Heads of government and other global leaders are expected to attend the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Manila from Nov. 15 to 17.
But what is ASEAN? And what do we expect from it?
Founded on Aug. 8, 1967, ASEAN was established to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region while maintaining regional peace and political stability.
For the final summit of the Philippines’ year as ASEAN chair, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be joined by the heads of government of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste, while Myanmar will be represented by the Director-General of the ASEAN Affairs Department of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Beyond the region, the bloc also works closely with dialogue partners or the “countries and organizations that engage ASEAN through regular dialogue and practical cooperation across political and security affairs, economic integration, and socio-cultural development.”
To date, ASEAN has established dialogue partnerships with Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Related Summits or the Plus One Summits will take place from Nov. 16 to 17, with the leaders of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, the United Nations and the US serving as co-chairs.
On Nov. 17, Marcos will also preside over the 29th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit, the premier leaders-level forum for dialogue and cooperation on strategic, political and economic issues of common concern and interest in the region.
The three day-meeting will culminate with the ASEAN-US Special Summit on the same day to be attended by US President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in the country at 5.30 p.m. or just 30 minutes before the ASEAN Summit formally closes.
“As the Philippines brings together ASEAN Leaders and Dialogue Partners from across the region and the wider international community, the country looks forward to engagements that will reinforce the value of dialogue, deepen partnerships, and strengthen collective responses to shared challenges,” the DFA said in a Nov. 11 statement.
Among the relevant issues to take center stage at the 2026 ASEAN Summit are the energy impacts from the Middle East crisis, ongoing consultations for a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea amid regional tensions, and the signing of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, aiming to double the region’s digital economy to $2 trillion by 2030.
Asked during a Nov. 13 press briefing on “specific measurable results” that ordinary Filipino people can expect from the summit, Department of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson for ASEAN Affairs Dominic Xavier Imperial noted possible discussions and measures on food security, transnational crime and online scams, and the welfare of migrant workers.