ASEAN Leaders Sign Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Shared Future
Main Takeaways
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President Prabowo Subianto and Southeast Asian heads of state have signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, reaffirming the bloc’s long-term commitment to unity and cooperation. The signing ceremony took place during the 46th ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
The declaration sets a collective vision for ASEAN’s role over the next two decades, as the region navigates intensifying global uncertainty. Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão attended the summit as an observer, as his country awaits full ASEAN membership.
“ASEAN must grow stronger and more united. The world is increasingly unpredictable, and we must enhance our cooperation,” Prabowo said after signing the declaration alongside other ASEAN leaders.
Renewed Commitment to Founding Principles
The declaration calls on ASEAN members to recommit to the bloc’s founding values of peace, freedom, and prosperity—ideals first pledged in 1967 by the organization’s founding nations.
“Today, we renew that solemn promise—not merely to honor the past, but as a living pact for the future,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who hosted the summit.
The document outlines ASEAN’s aspirations for 2045, including inclusive economic growth, sustainable development, and resilient regional integration. It also emphasizes the importance of maintaining cohesion in the face of shifting global power dynamics.
The declaration is as follows:
Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future
WE, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the occasion of the 46th ASEAN Summit, on 26 May 2025;
RECALLING the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together (Kuala Lumpur, 2015), the Ha Noi Declaration on the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (Ha Noi, 2020), the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on ASEAN Connectivity Post-2025 Agenda (Phnom Penh, 2022), the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the Development of the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (Labuan Bajo, 2023), and the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on the Development of the Strategic Plans to Implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 (Vientiane, 2024);
REAFFIRMING our commitment to the shared principles, purposes, values and norms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the United Nations Charter, other ASEAN instruments and international law;
UNDERSCORING the importance of enhancing ASEAN’s resilience and promoting collective, efficient, effective and innovative responses to regional and global challenges and future shocks, which would help secure the future of ASEAN and its peoples;
BEING COGNISANT of the opportunities brought about by the existing and future megatrends as well as their impact on the lives of the ASEAN peoples;
RESOLVING to realise a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred ASEAN by 2045 in which ASEAN Member States are united by regional solidarity and cooperation; ENVISIONING a developed ASEAN as the epicentre of growth in the Indo-Pacific region;
UNDERSCORING the importance of a shared ASEAN identity and the sense of belonging among the peoples of ASEAN and where inclusive, participatory and equitable access to economic opportunities is promoted and sustainability is achieved in all dimensions;
ACKNOWLEDGING the achievements and lessons learned from the implementation of the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together comprising the Blueprints of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, as well as the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plans III and IV, which have contributed to the development of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans;
REAFFIRMING our commitment to strengthening the ASEAN Community, its unity, and Centrality, as well as its proactive role as the primary driving force in shaping and leading the rules-based regional architecture; and EMPHASISING the importance of strengthening ASEAN’s institutional capacity and effectiveness in further advancing ASEAN Community-building;
DO HEREBY:
1. ADOPT the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 “Resilient, Innovative, Dynamic, and People-Centred ASEAN” along with the ASEAN Political-Security Community Strategic Plan, the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Strategic Plan, and the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan;
2. AGREE that this Declaration as well as the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans shall comprise the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
3. DECIDE that the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future succeeds the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together;
4. AGREE that the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan V (2026-2030) to be adopted at the 47th ASEAN Summit is an integral part of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
5. RESOLVE that ASEAN Member States shall implement, through ASEAN Organs and Bodies, the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future in a timely and effective manner, and ensure seamless coordination across pillars and sectors of the identified cross-pillar and cross-sectoral strategic measures;
6. ENCOURAGE other relevant stakeholders to support and contribute to the implementation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
7. AGREE to enhance ASEAN’s institutional capacity and effectiveness, and strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat, to advance the implementation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
8. TASK the ASEAN Ministers and respective ASEAN Organs and Bodies, supported by the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, to mobilise resources from ASEAN Member States and external sources to implement the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
9. FURTHER TASK the ASEAN Ministers and respective ASEAN Organs and Bodies, supported by the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, to undertake communication activities to facilitate the implementation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future;
10. TASK the Secretary-General of ASEAN to monitor and report on the progress of implementation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future to the ASEAN Summit annually, through the ASEAN Coordinating Council and respective ASEAN Community Councils;
11. AGREE on a mid-term review for the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, including the possibility of ASEAN Member States proposing updates and changes as necessary in the periods in between to ensure that it is adaptive and responsive to the current and evolving opportunities and challenges; and
12. DECIDE that the review of and updates to the Strategic Plans of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future shall be coordinated by the ASEAN Community Councils and the ASEAN Coordinating Council in accordance with agreed processes to ensure their relevance and responsiveness to regional and global developments.
DONE at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this Twenty Sixth Day of May in the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-Five in a single original copy in the English language.