At the 3rd MGC Ministerial Meeting held in [[Phnom Penh]] on June 20, 2003, the member countries adopted the [[Phnom Penh Road Map]] as a plan to accelerate the implementation of all MGC projects and activities. The Second ASEAN Informal Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur on 15 December 1997, adopted the ASEAN Vision 2020 which sets out a broad vision for ASEAN in the year 2020: an ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian Nations, outward-looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.
In order to implement the long-term vision, action plans are being drawn up to realize this Vision. The [[Hanoi Plan of Action]] (HPA) is the first in a series of plans of action building up to the realization of the goals of the Vision.
The HPA has a six-year timeframe covering the period from 1999 to 2004. The progress of its implementation shall be reviewed every three years to coincide with the ASEAN Summit Meetings.
In recognition of the need to address the current economic situation in the region, ASEAN shall implement initiatives to hasten economic recovery and address the social impact of the global economic and financial crisis. These measures reaffirm ASEAN commitments to closer regional integration and are directed at consolidating and strengthening the economic fundamentals of the Member Countries.