 as ‘constitution’ of ASEAN aims to establish ASEAN Community (AC) in 2015 that ASEAN constitutes as a rule-based organization. ASEAN Community consists of three pillars, namely, ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Socio Cultural Community (ASCC). Accordingly, many regional organizations provide Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) to resolve disputes that may arise among the member countries. The dispute mechanism aims to provide predictability and security in international trade by providing strict time-frames, and was designed to be mutually agreed by the disputing members, flexible and binding. This paper seeks to advance the discussion on this matter by looking at Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) that have a significant impact on ASEAN Vision and identifying the key issues and challenges towards people-centred and people-oriented ASEAN