As the legal and institutional framework, the ASEAN Charter describes the structure of time organisation, setting forth the mandate and function of various ASEAN’s mechanisms. The charter provisions on the mechanisms provide a general guide on how to engage ASEAN. Those mechanisms, and their mandate and functions are:
1) ASEAN Summit: ASEAN summit is the supreme policy-making body of ASEAN. This mechanism deliberates, provides policy guidance and takes decisions on key issues pertaining to the realisation of the objectives of ASEAN, important matters of interest to Member States and all issues referred to it by the ASEAN Coordinating Council, the ASEAN Community Councils and ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies.
2) ASEAN Coordinating Council: ASEAN Coordinating Council is an organ that is composed of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers. This organ will prepare the meetings of the ASEAN Summit, coordinate with the ASEAN Community Councils to enhance policy coherence, effi ciency and cooperation among them, coordinate the reports of the ASEAN Community Councils to the ASEAN Summit, consider the report of the Secretary General on the functions and operations of the ASEAN Secretariat and other relevant bodies, to approve the appointment and termination of the Deputy Secretaries General upon the recommendation of the Secretary General, and last but not least undertake tasks provided for in the ASEAN Charter or such other functions as may be assigned by the ASEAN Summit.
3) ASEAN Community Councils: ASEAN Community Council is comprised of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council, ASEAN Economic Community Council, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council. In each ASEAN Community Council meeting, each Member State of ASEAN designates its national representation. According to Article 9 of the ASEAN Charter, this organ should ensure the implementation of the relevant decisio