ASEAN Leaders Reaffirm Commitment To ASEAN 2045 Vision For A Resilient, People-Centred And Rules-Based Regional Order

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- ASEAN leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to the ‘ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future’ vision, underscoring its strategic importance as a blueprint towards realising a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred ASEAN Community.

According to a joint communique issued on Friday following the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) here on Wednesday (July 9), the ministers looked forward to the full and effective implementation of the vision, which serves as a cornerstone in advancing ASEAN Community-building efforts.

“We further reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining ASEAN-centred, open, inclusive, transparent and rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law, and to strengthening mutually beneficial engagement and cooperation with external partners on the four priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through ASEAN-led mechanisms,” the statement read.

It also noted the anticipation for the outcomes of the End-of-Term Reviews of the APSC Blueprint 2025, AEC Blueprint 2025, ASCC Blueprint 2025, and the MPAC 2025, with the aim of integrating the lessons learned into the future direction of the ASEAN Community.

In maintaining peace and regional stability, the bloc reaffirmed their shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with international law such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

It also reiterated the importance of strengthening ASEAN’s institutional capacity and coordination among its various bodies, recalling both the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement and the accompanying recommendations on strengthening ASEAN’s capacity and institutional effectiveness.

"In this regard, we encouraged greater coordination among relevant ASEAN Organs and Sectoral Bodies to ensure the effective implementation of strategic measures on institutional strengthening in the APSC Strategic Plan of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045," it added.

It also recognised efforts by the ASEAN Organs and Sectoral Bodies and welcomed initiatives that support sustainability and long-term regional progress and welcomed their ongoing work to develop and align their respective Work Plans to support the realisation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future.

In addition, the bloc welcomed the development of the Complementarities Initiative 2.0, which builds on the 2017 Complementarities Initiative, with a renewed focus on addressing emerging sustainability challenges in line with the ‘ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future’.

"We reaffirmed the importance of enhancing synergies between the ‘ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future’ and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN 2030 Agenda).

"We further emphasised the need for stronger and more coordinated collaboration to accelerate progress toward the ‘ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future’ and the UN 2030 Agenda, including through the work of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) and to fully and effectively implement the Pact for the Future and its annexes, the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations,” it said.

-- BERNAMA