43RD ASEAN SUMMIT
The 43rd ASEAN Summit
The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) is a regional organization of the ten member states in Southeast Asia that was initially established in 1967 by five states: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. The ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of almost US$ 700 billion. The aims of the organization are to accelerate economic growth, promote regional security, encourage collaboration, provide assistance, and maintain mutually beneficial cooperation between its member states, among others. Beginning in 1976, ASEAN has held summit meetings to discuss relevant issues of its respective years.
After 2007, the ASEAN summit has been a biannual meeting that represents the “highest policy-making body” in ASEAN. It just so happens that the most recent one that ran from September 4-7 was chaired by Indonesia. ASEAN would also hold conferences with Dialogue Partners, which includes countries that the ASEAN member states often trade and have significant economic relations with, such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Within these summits, the meetings produce Declarations, which can be thought of as statements agreed by the member states regarding strategic decisions, plans of action, frameworks, and others, that serve as a way forward. These declarations are often summarized in the ASEAN Summit’s main deliverable: the Chairman’s Statement.
In a given ASEAN Summit, there are usually multiple expansive declarations that are discussed. However, because the scope of ASEAN summit meetings can be overwhelmingly big - highlighting human rights issues, trade developments, political security, and many more - we wanted to focus specifically on matters of economic development, specifically how ASEAN chooses to focus on sustainable growth and development for the near future. The theme for this year’s ASEAN summit was “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”.
ASEAN has one of the strongest and fastest developing regional economies in the entire world. Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that ASEAN boasts an average growth rate of 4-5% in the past decade, it will only continue to grow consistently as the countries within the region develop. Over the past years, and especially in this year’s ASEAN summits, there has been a strong push for economic development and sustainable growth. This is evident from the declarations that were put forth by the ASEAN leaders in the most recent ASEAN summit.
There are eight declarations that we wanted to highlight that relates to sustainable economic development:
ASEAN as an Epicentrum of Growth: the commitment to make ASEAN the center of growth by addressing global challenges, tapping into their growth potential, and being ready for future shocks. The goal is to create a forward-thinking ASEAN agenda.
Blue Economy Framework: ASEAN is working together on the blue economy, which involves sustainable use of oceans and freshwater resources. The aim is to make the oceans a key driver of our future economic growth.
Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in response to Crises: ASEAN is determined to act swiftly on food security and nutrition during crises and build long-term resilience within their food systems. ASEAN is also working on joint statements with Australia, Canada, and India to strengthen these efforts.
Disability Inclusive Development and Partnership for a Resilient ASEAN Community: ASEAN recognizes the importance of including persons with disabilities in their society to boost regional growth. ASEAN is cooperating regionally to make sure they can contribute effectively.
Development of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement: ASEAN is committed to creating a favorable environment for a strong digital economy and boosting digital integration, aiming for an ASEAN Digital Economic Community by 2045.
Early Childhood Care and Education: ASEAN emphasizes providing quality early childhood education for all ASEAN children, as it lays the foundation for their future success and contributes to gender equality and women's empowerment.
Gender Equality and Family Development: ASEAN is working on family-centered policies, reducing women's unpaid care work, and promoting gender equality to support families and inclusive sustainable growth.
Sustainable Resilience: ASEAN is enhancing collaboration to strengthen climate and disaster resilience. This includes aligning their institutions, using science and technology, and building local capacity to face emerging risks.
Resources:
https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ALD-Epicentrum-of-Growth-merged.pdf
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