ASEAN leaders open formal summit in Singapore

ASEAN leaders opened their annual summit on Tuesday and are due to sign the grouping's first charter.

The ASEAN Charter will be a crucial step in this process as it will make ASEAN a more effective and cohesive organisation with a rules-based governing framework.

ASEAN leaders will also adopt an economic blueprint which sets out specific timelines and targets for economic integration measures that will make ASEAN more competitive as a region.

ASEAN leaders will also sign two environment declarations later Tuesday. The first maps out initiatives and measures that ASEAN will undertake to address regional environmental challenges while the second reaffirms support for the UN process and the meeting in Bali in a fortnight's time.

In case you have forgotten, ASEAN groups refer to Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.