ASEAN Summit adopts 11 declarations as leaders pledge commitment to upholding regionalism

As the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations headed towards the grand finale of the 43rd edition of the summit, the heads of the states gathered in Jakarta and adopted 11 declarations in the summit. The theme of this year’s summit was “ASEAN Matters: Epicenterum of Growth” and the grand event was chaired by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. In the declaration,  the leaders reaffirmed the need to strengthen the ASEAN Community and boost the unity and centrality of the body. 

During the 43rd edition of the summit, Asian-Pacific nation Timor-Leste assumed full membership of the body. “We noted the First Progress Report 2023: Implementation of the Roadmap for Timor-Leste's Full Membership in ASEAN and looked forward to the full and effective fulfilment of all the Roadmap criteria by Timor-Leste,” the group stated in the 34-page-long document. “We encouraged ASEAN Member States and external partners to fully support Timor-Leste to fulfil the criteria in the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN, through the provision of capacity-building assistance and other necessary and relevant support, such as the Internship Program across Ministries/Agencies of the Republic of Indonesia for 40 Timor-Leste civil servants from May to September this year,” the statement further read. 

The highlight of the summit was the Jakarta declaration, released immediately after the delegation-level talks among the member nations. “Recalling the Declarations of ASEAN Concord, I and II, and Bali Concord III, while expressing satisfaction with the overall progress achieved so far, and recognising the necessity of greater collective hard work to ensure the continued success of ASEAN Community building efforts,” the Jakarta declaration stated. “Reaffirming our commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the group added. 

What are the 11 declarations? 

In the declaration, the body pledged to further strengthen its ties and emerge as a prominent economic body in the global arena. The other 10 declarations are as follows: 

1. The body reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the ASEAN group making it a “robust and agile” body. 
2. Reaffirming the commitment to strengthen the unity and centrality within the group and its partner nations. 
3. The leaders reiterated the importance of maintaining an ASEAN-centred, open, inclusive, transparent, resilient regional architecture that upholds international law and rules. 
4. The group reaffirmed its strong commitment to upholding regionalism and multilateralism and emphasised the importance of adhering to key principles, shared values, and norms enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter, the ASEAN Charter, the Declaration on Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality. 
5. To intensify our work towards a people-oriented, people-centred, and ASEAN-rules-based Community. 
6. The group emphasised their dedicated efforts to sustain the momentum of ASEAN Community-building, ensuring the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. 
7. The body noted with satisfaction the progress in implementing the recommendations of Mid-Term Reviews (MTRs) of the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025 and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025. 
8. Reiterated the necessity for ASEAN to be adaptive, responsive forward-looking, and able to anticipate opportunities and address emerging challenges and future shocks. 
9. The body agreed that the Philippines will assume the chairmanship of the ASEAN summit in 2026. 
10. The group also agreed to change the name of ASEAN’s premises in Jakarta to ASEAN Headquarters.

The Jakarta Declaration 

The highlight of the 43rd edition of the ASEAN Summit was the Jakarta Declaration. In the declaration, the group reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring “unity and centrality” with the regional body. Under the Jakarta declaration, the body pledged to fulfil the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 as well as work towards ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

In the Jakarta Summit, ASEAN pledged to boost ties with the Indo-Pacific region, heading more eastwards. “Underscoring ASEAN’s determination to continue to lead the shaping of the economic and security architecture and ensure that geopolitical and geostrategic shifts will continue to bring about, and not disrupt, peace, security, stability and prosperity for the peoples in Southeast Asia as well as the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement read.