The ASEAN Ministers responsible for Culture and the Arts (AMCA) together with their three dialogue partners, China, Japan and Korea has agreed to “enhance ASEAN cooperation in the areas of culture and arts focusing on human resources development; the protection, preservation and promotion of ASEAN cultural heritage; and, the development of small and medium-sized cultural enterprises,” during the AMCA meeting held at Clark, Angeles, Pampanga last March 25 and 26.

The ministers noted that the proposed Best of ASEAN Performing Arts series by the ASEAN Secretary-General is already halfway to meeting its objective to generate awareness among the member nations and its peoples on the ASEAN cultural heritage. Due to this, it has been recommended that this include all other forms of art such as the theater, music as well as arts and crafts.

Accordingly, China highlighted the cooperation between ASEAN and its three dialogue partners in “cultural industries, the development of cultural human resources, and in expediting the formulation of China-ASEAN cultural cooperation programme.” Japan, on the other hand, emphasized three vital areas in light of “realizing a peaceful and prosperous East Asian Community”: people to people exchanges, human resource development and protection of cultural heritage.

Held in conjunction with the Senior Officials Meeting on Culture and the Arts (SOMCA), the ASEAN Festival of the Arts successfully showcased the best of the ten member nations, embarking on an “exchange of ideas between the artists.”

The Philippines was declared as the 1st ASEAN Culture Capital for 2010-2011. The ASEAN City of Culture is aimed at “strengthening the ASEAN identity and raise the profile of ASEAN in the region and internationally, to celebrate ASEAN arts and culture and promote the growth of the region’s creative industries, and to promote people to people engagement to cultivate long-lasting friendship among the people of ASEAN.”

http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/press-releases/press-release.php?i=52