A Myanmar People's Forum is underway here in preparation for hosting the ASEAN People's Forum as Myanmar is to serve as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2014.

The three-day forum, which began on Saturday and attended by more than 150 civil societies, aims to ensure mutual understanding and cooperation among Myanmar civil societies, to share information and experiences and to overcome challenges for the development of the country.

The forum discussed the topics such as equality and human rights, development, peace and democratic reform.

The forum also aims to raise the awareness of people-related issues and seek ways and means to implement suggestions and procedures laid down at last year's ASEAN People's Forum.

The annual ASEAN People's Forum is aimed mainly to promote the role of civil societies in the establishment of ASEAN Community and listen to their voices for the emergence of a people-centered ASEAN.

The resolutions that come out from the ASEAN People's Forum are to be submitted to the ASEAN summit.

During Myanmar's one-year term of the ASEAN chairmanship, more than 240 regional meetings will be held in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan.

ASEAN adopted its Vision-2020 in 1997 and is striving to establish ASEAN Community in 2015. ASEAN is playing a leading role not only for regional integration but also for East Asia Summit, ASEAN+3 Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting.