Fact Sheet: Joint Declaration of the ASEAN Defence Ministers on Partnering for Change, Engaging the World

WE, the Defence Ministers of 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, the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister's Office of Brunei Darussalam, gathered here in Manila, Philippines on 23 October 2017 for the Eleventh ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (hereinafter referred to as "ADMM");

ADHERING with full commitment to the purpose and principles of the ASEAN Charter that are to serve the interests of the peoples of the ASEAN Member States and to ensure they live in peace with one another and the world at large in line with the ASEAN motto "One Vision, One Identity and One Community";

RECALLING the formal establishment of the ASEAN Community 2015 on 31 December 2015 and the adoption of the "ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together," which states that the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) shall be "responsive and relevant in addressing challenges to regional peace and security as well as play a central role in shaping the evolving regional architecture, while deepening our engagement with external parties and contributing collectively to global peace, security and stability";

BEARING IN MIND the action lines of the APSC Blueprint 2025, namely to "strengthen the ADMM to engage in strategic dialogue on defence and security issues as well as practical cooperation, while enhancing ASEAN centrality in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus process";

EXPRESSING concern over security challenges, which include both traditional and non-traditional security issues, while recognizing the role of defence establishments in addressing such challenges;

REAFFIRMING the ASEAN's role and its centrality as a key driving force in the evolving regional security architecture;

UNDERSCORING the principles enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) "to cooperate in all fields for the promotion of regional resilience, based on principles of self-confidence, self-reliance, mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity which will constitute the foundation for a strong and viable community of nations in Southeast Asia";

RECOGNIZING the establishment of the ADMM in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and the ADMM-Plus in Hanoi in 2010 as milestones in the history of the APSC building process;

REAFFIRMING the ADMM's role as the highest ministerial defence and security consultative and cooperative mechanism among ASEAN defence establishments;

EMPHASISING the commitment of all parties to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea, and reiterating the importance of expeditiously working towards an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC);

RECOGNISING the contributions of the defence sector in addressing natural and man-made disasters and recalling the inputs of the ADMM on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) regarding the Use of ASEAN Military Assets and Capacities in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in support of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) and the Standard Operating Procedures for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations (SASOP);

ENDEAVOUR towards the full operationalisation of the ASEAN Militaries Ready Group on HADR (AMRG on HADR) which aims to prepare an ASEAN team for quick deployment to areas of crises in a coordinated manner, and express support to the implementation of One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region to achieve faster response, mobilise greater resources and establish stronger coordination with relevant regional and international agencies and centers to strengthen HADR efforts that include civilian and military coordination, to ensure ASEAN's collective response to disasters.

EMPHASISING the importance of logistics cooperation and enhancing operational effectiveness for multinational efforts on HADR, peacekeeping operations, and anti-piracy through the ADMM Logistics Support Framework (ALSF);

RECOGNISING the potential of the initiative on ASEAN Defence Establishments and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Cooperation on  Non-Traditional Security in engaging CSOs to address security issues while promoting a people-centered and people-oriented ASEAN;

NOTING the outcomes of the 4th ASEAN Peacekeeping Centres Network (APCN) Meeting that was held in the Philippines in October 2016, particularly the recommendation to craft a framework on the future direction of the APCN;

UNDERSCORING the value of promoting people-to-people interactions among defence establishments through the ASEAN Defence Interaction Program (ADIP);

RECOGNISING the importance of the conduct of the ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC) Program in promoting intra-ASEAN trade on defence products and services as well as exploring potential opportunities for ASEAN defence industries;

COMMENDING the inauguration of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM) in April 2016 in Thailand to establish practical, effective, and sustainable cooperation among military medical services of ASEAN Member States and Plus countries, both in normal and crisis situations;

ACKNOWLEDGING existing conventions, such as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and other related frameworks, while noting the need for regional protocols to promote safety of navigation and overflight;

RECALLING the commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the ADMM in Vientiane, Lao PDR and recognising the need to enhance synergy among related ADMM initiatives;

RECOGNISNG various mechanisms that address similar and related security issues while noting the limited financial and human resources of ASEAN Member States;

EMPHASISING the value of education and training exchanges among defence and military establishments to enhance the individual and collective capacity of ASEAN Member States in addressing security challenges;

REAFFIRMING the role of the ADMM-Plus as the main platform of engagement between ASEAN defence establishments and their counterparts from the Plus countries; 

COMMENDING the progress of practical cooperation through the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Groups (EWGs) on Counter-Terrorism, HADR, Maritime Security, Military Medicine, Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), and Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), and recognising the need to conduct an assessment of each EWG's work;

WELCOMING the opportunity for ADMM-Plus members to cooperate on enhancing cyber security capability through the newly established 
ADMM-Plus EWG on Cyber Security; 

ACKNOWLEDGING the outcomes of the 14th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) and recalling the role of the ACDFIM in taking stock of all military interactions among ASEAN Member States for reporting to the ADMM;

NOTING the outcome of the 10th Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI) meeting and acknowledging the role of NADI in providing recommendations for the ADMM with regard to addressing security challenges; 

CONDEMNING in the strongest terms the attacks carried out by violent extremists across the world, particularly in Southeast Asia including the attack by the Maute Group in Marawi City, Philippines, which led to casualties, destruction of properties, and displacement of people, among others; 

REAFFIRMING commitment to work together on countering all forms of terrorism and violent extremism while bearing in mind other ASEAN-related mechanisms that tackle the same matter; 

WELCOMING the outcomes of the 11th ADMM held on 23 October 2017 in Manila, Philippines under the theme "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World"; 

DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:
    
1.    Adopt the Three-Year Work Programme of ADMM to outline the direction of ADMM cooperation for 2017-2019 while building on the previous Work Programmes of the ADMM, particularly the Three-Year Work Programme of the ADMM for 2014-2017;

2.    Reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea as well as the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation, and pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

3.    Emphasise the importance of self-restraint in the conduct of all activities as well as the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety and welcome the conclusion and adoption of the framework of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

4.    Welcome the adoption and support the implementation of SASOP's Chapter VI on the Facilitation and Utilisation of Military Assets and Capacities with an end goal of contributing to the implementation of the "ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region";

5.    Endorse the ADMM-Plus SOP on Multinational Coordination Center (MNCC SOP) for submission to the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) as inputs to SASOP's Chapter VI;

6.    Work towards the full operationalisation of the AMRG based on the provisions of the TOR that was adopted by the ADMM in 2016;

7.    Promote the implementation of the ALSF as a baseline for logistics cooperation among ASEAN defence establishments;

8.    Explore new initiatives under the ambit of the ASEAN Defence Establishments and CSOs Cooperation on Non-Traditional Security;

9.    Welcome the chairmanship of Indonesia over the 5th APCN in 2017 and encourage the discussion of coming up with a common reference for the planning, training and conduct of PKO;

10.    Commend the conduct of the 2nd ADIP in Malaysia in 2017 which aims to strengthen cooperation among the young officers in the defence and military establishments;

11.    Underscore the need to sustain defence industry collaboration through the regular convening of the ADIC Consultative Group Meeting and conducting of ADIC-related activities;

12.    Welcome the operationalisation of the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure (ADI) in the ADMM Process to provide a permanent, rapid, reliable, and confidential means by which ASEAN Defence Ministers could communicate;

13.    Promote the operationalisation of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM) based on the TOR that was adopted by the ADMM in 2016;

14.    Adopt the Concept Paper on Guidelines for Maritime Interaction to help prevent untoward incidents that might occur in and over the South China Sea due to miscalculation;

15.    Establish an ad hoc working group to develop guidelines on air encounters between military aircraft;

16.    Adopt the Concept Paper on ADMM and ADMM-Plus Initiatives to take stock of ADMM and ADMM-Plus cooperation since their inception and streamline processes, rationalise meetings, and create synergy among related initiatives;

17.    Encourage close coordination with related ASEAN sectoral bodies that likewise address security issues, such as HADR, maritime security, military medicine, counter-terrorism, PKO, HMA, and cyber security to avoid duplication of efforts;

18.    Adopt the Principles for ADMM-wide Education and Training Exchanges to facilitate training among ASEAN defence establishments and armed forces, and outline the status of forces present in one ASEAN Member State for the purpose of such training;

19.    Welcome the annualisation of the ADMM-Plus as a key milestone for dialogue and cooperation between the ADMM and its Plus partners in addressing common security challenges for the collective benefit of the region while reaffirming ASEAN Centrality and ASEAN's role as the driving force in the evolving regional security architecture, and conduct post-implementation review in 2020;

20.    Adopt the Guidelines regarding the Conduct of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Informal Engagements with Plus Countries when the ADMM deems it necessary to have such engagements;

21.    Commend the conduct of ADMM-Plus exercises, namely the Combined HMA and PKO Field Training Exercise in March 2016 in India; the Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise in May 2016 in Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, the ADMM-Plus Military Medicine-HADR Joint Exercise (AM-HEx) in September 2016 in Thailand, and the Mahi Tangaroa FTX in November 2016 in New Zealand;

22.    Adopt the Concept Paper on Streamlining ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Groups (EWGs), which contains parameters on reviewing and assessing ADMM-Plus EWGs, and provides options as well as timelines on the future status of EWGs;

23.    Welcome the new set of co-chairmanships of the ADMM-Plus EWGs and the adoption of their new action plans for 2017-2020;

24.    Adopt the 2nd Additional Protocol to the Concept Papers on the Establishment of ADMM and ADMM-Plus to further improve the ADMM and ADMM-Plus process and serve as a guide in approving initiatives;

25.    Promote ASEAN military cooperation and strengthen linkages between ADMM and ACDFIM;

26.    Adopt the Concept Paper on Enhancing Linkages between ADMM and NADI to optimise the provision of inputs to the ADMM by Track II mechanisms, specifically NADI;

27.    Express full support for the Philippines' efforts to address the security and humanitarian situation in Marawi City and acknowledge the need for enhanced regional cooperation through intelligence and information sharing, increasing surveillance, and promoting awareness among the public about the threat of radicalism;

28.    Work together to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in accordance with the ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism and the ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counter-Terrorism as well as identify ways to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation among ASEAN defence establishments and through the ADMM-Plus EWG on 
Counter-Terrorism, while promoting synergy with related ASEAN-related sectoral bodies;

29.    Express grave concerns over the escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula including the testing and launching by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) on    in addition to its previous nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. 

30.    Strongly urge the DPRK to immediately comply with its obligations arising from all the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.  

31.    Underscore the need to maintain peace and stability in the region, express support towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner, call for the exercise of self-restraint and the resumption of dialogue in order to de-escalate tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

32.    Pursue exploring areas of practical cooperation on traditional security concerns as initially provided in the ADMM's Joint Declaration issued in 2014 in Myanmar;

33.    Welcome Singapore's ASEAN Chairmanship and its hosting of the 12th ADMM and the 5th ADMM-Plus in 2018. 

DONE in Manila, Philippines the Twenty Third Day of October in the Year Two Thousand and Seventeen, in a single original copy in the English language.

For Brunei Darussalam:

PEHIN DATU SINGAMANTERI COLONEL (RTD) DATO SERI SETIA (DR) HAJI MOHAMMAD YASMIN HAJI UMAR
Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister's Office

For the Kingdom of Cambodia:

SAMDECH PICHEY SENA TEA BANH
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense

For the Republic of Indonesia:

GENERAL (Ret.) RYAMIZARD RYACUDU
Minister of Defence

For the Lao People's Democratic Republic:

LIEUTENANT GENERAL CHANSAMONE CHANYALATH
Minister of National Defence

For Malaysia:

DATO' SERI HISHAMMUDDIN TUN HUSSEIN
Minister of Defence

For the Republic of the Union of Myanmar:

LIEUTENANT GENERAL SEIN WIN 
Union Minister for Defence

For the Republic of the Philippines:

DELFIN N. LORENZANA
Secretary of National Defense

For the Republic of Singapore:

DR. NG ENG HEN
Minister for Defence

For the Kingdom of Thailand:

GENERAL PRAWIT WONGSUWON
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence

For the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam:

GENERAL NGO XUAN LICH
Minister of National Defence

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