As Alexis de Tocqueville, a notable historian noted, civil society organizations (CS0) create “habits of the heart” necessary to be full participants in democratic governance. CSO functions asadvocates on important issues, watchdogs on human rights, and homes to individuals sharing a common faith, ethnicity, or interest. This is why CSO engagement is deemed as important in creating a "people-oriented ASEAN as a part of Global Community." CSO engagement with ASEAN has been proposed since the birth of ASEAN charter (2007) and promulgated in the recentDraft Guidelines on Civil Society engagement with ASEAN. However, CSO is yet to receive any recognition from ASEAN leaders.
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