At Cebu summit, ASEAN leaders tackling first charter change since 2007
MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian leaders could make the first amendment to ASEAN's charter since 2007 at a summit in Cebu this week chaired by the Philippines, alongside a regional maritime pact that will base a new ASEAN Maritime Centre in the country.
ASEAN Spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial spoke of the three key outcome documents the Philippines will push for consideration at the Cebu summit this week, during a press briefing Wednesday, May 6.
"Specifically, under the ASEAN APSC Pillar, we are working toward the endorsement of three important outcome documents for the consideration of the ASEAN Leaders," Imperial said.
The Cebu Protocol to Amend the Charter of the ASEAN will be the bloc's first charter revision in nearly two decades. Imperial said the amendment supports Timor-Leste's full integration into ASEAN, which formally became the bloc's 11th member in October 2025.
The second document, the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Maritime Cooperation, will make the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum a formal sectoral body of the bloc and back the setting up of an ASEAN Maritime Centre in the Philippines.
Leaders will also endorse a joint statement on the Middle East crisis, drawn from two special meetings of ASEAN foreign ministers that the Philippines called in March and April. Imperial said the statement lays the ground for stronger coordination in future emergencies.
The summit's three core priorities, Imperial said, are energy security, food security and the safety of ASEAN nationals. As chair, the Philippines is also pushing the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, Timor-Leste's continued integration, and the situation in Myanmar.
"At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and evolving regional challenges, the Philippines underscores the importance of bolstering the region's strategic autonomy guided by ASEAN Centrality, enhancing our coordination as a community of nations, and reaffirming our resolve to the long-standing principles of international law," Imperial said. — Cristina Chi
- Latest
- Trending
