ASEAN Summit in Cebu Focuses on Energy, Food Security and Myanmar Crisis

Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Cebu, Philippines, for the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings from May 6 to May 8, 2026, as the deepening economic toll of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran topped the agenda. The Philippines is chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for 2026. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Had directed that ASEAN events be scaled down during the year, including the summit in Cebu. Marcos identified three priorities for the summit: ensuring regional energy security and resilience, stabilizing food security, and upholding the safety of ASEAN nationals. In a press conference on May 8, 2026, he appealed to the United States, Israel, and Iran to end hostilities.

“We will achieve absolutely nothing until there is peace,” Marcos said. The ASEAN chair’s statement released on May 9, 2026, called for respect for sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity with regard to Ukraine. It urged compliance with the UN Charter and international law.

The statement echoed a joint statement by ASEAN foreign ministers that expressed the same position on obligations to resolve differences peacefully and protect civilians. ASEAN reaffirmed its longstanding support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights to self-determination and to their homeland.

Leaders urged all parties concerned to work towards a peaceful resolution adhering to the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine and to previous UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions related to Israel’s war on Gaza.

The bloc reaffirmed the obligation of all States to resolve differences through peaceful means, respect sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with international law and the UN Charter, and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in armed conflicts.

arranged a trilateral meeting with the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand months after the signing of a ceasefire deal in December 2025.

The ASEAN chair’s statement urged Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their border dispute through peaceful means in accordance with international law and existing treaties and agreements. Five years after ASEAN adopted the Five-Point Consensus, peace remains elusive in Myanmar.

Marcos stated that many ASEAN members aired frustration about the lack of progress in normalizing the situation in Myanmar.

“Myanmar is part of the ASEAN family, and it is a tragedy when a family member is left out of the family for whatever reason,” he said during the May 8 press conference. Leaders agreed on the need for a shared oil reserve and an interconnected power grid but that details have yet to be threshed out, Marcos stated.

He emphasized that a legally binding ASEAN-China Code of Conduct in the South China Sea must first be established before boosting economic cooperation with China.

“That is one of our aspirations as chair of ASEAN for 2026,” Marcos said. ” In his closing speech on May 8, 2026, Marcos thanked ASEAN leaders for their presence and partnership. ” Separately, Greenpeace activists faced illegal assembly charges for an ASEAN protest and posted bail, Rappler reported.

Rappler reported that the summit took place in the central Philippine province of Cebu. Marcos delivered his closing speech on Friday, May 8.