Jakarta, March 4 (AseanAll) — The 5th ASEAN-United Kingdom Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting was held on March 4, 2026 at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. The Meeting took place against the backdrop of the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership, a milestone both sides are commemorating through a series of activities throughout 2026.
The Meeting took note of recent developments in both ASEAN and the UK, and welcomed the Philippines’ priorities for its 2026 ASEAN Chairship under the theme Navigating Our Future, Together. Participants also received updates on the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan V, the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and ongoing regional efforts in sustainable development.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the robust implementation of the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action (POA) 2022-2026 across the three ASEAN Community Pillars. As the current POA approaches its conclusion, officials reaffirmed their determination to fulfil all remaining action lines by the end of this year, recognising that the successful delivery of the current POA will lay a solid foundation for the development of its successor.
The Meeting welcomed the progress of the UK’s flagship cooperation programmes with ASEAN and agreed to explore collaboration in areas such as maritime security, cybersecurity, trade and investment, economic integration, green finance, sustainable development, supply chain resilience, financial services, digital transformation, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and financial technology.
Further, the Meeting agreed to enhance cooperation on climate change, renewable energy and energy transition, aging society, education and people-to-people contacts, health, women’s economic empowerment, science, technology and innovation, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), youth, cultural exchanges, connectivity, smart cities, and the IAI.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of advancing cooperation across the four priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). In this regard, the Meeting welcomed the UK’s proposal for a joint ASEAN-UK Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the AOIP as a meaningful expression of this shared commitment.
The Meeting was co-chaired by the Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to ASEAN, Dr. Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, and the UK Ambassador to ASEAN, Helen Fazey. It was attended by the Permanent Representatives to ASEAN or their representatives, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, and their respective delegations.
