Kuala Lumpur: ASEAN took a major step forward in shaping its long-term future today with the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, a landmark document that stood out as the highlight of the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings held here.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the forward-looking roadmap, signed by Southeast Asian leaders, outlines ASEAN's collective vision for the next two decades - one that aspires towards a more resilient, innovative, and people-centred community amid rising global uncertainties and geopolitical tensions.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, representing Malaysia as current ASEAN Chair, described the declaration as 'a defining chapter in ASEAN's journey,' calling for future cooperation to be rooted in sustainability, inclusion, and regional solidarity.
'Regional integration must be genuinely people-centred - that means closing development gaps, raising standards of living, and investing in the human spirit and potential of all our citizens,' he said in his address at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Anwar noted that while the world is increasingly shaped by technological advancement, economic fragmentation, and climate disruptions, these same forces demand collective governance.
'We must not only embrace innovation - we must learn to govern it together and with care,' he said.
Describing the 2045 vision as 'anchored in realism, animated by resolve, and made possible by trust,' the prime minister urged ASEAN leaders to move forward with 'clarity in our vision, steadiness in our purpose, and unity in our will.'
The declaration succeeds the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, which was introduced during Malaysia's previous ASEAN chairmanship in 2015 and has guided regional cooperation across the bloc's political-security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars.
Today's summit also featured ASEAN Leaders' Interface sessions with representatives from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN Youth, and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), reinforcing ASEAN's commitment to inclusive stakeholder engagement.
On the sidelines, Anwar held bilateral meetings with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, focusing on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, education, and regional stability.
The day's programme concluded with a Gala Dinner hosted by Anwar and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, showcasing Malaysian culinary and cultural offerings to ASEAN leaders and guests.
Held under the theme 'Inclusivity and Sustainability', this year's summit marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing ASEAN, following its leadership in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
In conjunction with the summit, two major engagements - the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit - will be held to further strengthen ASEAN's strategic inter-regional partnerships.