ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 27 February 2016]
http://www.asean.org/news
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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February 24th, 2016|ASEAN Secretariat News, Press Release
ASEAN Ramps Up Regional Cooperation in Higher Education
BANGKOK, 24 February 2016 – Today, ASEAN and the European Union (EU) Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (SHARE) Programme commenced their second in a series of SHARE policy dialogues. In cooperation with the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and hosted by Chulalongkorn University, this two-day event brings together more than 150 high-level education officials, academics and students from ASEAN Member States and the EU.

The policy dialogue focuses on students’ learning outcomes in the context of the various degree structures across ASEAN universities and is an important stepping-stone on ASEAN’s path towards a more connected regional higher education system. “Building a regional higher education system with an effective and sustainable scholarship scheme at its core will not only benefit students and universities, but will form a cornerstone of a truly people-centred ASEAN community and contribute significantly to the competitiveness of ASEAN Member States as well as ASEAN as a whole,” said H.E. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community…

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February 22nd, 2016|ASEAN Secretariat News, Press Release
Press Release of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC)
JAKARTA, 22 February 2016 – The Twelfth Meeting of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was convened on 16-19 February 2016 at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Meeting reviewed the status of projects and activities under the ACWC Work Plan 2012-2016. The Meeting finalised the ASEAN Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE) Quality Standards particularly for childcare services (birth to 4 years of age) and pre-school services (4-6 years of age). The ECCDE Quality Standards was developed under the coordination of Malaysia. The Meeting also finalised the ASEAN Guideline for a Non-Violent Approach to Nurture, Care, and Development of Children, in All Settings which was developed under the coordination of Thailand.

Another four draft outcome documents of the ACWC’s projects were reviewed by the Meeting, notably: a) draft Progress Report on Women’s Rights, Empowerment and Gender Equality led by the Philippines; b) draft Regional Review of the Laws, Policies and Practices within ASEAN Member States Relating to the Identification and Treatment of Victims of Trafficking, especially Women and Children led by Lao PDR; c) outline of the Baseline Study on Child Protection Systems in ASEAN Member States led by Indonesia; and d) outline of the Report on the ACWC Institutional Strengthening led by the Philippines. These four projects would be further discussed at the Special Meeting of ACWC on 31 March – 3 April 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the view of finalising them…