ASEAN

The side event, "From Voices to Action: Indigenous Leadership in Achieving Affordable and Clean Energy," was one of the side events of the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Given the diversity and complexity of the Global South, leadership cannot be monopolised; it must be collective. The roles of China and India must be complemented by those of other countries in the fold.

ASEAN pulled off a deft diplomatic performance at its final summit for 2025, combining seemingly conflicting initiatives – such as hosting Trump and getting to know Brazil's Lula and South Africa's Ramaphosa – under its wide, welcoming tent. Timor-Leste is finally a full ASEAN member. 

“We should use this declaration as it is, a commitment by 11 member states of ASEAN including Timor-Leste after its official admission in October 2025. This declaration is our regional standard. As a next step, we have to do a gap analysis to make sure what we say on paper will become a reality.”

The paper asks if ASEAN should reconsider a more flexible understanding of non-violence by empowering it’s existing institutions, and through adhering to the principles of democracy and inclusion of community interests.

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, should have assumed a leadership role in the region. However, under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership, its policies and agreements with the United States and China lack of direction, impacting the ASEAN as a whole. 

Southeast Asia’s deepening ties with BRICS signal a move to diversify partnerships and amplify their voice in global governance. With Indonesia joining it and Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam showing interest, leaders see BRICS as a platform for multilateralism, South-South cooperation, and economic reform – rather than a turn against the West.

After years of deliberation, ASEAN is set to adopt the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment (ADER) at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025. Marking the region’s first dedicated framework on environmental rights within ASEAN’s human rights system, ADER is the result of over two years of collaboration between AICHR and ASOEN and with inputs from region-wide CSOs.

ASEAN is navigating turbulent waters. As US-China tensions escalate and Trump's return brings a new wave of tariffs, Southeast Asia’s hard-won gains are under threat. Once a quiet beneficiary of trade diversion, ASEAN now faces shrinking space for neutrality. ASEAN needs to hunker down and address its chronic weaknesses – as well as look beyond the big powers.

The Philippine midterm elections may serve as a tie-breaker between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties. The 12 elected senators will determine Sara Duterte’s fate – whether it ends her political career or signals a Duterte comeback. 

This article explores the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and its partnership with China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which may open the region to more opportunities in commerce, tourism, and environmentally sustainable travel options.

Since its establishment in 2009 as part of the ASEAN Regionalism Framework, the AICHR has played a crucial role in advancing human rights in the region. Despite facing criticism, it has withstood significant challenges in the region, including silence of the ASEAN member states on pressing issues such as the Philippines’ “war on drugs” in 2017 and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar and the overall human rights ecosystem in the region.

Since 2005, the ACSC/APF remains a valuable platform for civil society organizations in Southeast Asia fostering regional advocacy and solidarity. Over the years, it has attracted diverse organisations such as the members of the LGBTQI+. As the 2024 forum was recently held in Timor-Leste in September, this article looks back, reflects on the particular issues and concerns observed through the years and how these could be addressed to provide safe spaces for CSOs, particularly to countries with restrictive regimes.

This web-dossier serves as a platform to share a wide range of knowledge from Southeast Asia experts. 

Now in its 20th year, the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF, the largest gathering of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Southeast Asia, has held a vital role as a platform for CSOs in voicing various concerns.

The ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue offers opportunities for Member States to be more transparent and frank in their discussions of human rights – as the key avenue for making stronger progress through normalizing talk of human rights and addressing issues.  

With the changing geopolitical landscape, the Indo-Pacific Region is already beset with ongoing territorial disputes, security concerns, and democratic challenges. Southeast Asia, or ASEAN, is positioned at the heart of the Indo-Pacific.This article focuses on the role of state leadership and the non-state actors in forging a balanced and inclusive regional order as well as a more equitable and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

Indigenous Peoples face huge challenges in participating in official decision-making processes. This piece explores how the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights has provided few opportunities for Indigenous Peoples to fully and meaningfully engage with the first-ever regional instrument that brings together human rights and the environment in Southeast Asia.

The  Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) was revived in 2018 in part to provide its members with an alternative source of funding to enhance connectivity in mainland Southeast Asia. Within an area congested with multilateral frameworks, overlapping agendas and an abundance of funding, ACMECS faces formidable challenges ahead to stay relevant. 

As the world grapples with the pressing and existential threat of climate change, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to take more immediate action. While the agriculture sector has discussed the outcomes of COP27 in Bangkok held in December 2022, ASEAN as a body has remained conspicuously silent on its views on the outcomes of the COP27 (e.g., the Loss and Damage financial facility), its implications for Southeast Asia, and what the region should prioritize for COP28.