Peace, prosperity, people: The priorities of the Philippine chairship of Asean

2026 will be a banner year for Philippine diplomacy as we take the helm of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

As Chair of ASEAN, we will be welcoming heads of state and government, Cabinet ministers, senior officials and hundreds of delegates from fellow ASEAN member-states and our dialogue partners. We will be hosting more than 600 meetings in various cities and provinces around the country throughout the year.

The Chairship will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the best of the Philippines – our incomparable destinations, our world-famous hospitality, our renowned expertise in organizing international conferences – and will boost our local economy by increasing visitor arrivals.

Beyond these immediate economic benefits, our Chairship provides us the opportunity to steer the ASEAN agenda and focus on the three issues which are crucial to our country.

Peace. Prosperity. People.

These three P’s are the heart of ASEAN and encapsulate the focus of our Chairship.

Peace is the foundation that undergirds our pursuit of sustainable and inclusive development. Broadly shared prosperity creates an environment which enables our people to achieve their full potential. A prosperous and productive people are key ingredients to maintaining peace.

However, in our globalized and increasingly polarized world, peace and prosperity come at a premium. Our strategic landscape is currently beset by uncertainties that our region must address collectively. Current geopolitical issues, the seemingly unfettered rise of dual-use technologies, including artificial intelligence, and threats to the rules-based international order make navigating our regional and global terrains more precarious.

Guided by the theme “Navigating our Future, Together,” the Philippine Chairship of ASEAN hopes to steer our collective ship safely through these turbulent waters, well aware that our strength lies in our region’s diversity, our collective effort and our unity of purpose. From a group of five countries which signed the Bangkok Declaration in 1967, ASEAN today is a community of 11 countries and over 684 million people with a total gross domestic product of almost $4 trillion.

By 2030, ASEAN is set to become the fourth largest economy in the world. This means more job opportunities for Filipinos, both in the Philippines as foreign direct investment grows, and overseas, as we see closer economic integration within ASEAN.

Our Chairship will continue the work of building a peaceful, secure and future-ready Community, investing in its people, empowering its communities and ensuring that progress is sustainable and inclusive. We will champion innovation and resilience and collectively explore ways for the whole region to harness the promise of new technology.

Peace and security are essential to achieving and sustaining this broadly-shared prosperity for our peoples. This is why our Chairship is anchored on these four strategic political-security priorities: to reinforce peace and security through norms-building and dialogue; to foster regional stability and resilience amidst emerging threats; to promote maritime cooperation and to deepen cooperation on climate security and disaster preparedness.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia this year, ASEAN will renew its commitment to shaping an international order founded on the rule of law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the renunciation of the threat or use of force and the promotion of the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Philippine Chairship will work to deepen cooperation among the 58 High Contracting Parties to the Treaty across the globe to promote these principles of peaceful coexistence that have been the bedrock of peace and security for the last five decades.

Almost six decades since its founding, ASEAN remains central to the regional security architecture. Our work throughout this year will seek to build on the significant gains of the past and to reinforce our efforts to maintain a rules-based, outward-looking, dynamic and future-ready Community so that our people may enjoy lasting peace and prosperity.

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Ma. Theresa Lazaro is the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines.