Published on 15th April 2020.

SPECIAL UPDATE 1: SPECIAL ASEAN SUMMIT ON CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)
Key Outcomes
The Special ASEAN Summit via video conference was held on 14 April 2020 under the chairmanship of H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam, in his capacity as ASEAN chair.
The leaders of ASEAN have agreed to collaborate on the following:
- To further strengthen public health cooperation measures to contain the pandemic and protect the people, including through:
- timely and transparent exchange of information on real-time situation and pandemic response measures taken by Member States,
- sharing of experience and best practices in epidemiological research and development, clinical treatment, joint research and development of vaccines and antiviral medicines,
- enhancing the capacity of the public health systems of ASEAN Member States, and
- protecting and ensuring the safety of public health workers.
- ASEAN commends the efforts to enhance practical cooperation among ASEAN defence establishments to organise information and best practice sharing activities, and with our external partners, bilaterally or multilaterally.
This includes: the holding of a tabletop exercise on public health emergencies response by the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM); and the Network of ASEAN Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defence Experts in promoting scientific cooperation and enhancing professional linkages, as agreed by the ASEAN Defence Ministers in their Joint Statement on Defence Cooperation against Disease Outbreak of 19 February 2020.
- The intensification of cooperation for adequate provision of medicines, essential medical supplies and equipment, including, but not limited to diagnostic tools, personal protective equipment etc. and encourage the development of regional reserves of medical supplies as well as utilising relevant ASEAN reserve warehouses to support the needs of ASEAN Member States in public health emergencies.
- To strengthen the implementation of the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and consider formulating an ASEAN standard operating procedure (SOP) for public health emergencies.
- To bolster national and regional epidemic preparedness and response, including through:
- the possible setting up of a network of experts on public health emergencies for future need,
- strengthening the capacity of existing ASEAN’s emergencies response network for future public health emergencies, namely:
- the ASEAN Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Network,
- the ASEAN Risk Assessment and Risk Communication Centre,
- the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Center (ABVC), and
- the ASEAN Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).
- The prioritisation of the well-being of people in ASEAN’s collective fight against COVID-19, and the provision of appropriate assistance and support to the nationals of ASEAN Member States affected by the pandemic in each other’s country or in third countries by:
- Encouraging the effective operationalisation of the ASEAN Guidelines on the Provision of Emergency Assistance by ASEAN Mission in Third Countries to Nationals of ASEAN Member Countries in Crisis Situations.
- Encouraging the effective operationalisation of the ASEAN Guidelines on the Provision of Emergency Assistance by ASEAN Mission in Third Countries to Nationals of ASEAN Member Countries in Crisis Situations.
- The enhancement of effective and transparent public communication involving multiple forms of media including:
- timely updates of relevant government policies,
- public health and safety information,
- clarifications on misinformation, and
- efforts to reduce stigmatisation and discrimination.
- ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to take collective action and coordinate policies in mitigating the economic and social impact from the pandemic, safeguarding the people’s well-being and maintaining socio-economic stability.
- Ministers and officials will be tasked with implementing the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Joint Statement on Strengthening ASEAN’s Economic Resilience in Response to the Outbreak of COVID-19 of 10 March 2020, including:
- keeping ASEAN’s markets open for trade and investment, and enhance cooperation among ASEAN Member States and also with ASEAN’s external partners with a view to ensuring food security, such as the utilisation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), and strengthening the resiliency and sustainability of regional supply chains, especially for food, commodities, medicines, medical and essential supplies
- the implementation of appropriate measures to boost confidence and improve stability of the regional economy, including through policy stimulus, assist people and businesses suffering from the impact of COVID-19, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and vulnerable groups
- cooperation in ensuring a social safety net for the people, prevention of social disruption and instability as a consequence of negative impact of the pandemic, and continued efforts to design and implement risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection systems to reduce the vulnerabilities of at-risk populations and improve their overall resilience
- encourage the development of a post-pandemic recovery plan to share lessons learned, restore ASEAN’s connectivity, tourism, normal business and social activities, and prevent potential economic downturns.
- Ministers and officials will be tasked with implementing the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Joint Statement on Strengthening ASEAN’s Economic Resilience in Response to the Outbreak of COVID-19 of 10 March 2020, including:
- ASEAN stresses the importance of a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, and comprehensive approach by ASEAN to effectively respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.
- ASEAN commends the active role of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) and the good work of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) and other relevant sectoral bodies of ASEAN. The ACCWG-PHE is tasked with assisting the ACC serving as the main platform that coordinates ASEAN’s overall response to public health emergencies situations.
- The ASEAN Economic Ministers and Senior Economic Officials are tasked with exploring an arrangement to preserve supply chain connectivity, particularly amongst ASEAN Member States, that:
- provides for trade to continue for the smooth flow of essential goods, including medical, food and essential supplies;
- ensures critical infrastructure for trade and trading routes via air, land and sea ports remain open; and
- refrains from imposing unnecessary restrictions on the flow of medical, food and essential supplies, in accordance with the rights and obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) covered agreements, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and principles of international law.
- ASEAN supports the reallocation of existing available funds and encourages technical and financial support from ASEAN’s partners to facilitate cooperation against COVID-19, including the proposed establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.
SPECIAL UPDATE 2: SPECIAL ASEAN SUMMIT+3 ON CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)
Key Outcomes
The Special ASEAN+3 Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via video conference was held on 14 April 2020 under the chairmanship of H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam, in his capacity as the ASEAN chair.
The ASEAN+3 cooperation framework include the ten members of ASEAN as well as China, Japan and South Korea
The leaders of ASEAN+3 have agreed to collaborate on the following:
- To strengthen the early warning system in the region for pandemics and other epidemic diseases as well as regular, timely, and transparent exchange of real-time information on the situation on the ground and measures taken by each country in combating COVID-19; sharing of experience and best practices, extending mutual technical support in the prevention, containment and control of transmission as well as clinical treatment of infected cases.
- The enhancement of national and regional capacities to prepare for and respond to pandemics by adhering to the objectives of efficacy, safety and accessibility, including:
- the protection of healthcare workers and other frontline personnel,
- the provision of adequate medicines and medical supplies, especially diagnostic tools, personal protective equipment, medical equipment.
- The possible setting up an ASEAN+3 reserve of essential medical supplies that enables rapid response to emergency needs through initiatives such as tapping on existing regional emergency reserve facilities including:
- the warehouses managed by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
- further consideration on the utilisation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
- The provision of support to ongoing regional collective efforts by the ASEAN+3 health cooperation sector and by ASEAN by leveraging on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and through existing mechanisms, including, among others:
- the ASEAN Emergency Operations Center Network for public health emergencies (ASEAN EOC Network), and;
- the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Centre.
- The strengthening of scientific cooperation in epidemiological research, including through the ASEAN+3 Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN), coordination, including with the private sector, towards rapid, research, development, manufacturing and distribution of diagnostics anti-viral medicines and vaccines, adhering to the objectives of efficiency, safety, equity accessibility and affordability as well as actively share and leverage on digital technologies and innovation to promote a science-based response to combat COVID-19.
- The promotion of mutual support and assistance between ASEAN and the Plus Three countries in the development of human resources and capacity for the public health sector.
- Ensure adequate financing to contain the pandemic and protect the people through initiatives including the proposed establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund for public health emergencies which would be reallocated from existing ASEAN+1 and ASEAN+3 cooperation funds, with possible additional support from ASEAN’s external partners.
- The enhancement of cooperation to provide appropriate support and assistance to nationals of the ASEAN+3 countries, especially the most vulnerable, who stay, work, and study in each other’s countries, working towards the dignity, health, well-being, safety and fair and effective treatment of those affected by COVID-19 as well as facilitating the movement of people as appropriate.
- The intensification of efforts to promote effective public communication, involving multiple forms of media, including:
- timely updates of relevant government policies,
- public health and safety information,
- clarifications on misinformation and fake news, and
- efforts to reduce stigmatisation and discrimination.
- ASEAN+3 is committed to keeping markets open for trade and investment, and enhance cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three countries with a view to ensuring food security, and strengthening the resiliency and sustainability of regional supply chains, especially for essential goods such as food, commodities, medicines and medical supplies through smooth and continued operation of the logistics networks, while ensuring that measures deemed necessary for public health emergency response are targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary and that they do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to regional supply chains, and are consistent with WTO rules.
- ASEAN+3 is committed to strengthening joint efforts toward:
- post-pandemic recovery,
- stimulate economic development and financial resilience,
- restore growth, connectivity and tourism,
- maintain market stability, and
- prevent potential risks of economic recession.
- The implementation of appropriate and necessary measures to boost market confidence to improve stability and resilience of the regional economy in a preemptive and concerted manner, including through economic stimulus, and to assist people and businesses suffering from the impact of COVID-19, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and vulnerable groups.
- Leverage technologies and digital trade to allow businesses, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to maintain operations.
Summarised by Aznita Ahmad Pharmy, Research Fellow, CIMB ASEAN Research Institute