ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Statement on Strengthening Regional Resilience

1. We, Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and New Zealand, met on 22 July 2026, in Manila, under Philippines' 2026 ASEAN Chairship for ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with New Zealand.
2. At this time of heightened global and regional instability, we reaffirmed the importance of building on the strong and enduring partnerships that are central to our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
3. We reiterated our enduring commitment to multilateralism and international law and underscored the importance of ASEAN Centrality, ASEAN-led regional architecture, shared principles, values and norms as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), including mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations; non-interference, peaceful settlement of disputes, renunciation of the threat or use of force, and effective cooperation in addressing common regional and global challenges.
4. We further reaffirmed our shared commitment to strengthening ASEAN Centrality by deepening cooperation and promoting dialogue through ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), as part of our collective efforts in upholding lasting peace, stability, security, and prosperity in the region.
5. We emphasised the importance of upholding international law and ensuring that regional cooperation remains anchored in dialogue, trust, and respect for sovereignty, thereby contributing to a stable, predictable, and cooperative regional environment for the benefit of our peoples.
6. We acknowledged the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the Response to the Middle East Crisis as a key reference for ASEAN's collective response, and stressed the importance of further engagement as a Comprehensive Strategic Partner to advance shared objectives.
7. We expressed our deep concern over any discriminatory or unilateral measures that may impede or obstruct vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, or any straits used for international navigation, which are inconsistent with international law, as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
8. We recognised the escalating effects of rising geopolitical tensions and growing uncertainty in the geo-economic landscape on global and regional economic activities, including energy markets, supply chains, and food security. These developments have significant and tangible impacts on our people and across our region.
9. We underscored the impact of the current crisis in the Middle East on our regions and called for the restoration of the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz and for parties to resolve their differences through peaceful means.
10. We underscored the vital importance of maintaining secure and open sea lanes, ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight, and the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in straits used for international navigation, in accordance with international law, as reflected in the 1982 UNCLOS, thereby preserving the unimpeded flow of energy and essential goods, including food, agricultural inputs, pharmaceutical products, and transport fuels as well as ensuring the safety of seafarers and ships in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
11. We reaffirmed that critical infrastructure such as land routes, air and seaports must remain open to support stable, secure, sustainable, and resilient global supply chains and maritime trade routes, particularly for essential goods and services.
12. We restated our shared belief that collective action and strengthened cooperation are essential to promote peace, stability, and security, advance sustainable economic development, protect the Planet, and enhance the prosperity and well-being of our peoples, and further reaffirmed our commitment to undertaking the following priority areas of cooperation, including under the ASEAN-New Zealand Plan of Action 2026-2030 to strengthen regional resilience and advance our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;
    
    1. We underscore our firm commitment to cooperating through ASEAN-led mechanisms, as well as through the United Nations and in other relevant international and regional fora to support multilateralism and regionalism with ASEAN at its core, and to act in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter, and the 1982 UNCLOS;
    2. We reaffirm our commitment to supporting ASEAN Community-building efforts and regional integration through the implementation of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future and its Strategic Plans. We remain committed to supporting the implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan V, which is an integral part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and reaffirm its continued relevance in advancing ASEAN's regional integration. We further reaffirm our commitment to promoting equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development across the ASEAN Community, including through advancing sub-regional cooperation;
    3. We will undertake substantive, practical and tangible cooperation, in line with the objectives and principles of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), through concrete projects in its four priority areas of maritime cooperation, connectivity, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and economic and other areas of cooperation; and
    4. Noting the impact of the crisis on energy security, food security, and fiscal stability, and building on our extensive and existing cooperation, we will:
       
       1. Reaffirm our support for the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), multilateral and multidirectional cross-border power trading through the ASEAN Power Grid, and a clean, low-carbon, and renewable energy transition including through technical assistance, capacity building, and sector-specific training;
       2. Advance our cooperation on climate-smart agriculture capability to cultivate sustainable, resilient, and productive agri-food systems and supply chains;
       3. Foster dialogues and practical activities, consistent with international law, on matters to promote safe, secure, and accessible sea lanes, energy security, including renewable energy and supply chain resilience, sustainable fisheries, blue economy, marine environment, among others; and
       4. Utilise the newly launched ASEAN-New Zealand Vision Fund to support regional cooperation and sustainable development initiatives including activities that build a permanent legacy of regional sustainable resilience.
13. In adopting this Joint Statement, we recognised that the ASEAN-New Zealand relationship, as reflected in the ASEAN-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, is more vital than ever in contributing to peace, stability, prosperity, resilience, and sustainable development in the region and beyond.
14. We acknowledged the evolving and dynamic state of the global geostrategic environment, including increasing pressures on international law, norms, and institutions, and affirmed that our enduring partnership will enhance our collective resilience and cooperation in addressing common challenges and embracing shared opportunities for shared prosperity.

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