New Delhi: ASEAN leaders Tuesday announced that the 2026 ASEAN summit chairmanship will be held by the Philippines instead of Myanmar, as a further blow to efforts of the ruling military leadership in Myanmar to gain international recognition after having seized power from a democratically-elected government in February 2021.
The ASEAN leaders during the ongoing 43rd ASEAN Summit being held in Jakarta, Indonesia, reviewed the implementation of the five-point consensus (5PC) that aimed to bring normalcy back to the country.
Leaders of ASEAN had in April 2021 agreed to a 5PC to address the situation in Myanmar.
During the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, a decision was made to suspend the political representation from Myanmar’s military government, thereby suspending their right to attend the ASEAN Summit and the meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers.
The ASEAN leaders have upheld that decision during the ongoing summit.
In their review of the 5PC, the leaders said that they “continue to uphold the decision of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit regarding Myanmar’s non-political representation at the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.”
The ASEAN leadership further agreed to maintain the 5PC as the “main reference” to address the political crisis in Myanmar and called for its implementation “in its entirety”. It urged the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) “in particular”, along with all other parties, to de-escalate violence and to stop all targeted attacks on civilians and public facilities.
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‘Gravely concerned’ by lack of implementation of 5PC
The ASEAN leaders had on 24 April, 2021, agreed to a five-point consensus (5PC) to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the situation in Myanmar. The 5PC called for the immediate cessation of violence and called for all parties to maintain restraint.
It also emphasised the need for a constructive dialogue between all parties concerned to “seek” a peaceful solution to the situation. Further, it deputed a special envoy of the ASEAN chair to facilitate mediation, with assistance from the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
The bloc also promised to provide humanitarian assistance through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).
Lastly, it was agreed that the special envoy and a delegation would visit Myanmar to meet with all the parties involved.
“…we were gravely concerned by the lack of substantial progress on the implementation (of the 5PC) by the Authority in Myanmar, despite their commitment to the 5PC in April 2021,” the ASEAN leaders noted in their review of the situation in Myanmar.
The ousted President of Myanmar, Win Myint, is still recognised as the Head of State of Myanmar on the ASEAN website.
Philippines ready to chair ASEAN 2026
Earlier Tuesday, in an intervention during the plenary session at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr of the Philippines said Manila “is ready to take the helm and chair ASEAN in 2026,” according to a statement issued by the presidential palace.
“We will fortify the foundations of our community-building and navigate ASEAN as it embarks on its new chapter,” President Marcos added.
He also highlighted that the Philippines would work with its “partners to strengthen ASEAN centrality, and to promote peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region”.
The chairmanship of ASEAN rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of the member states.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)