ASEAN-UK joint ministerial statement: enhancing connectivity for a prosperous and sustainable future

MemberDuring states of the AssociationForeign ofSecretary’s Southeastvisit Asianto NationsLaos, (ASEAN)ASEAN and the UK metannounced attheir shared determination to forge greater connections to boost growth in our economies, promote trade and investment partnerships, and tackle global challenges including the climate crisis. 

Home to around 680 million people, ASEAN Post-Ministerialis Conferenceset withto become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030. Its fast-growing, innovative and dynamic economies make it an engine room of global growth and an essential partner for the UK in Vientiane,delivering Laos,investment, jobs and boosting the green economy. 

The visit builds on 26our Julyjoint 2024. ReadASEAN-UK Plan of Action and complements the UK’s accession to the CPTPP trade deal, which includes four ASEAN member states.  

During the visit, the Foreign Secretary’sSecretary remarksmet ASEAN Foreign Ministers to celebrate progress of the Post-MinisterialASEAN-UK ConferenceDialogue Partnership and Plan of Action. In his remarks the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed. the UK’s commitment to building connections with ASEAN to grow our economies together and promote regional stability. He announced a new £25 million ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership: a five-year programme to improve capacity for the prevention, detection, and response to health threats across ASEAN, contributing to improved regional and global health security. 

The meetingForeign wasSecretary attendedalso byagreed the foreignfirst-ever ministersjoint ofstatement between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the SecretaryUK. This confirmed a suite of Statenew initiatives focussed on connecting our peoples and economies for mutual benefit, including: 

• upcoming ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund, worth up to £40 million over five years, to reduce emissions, generate green economic growth and improve the Foreign,lives Commonwealthand livelihoods of vulnerable people in Southeast Asia. Supporting Southeast Asia’s climate and Developmentclean Office,energy astransition wellwill also promote opportunities for collaboration between UK and ASEAN business as our green economies grow together 

• UK contribution to Asian Development Bank’s technical support package for the ASEAN SecretariatPower andGrid Timor-Leste– asa ankey cross-border initiative in support of ASEAN Observer.integration and the development of modern clean energy grids across ASEAN 

• Thenew jointASEAN-UK statementEconomic covers:Integration Programme, launched earlier this year, with a suite of initiatives designed to promote economic growth including through trade digitisation – in support of ASEAN plans for a Digital Economy Framework Agreement 

  • sustainable

    new infrastructureASEAN-UK Cybersecurity Capacity Building Programme and UK-Southeast Asia Women in Cyber Fellowships as a contribution to building cyber resilience and strengthening the role of women in cyber professions 

  • digital

    an innovation intensification of cooperation across higher education, arts and culture by launching a new Chevening ASEAN Scholarship programme. This builds on the existing ASEAN-UK scholarship programme for Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and on efforts to facilitate skills mobility in ASEAN and reduce gender gaps in key sectors through the ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’ Education (SAGE) programme. 

  • seamless

    ongoing logisticsdiscussions, led by the Department for Transport for the UK, to explore a potential ASEAN-UK Multilateral Air Services Agreement which could boost people-to-people links and open up commercial opportunities between two of the world’s major aviation markets 

  • regulatory

    continued excellencework of British International Investment (BII) which has already agreed initial deals as part of an ambition to invest up to £500 million in climate-friendly infrastructure in Southeast Asia 

  • people-to-people

    UK plans for a new Indo-Pacific Connectivity Programme to support the ASEAN connectivity agenda and mobilitypromote sustainable infrastructure development and resilience 

  Read more about the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Laos.