MANILA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The 40th Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting (AMM) closed here Monday with a communiqu released and several documents adopted.

    After chairing the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo highlighted the achievements of the meeting, saying that foreign ministers have tried their best to build a "caring and sharing community in the region".

    Romulo said that after discussion, ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to include in the ASEAN Charter a provision that mandates the creation of a human rights body.

    "This is a historic decision," he said.

    Besides, the foreign ministers adopted key documents. Among them are two documents that focus on promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of migrant workers, namely, "Joint Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Committee on the implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers," and "Guidelines for the Provision of Emergency Assistance by ASEAN Missions in Third Countries to Nationals of ASEAN member Countries in Crisis Situations".

    At the meeting, the foreign ministers also witnessed the adoption of a regional Plan of Action to strengthen the implementation of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), said Romulo.

    The 40th AMM opened here Monday morning and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo addressed the opening ceremony with a keynote speech.

    During her keynote speech, President Arroyo said that ASEAN relations have never been stronger and recalled ASEAN achievements in cooperation, solidarity, fighting poverty and winning collective security. She called on ASEAN to carry forward the landmark commitments made at the 12th ASEAN Summit to create "one caring and sharing" community by 2015.

    Before the one-day AMM, the ASEAN Senior Officials and Directors-General had held a series of preparatory meetings.

    The Philippines currently heads the ASEAN and is hosting this week the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC), and the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) following the 12th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu in January this year.

    Founded in 1967, the ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.