Holding the mandate as Chair of ASEAN for the fifth time, Indonesia, at each ASEAN Summit, continues to encourage and strive to resolve several crucial issues in the region during Indonesia's Chair of ASEAN 2023.
With the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," many important issues will be discussed at the ASEAN Summit during Indonesia's chairmanship. This is one of the efforts to strengthen the foundation of the vision of ASEAN 2045 and strengthen ASEAN institutions, both in making decisions more effectively and efficiently and in matters of organizational substance.
On May 10-11, 2023, the 42nd ASEAN Summit was successfully held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, resulting in various priority issues agreements. Some of the priority issues discussed at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo were related to human trafficking due to misuse of technology and cross-border payment connectivity in the region, including discussions on the issue of violent conflict and humanitarian assistance for Myanmar.
Important Issues at the 43rd ASEAN Summit
Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN will continue until December 31, 2023. That means Indonesia will still host several important meetings. One of them is that shortly, Indonesia will hold the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is scheduled to lead 12 meetings at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). Many important issues will be discussed in this follow-up meeting of state leaders in the ASEAN region.
Continuing discussions on strengthening organizational institutions to respond to challenges for the next 20 years are among them. The issue of strengthening ASEAN institutions is an Indonesian initiative that started in 2022 with the ratification of the High-Level Task Force Recommendations on the Post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision (HLTF-ACV) for Strengthening ASEAN Institutional Capacity and Effectiveness.
The issue concerns enhancing the human resources of the ASEAN community, dialogues on human rights, and maritime cooperation between countries in the region. The 43rd ASEAN Summit will also discuss other important issues, such as the Code of Conduct regarding the South China Sea, the ASEAN Maritime Outlook, and the ASEAN Outlook in Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
Equally important is discussion of issues related to regional recovery and rebuilding strategies, as well as continuing ASEAN's momentum as a center of growth through inclusive and sustainable digital economic integration. In addition, the 43rd ASEAN Summit will also discuss follow-up issues from the 42nd Summit in Labuan Bajo last May. One of them is the issue related to the violent conflict occurring in Myanmar.
Leaders or delegates from 26 countries plan to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. In addition to ASEAN member countries, other delegates from Australia, India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United States, Canada, and representatives of the United Nations (UN) are scheduled to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023.