The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) is a non-governmental "track two" organization established in June 1993 to provide a structured process for regional confidence building and security cooperation among countries and territories in the Asia Pacific region.  CSCAP links regional security-oriented institutes and, through them, broad-based member committees comprised of academicians, security specialists, and former and current foreign ministry and defense officials.  Government (including uniformed military) participants take part in their private capacities, and not as official spokespersons for their governments' views. 

CSCAP is comprised of member committees from Australia, Canada, China, the European Community, Indonesia, Japan, South and North Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States.  An Indian institute has joined as an associate member, and the directors of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and the UN Department of Political Affairs' East Asia and the Pacific Division enjoy Affiliate/Observer status.  Taiwan security specialists participate in working sessions in their private capacities.

CSCAP's International Steering Committee is co-chaired by former Korean foreign minister Han Sung-joo (CSCAP-ROK) and Tan Shri Dr. Noordin Sopiee (CSCAP-Malaysia).  The U.S. member committee (USCSCAP) is administered by the Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu, Hawaii, a non-profit, non-governmental research institute affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.  James A. Kelly, Pacific Forum President, serves as Chairman of USCSCAP.

CSCAP, while predating the governmental, ministerial-level ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), is now focusing its efforts on providing direct support to the ARF while also pursuing other track two diplomacy efforts.  Several CSCAP issue-oriented international working groups (IWGs) are already focusing on specific topics outlined in the 1995 ARF final communique.  These include IWGs on confidence and security building measures (CSBMs), comprehensive and cooperative security,  maritime security cooperation, and transnational crime, plus a North Pacific Working Group which focuses on the establishment of frameworks for Northeast Asia security cooperation. 

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUPS

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