Fact Sheet: Jakarta Joint Declaration of the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting for Peace, Prosperity and Security

The Seventeenth ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (hereinafter referred to as "ADMM") was convened on 15 November 2023 in Jakarta, the Republic of Indonesia.

RECOGNISING the complexity of traditional and non-traditional security threats and challenges, the social and cultural changes, the deceleration of global economy including the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, energy and food security, and advancement of information communication technologies (ICTs);

NOTING the geopolitical and geostrategic dynamic shift in the region and the impacts of major power rivalry that could threaten stability and peace in the Southeast Asia region and beyond, and possibly affect the security and prosperity of ASEAN;

UNDERSCORING the importance to adhere to the fundamental principles and purposes enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter, ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the 2011 Declaration of East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles), and to uphold international law as well as to maintain peace, prosperity and security in the region;

REAFFIRMING the importance of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) as a guideline for ASEAN engagement in the wider Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to enhance ASEAN Community-building process which envisages ASEAN Centrality as the underlying principle and to promote cooperation with ASEAN-led mechanisms as platforms for dialogue and implementation of the cooperation to better face challenges and seize opportunities arising from the current and future regional and global environments;

WELCOMING the decision made by the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits to admit in-principle Timor-Leste to be the 11th member of ASEAN, grant an observer status to Timor-Leste and allow its participation in all ASEAN Meetings; the adoption of the Roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership in ASEAN by the 42nd ASEAN Summit; as well as the full support from all ASEAN Member States and external partners towards Timor-Leste's preparations for ASEAN full membership;

SUPPORTING the full implementation of Five-Point Consensus in Myanmar and recalling Myanmar's commitment to finding a peaceful and durable solution to the current situation with ASEAN assistance;

REITERATING the commitment of all parties to cooperate in a constructive and peaceful manner for the South China Sea to become a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity through the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, and the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) consistent with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), within a mutually-agreed timeline. In addition, the parties are committed to promoting maritime security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight and creating a conducive environment for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea;

COMMENDING the progress and accomplishment of initiatives under the framework of ADMM as well as the accomplishment of the ADMM Three-Year Work Program 2020-2022 as part of ASEAN Member States' joint effort in realising the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint 2025;

ACKNOWLEDGING the progress and achievements of the seven areas of ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Groups (EWGs), namely on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Maritime Security, Military Medicine, Counter-Terrorism, Peacekeeping Operations, Humanitarian Mine Action and Cyber Security, as well as the endorsement of the new set of ADMM-Plus EWG Co-Chairs for the 2024-2027 cycle;

SUPPORTING the development of the military cooperation under the ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting and its related meetings to promote confidence building measures (CBMs) and capacity building among Defence Forces of ASEAN Member States;

COMMENDING the successful conduct of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise in May 2023 to further enhance defence forces of ASEAN Member States' practical engagement with Plus Countries while building capacity, mutual trust and confidence between ASEAN Member States' navies and the Indian Navy;

DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:

STRENGTHEN defence and security cooperation among ASEAN Member States and the Plus Countries in order to respond effectively towards regional security challenges while upholding the principles of ASEAN centrality and unity as well as consensus-based decision making for the maintenance of peace, prosperity and security;

DEEPEN defence cooperation in building regional resilience post-COVID-19 pandemic which has been reflected in the Joint Statement by the ASEAN Defence Ministers on Defence Cooperation against Disease Outbreaks and the Phnom Penh Vision on the Role of Defence Establishments in Support of COVID-19 Recovery and the Concept Paper on Enhancing Cooperation Amongst Defence Forces of ASEAN Member States In Cross-Border Pandemic Containment for a timely and effective response towards future pandemic by furthering practical cooperation with Plus Countries and exploring the possibility to cooperate with Non-Plus countries in the areas of HADR, military medicine, as well as energy and food security, among others;

SUPPORT cross-pillar and cross-sectoral coordination by exploring any possibility of developing linkages between existing cooperation under the three Pillars of ASEAN Community and enhancing synergy among various ASEAN-led mechanisms;

UNDERSCORE the significance of maintaining regional peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea; pursuing peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability;

EMPHASISE the need for an early conclusion of effective and substantive COC in accordance to international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS while underlining the full and effective implementation of the DOC in the South China Sea in its entirety, thus commending existing CBMs, such as Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, Guidelines for Air Military Encounters, Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure and other activities under the DOC framework to promote communication, mutual trust and confidence and to reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation in the air and at sea;

RECOGNISE ASEAN's ongoing efforts and the ASEAN Leaders' Review and Decision on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus as agreed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 11 November 2022 to facilitate the restoration of peace and stability and the peaceful transition to normalcy in Myanmar, and towards this end, reiterate the need to develop concrete, practical and measurable indicators in support of the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, while urging all parties concerned to cease all violence and exercise utmost restraint;

ADOPT the Concept Paper on the Implementation of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific from A Defence Perspective which serves as a guideline for ASEAN to implement the AOIP in the area of defence cooperation, such as on maritime cooperation and connectivity, through engagements within ADMM Plus and with external partners while upholding ASEAN centrality and unity as the anchor for global peace, prosperity and security;

ADOPT the Concept Paper on Harmonising ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus Initiatives, which sets out guiding principles to implement streamlining and enhance synergy amongst related initiatives for effective and economical utilisation of defence and military resources;

ADOPT the ADMM Work Programme 2023-2026 to outline the future direction of ADMM cooperation while building on the previous ADMM Three-Year Work Programme 2020-2022, and commit to the implementation of the Work Programme to further deepen defence cooperation as part of regional collaborative effort as well as to enhance mutual trust and build people-to-people contact by promoting the inclusion of youth and women in the peace and security process;

ADOPT the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Observer Status Granted to Timor-Leste in ADMM, ADMM-Plus and Its Related Meetings and to assist Timor-Leste in its preparations and processes to achieve full ASEAN membership;

APPROVE the revised Standard Operating Procedures of ASEAN Our Eyes in view of effectively facilitating strategic information exchange among ASEAN Member States on violent extremism, radicalisation and terrorism;

NOTE the Discussion Paper on the Use of Military Asset to Maintain Food Security in the Region which serves as a reference for future food resilience discussion;

NOTE the progress of the development of the "A Future-Ready ADMM and ADMM-Plus: A Strategy Paper" that will guide the ADMM and ADMM-Plus' defence engagements in support of the APSC Strategic Plan of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, with a view to be adopted in 2024;

WELCOME the new Co-Chairs of the ADMM-Plus EWGs for the 2024-2027 cycle and look forward to the adoption of their respective new work plans;

WELCOME the Joint Statement by the ADMM-Plus on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), which commits the ADMM-Plus to incorporate the WPS Agenda in the future work plans of the ADMM-Plus EWGs, as appropriate, while taking into account relevant best practices and applicable lessons learned by exchanging experience with international communities as a way to contribute to the global peace, prosperity, and security;

WELCOME the adoption of the ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting Guidelines for Maritime Interaction on 10 May 2023 in Manila, Philippines to operationalize the ADMM Guidelines for Maritime Interaction adopted at the 13th ADMM in 2019 in Thailand, which contributes to addressing common maritime security challenges and the implementation of international law and regional guidelines;

COMMEND the implementation of the Observership Programme for Canada, France and the United Kingdom (UK) at the ADMM-Plus EWGs activities as part of ASEAN efforts to maintain its inclusivity and further broader engagement beyond the region;

EXPRESS highest appreciation to the Kingdom of Cambodia for its Chairmanship in 2022 and to the Republic of Indonesia for the current Chairmanship in 2023;

WELCOME the Lao People's Democratic Republic as the next ASEAN Chair and its hosting of the 18th ADMM and the 11th ADMM-Plus in 2024;

DONE on this Fifteenth Day of November in the Year of Two Thousand and Twenty-Three, in a single original copy in the English language.

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