The Asia-Pacific Scout Region is one of the five regions of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

, with a World Scout Bureau Regional Support Center based in

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

, Philippines. The Asia-Pacific Region services

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

in the land area of Asia, from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, parts of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, and the bulk of the Pacific Basin, with the exception of the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...

, the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

and

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

, which are under the Interamerican Region by way of the

Aloha Council Scouting in Hawaii began in the 1900s. It serves thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Early history prior to statehood (1908-1960) The first troop in the islands, appropriately numbered Troop 1, was foun ...

of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. The Asia-Pacific Scout Region has witnessed the births and rebirths of national Scout organizations since the region was founded in 1969. Starting with ten founding members, it grew to 33 member countries as of 2024, encompassing 35 million Scout

Eight of the 15 largest Scout associations in the world are in the Region. For several years, communism and subsequent government repressed Scouting in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, where it has returned las
2020
as well as in

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

, which had been the first Soviet satellite state since 1924. On the other hand, the

World Scout Committee The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

accepted in 2009 the declaration of

Gerakan Pramuka Indonesia The Pramuka Movement of Indonesia (), officially the Praja Muda Karana Scouting Movement (), is the national scouting organization of Indonesia. Scouting was founded in the Dutch East Indies in 1912, and Indonesia became a member of the World ...

of having 17 million members for the census 2008. This has directly affected and changed the membership figure in the region, resulting in an increase of 9 million members, which now stands at a total of 24.7 million in 2009. Widely separated by uneven resources, cultures, ethnic groups and technological resources, Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region generally enjoys the respect of the public and by governments, a wide array of volunteers encompassing public and private sectors, and is powered by a small but committed group of professionals in the Scouting service. The current Regional Chairman is Dale Corvera, serving the terms 2022–2025 while the current Regional Director is Jose Rizal Pangilinan. Both are from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Hon. Corvera was elected by fellow Committee members to serve as chair following elections for the APR Regional Scout Committee held 16 Feb 2022. He replaced the outgoing Regional Chairman H. E. Ambassado
Ahmad Rusdi
of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. His tenure ends in 2025 and the Asia-Pacific Region Scout Committee will re-elect a new chair. This region is the counterpart of the Asia Pacific Region of the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...

(WAGGGS).

Members

The 33 National Scout Organizations of the Asia-Pacific Region are the following: The Asia-Pacific Region contains some countries with no National Scout Organization, each of which are due to political constraints within the countries. *

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

* Mainland China The Asia-Pacific Silver Jubilee Celebration was held at the regional gathering at the 28th World Scout Conference in Senegal. APRinbox is the monthly e-newsletter of World Scout Bureau/Asia Pacific Region circulated to Scouts and adult leaders in the global community of the Scout Movement, edited by the Asia Pacific Regional Office in Manila, Philippines. The Suncheon Asia-Pacific Scout Centre (SAPSC) offers programs in English based on the Scout method of "learning by doing" – a hands-on experiential learning process in the outdoors through young leaders from the National Scout Organizations. In 2023, it was decided to dissolve the Eurasian Region, on 30 September.

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

joined the Asia-Pacific Region on 1 October, while

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

joined the European Region.

Scout Committee and subcommittees

The APR Scout Committee shall consist of ten persons from member National Scout Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region who shall be elected by the conference by secret ballot for a term of six years. The chairman of the committee is the leader of the region, which is elected between the committee members. The current chairperson is Hon. Dale B. Corvera. One of its main functions is to act on behalf of the conference between its meetings and to appoint subcommittees or study committees as may be needed. For the 2022-2024 Triennial Plan, the six sub-committees are the following: Youth Engagement, Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Social Impact, Communications and External Relations, and Educational Methods, Last from 2015 to 2018, the sub-committees were: Programme, Adult Support, Management, Financial Resources, Scouting Profile and Foundation Management. All the members are nominated from the member NSOs, with the youth representatives, Regional Youth Representatives, who are elected from the Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Forum.

Current Asia-Pacific Region Scout Committee members

Previous Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee members

Regional Conference and Summit

10th Asia Pacific Scout Conference Tehran 1976 stamp

The APR Scout Conference are held every three years as to gather all the NSOs to deal with the major regional problem. It is the toppest governing body of the region. 22 APR Scout Conference was held in Japan in 2007. The 23rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Conference held from 27 October to 1 November 2009, in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

had 440 participants from Asia-Pacific, Africa, Arab, Interamerica, Europe, Eurasia and other organizations. The APR Scout Committee and Sub-committees members are also elected by the conference. The next conference will be held in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 202

Between Conferences there are APR Scout Leaders' Summit. The last Summit was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2024.

Regional Youth Forum

Fifty-seven participants from 17 countries attended the 2004 Asia-Pacific Region Youth Forum in

Brunei Darussalam Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

in December 2004. Six Youth advisors were elected and attended the Regional Committee meetings. The Youth Advisers are Edward Cook, Chairman (New Zealand), Eko Andrianto of

, Netsai Khaimarn of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, In Sun Ryu of Korea, Maiya Twayanabasu of Nepal, and Aaron Wardle (Australia). They advised on helping to organize and manage the next youth forum. 107 participants from 24 countries attended the 6th Asia-Pacific Region Youth Forum in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

in October 2009. Seven Young Adult Member Group members were elected and they are assigned to the Regional Committee or Sub-committee. The Young Adult Member Group members are Maeedh Mohamed Zahir of

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

as the new chairman, Lam Kwok Hei Dicky of

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Ari Wijanarko Adipratomo of

, Seo Ji Eun of Korea, Mohd Hafiz Bin Ariffin of

, Oliver Lim Zi Kai of

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and Krittee Tantivisitkul of

. They advised on helping to organise and manage the next youth forum in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

in 2012. During the 2022 APR Online Regional Youth Forum, the following scouts were elected to serve as APR Regional Youth Representative

Award for Outstanding Scouts

The project calls for the selection of Outstanding Scouts in the Asia-Pacific Region from among candidates nominated by member NSOs in the region, and the award is to be made at the Asia-Pacific Regional Conferences which are held every three years. This contest started eight years ago at the regional conference in Delhi in 2001, and has become a regular feature of every regional conference. The main purpose of the contest is to enhance the image and visibility of Scouting as an educational movement, and to emphasize its effectiveness in the development of young people at home, in school, and in communities. 5 finalists are invited to attend the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference to be interviewed by a board of judges from among appropriate persons (usually committee members from the Programme Sub-Committee and the Scouting Profile Sub-Committee).

Regional Rover Moot

For older Scouts (traditionally called Rovers or Rover Scouts), the Region has sponsored region-wide Rover Moots. It has not been held already in the Region. Past Moots include: * 1st Asia-Pacific (7th Australian) Rover Moot – Yabamac, Victoria – December 1977 – January 1978 * 2nd Asia-Pacific (8th Australian) Rover Moot – BP Park,

Samford, Queensland Samford is a town in the City of Moreton Bay, South East Queensland, South East Queensland, Australia. It consists of two localities, Samford Village, Queensland, Samford Village and Samford Valley, Queensland, Samford Valley. In , the town of Sa ...

– December 1980 – January 1981 * 3rd Asia-Pacific (4th China) Rover Moot –

Yangmingshan Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan, located in both Taipei and New Taipei City. The districts that are partially in the park include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinsh ...

Taipei City , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Countr ...

Republic of China (Taiwan) – 1982 * 4th Asia-Pacific (9th Australian) Rover Moot – Gowrie Park, Tasmania, Australia – December 1983 – January 1984 * 5th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot –

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand – 1984 * 6th Asia-Pacific (11th Australian) Rover Moot – Camp Cotter,

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

, Australia – December 1989 – January 1990 * 7th Asia-Pacific (12th Australian) Rover Moot – Woodman Point, Perth, Western Australia, Australia – December 1992 – January 1993 * 8th Asia-Pacific (13th Australian) Rover Moot – Cataract Scout Park, Sydney New South Wales, Australia – December 1995 – January 1996 * 9th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot – Bangladesh – 1997 * 10th Asia-Pacific (14th Australian) Rover Moot –

Yea, Victoria Yea ( ) is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia north-east of the state capital Melbourne at the junction of the Goulburn Valley Highway and the Melba Highway, in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area. In an area origina ...

, Australia – December 1998 – January 1999 * 11th Asia-Pacific (1st Mongolian) Rover Moot – Mongolia – 1999 * 12th Asia-Pacific (15th Australian) Rover Moot –

Landsborough, Queensland Landsborough is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Landsborough had a population of 4,446 people. Geography Landsborough is in the Sunshine C ...

, Australia – December 2001 – January 2002 * 13th Asia-Pacific (21st Australian) CBR Rover Moot –

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia – December 2019 – January 2020

References

External links

Scouting and Football in the South Pacific
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asia-Pacific Scout Region (World Organization of the Scout Movement) !Asia-Pacific Region Organizations based in Manila