JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ
OF THE THIRTEENTH ASEAN LAW MINISTERS MEETING
14 NOVEMBER 2025, MANILA, PHILIPPINES
1. The Thirteenth ASEAN Law Ministers’ Meeting (“ALAWMM”) was hosted and chaired by the Philippines on 14 November 2025, in Manila, the Philippines. The Honourable Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the President of the Republic of the Philippines delivered the Keynote Address for the Opening Ceremony of the 13th ALAWMM. The Meeting was opened by H.E. Fredderick A. Vida, Acting Secretary of Justice of the Philippines.
2. The Meeting expressed deepest condolences and sympathies for the loss of lives and devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi to the Governments and peoples of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of the Philippines, as well as Typhoon Fung-Wong to the Government and people of the Republic of the Philippines. The Ministers affirmed ASEAN’s solidarity with, and readiness to extend support and assistance to the Governments and peoples of the Philippines and Viet Nam in their ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
3. The Meeting noted with satisfaction the successful implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and its Blueprints and welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans at the 46th ASEAN Summit on 26 May 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Meeting reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with all relevant ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies in further strengthening ASEAN as a peaceful, united, stable, secure and rules-based community of nations, founded on the fundamental principles as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
4. The Meeting noted the admission of Timor-Leste as the 11th Member State of ASEAN by the 47th ASEAN Summit held on 26 October 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and welcomed Timor-Leste to the 13th ALAWMM and Related Meetings as a full Member State of ASEAN, and looked forward to working closely with Timor-Leste and its active participation and contribution to the realisation of the ASEAN Community-building agenda and the rules-based ASEAN.
5. The Meeting reviewed the work progress in the area of law and legal cooperation since the Twelfth ALAWMM, which was hosted and chaired by Myanmar, on 25 January 2024, via video conference. The Meeting commended the work of the ASEAN Senior Law Officials’ Meeting (“ASLOM”) and its Working Group on the ASEAN Extradition Treaty (“AET”), particularly, the completion of the negotiation of the ASEAN Treaty on Extradition. In this regard, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the AET on 14 November 2025, at the sidelines of the 13th ALAWMM, and looked forward to the early completion of internal legal procedures of all ASEAN Member States, necessary for its entry into force that will greatly support and facilitate ASEAN in advancing its efforts and capacities in combatting transnational crime, strengthening the rule of law and justice.
6. The Meeting was also pleased with the work in the area of exploring the harmonisation of trade laws, strengthening ASEAN’s capacity on crime prevention and criminal justice, and mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters, as well as the collaborative work with other ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies (“ASMB”) in the realisation of the ASEAN Community, and with the rules-based agenda.
7. The Meeting noted the adoption of the Joint Statement by ASEAN Law Ministers on International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Development at the ASEAN Law Forum 2025 by the ASEAN Law Ministers, on 21 August 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was an important milestone in the work on advancing international commercial arbitration and mediation in line with established international standards to support economic growth, consistent with the work undertaken by the ASLOM and ASLOM Working Group on Examining the Modalities for the Harmonisation of the Trade Laws of ASEAN Member States.
8. The Meeting further noted with satisfaction the ALAWMM’s continued dialogue and engagement with external parties to promote the rule of law and justice, as well as a rules-based ASEAN. In particular, the Meeting welcomed the successful projects and initiatives to implement the ASEAN-Japan Work Plan on Law and Justice (“Work Plan”), and tasked ASLOM to continue working closely with Japan to ensure the effective implementation of the Work Plan and report its progress to the ALAWMM.
9. The Meeting looked forward to the First ASEAN-Japan Law Ministers’ Meeting (“ALAWMM+Japan Meeting”), to be held on 15 November 2025, in Manila, the Philippines, marking an important elevation of cooperation and partnership between ASEAN and Japan in the field of law and justice to a higher level.
10. The Meeting commended the ASEAN Secretariat’s efforts in promoting the engagement with the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (“CACJ”), through the establishment of the standing interface between the CACJ and the ASEAN Secretariat, and the engagement between ASEAN Law Association (“ALA”) and the ASEAN Secretariat in supporting the work of ASLOM in the promotion of the rule of law and a rules-based ASEAN. In this regard, the Meeting looked forward to further updates on the collaborative work and the possible initiatives and collaboration with the ALAWMM and ASLOM, to be reported to the ALAWMM.
11. The Meeting endorsed the Report of the 23rd ASLOM held on 10-11 October 2024, in Singapore, and the Report of the 24th ASLOM held on 11-12 November 2025, in Manila, the Philippines, to be adopted intersessionally.
12. The Meeting thanked Thailand for offering to host the 25 th ASLOM in 2026, and Singapore for offering to host the 26 th ASLOM and 14 th ALAWMM in 2027.
