Australian Mission to ASEAN

Australian Mission to ASEAN extends warm wishes to all celebrating Eid al-Adha across ASEAN, Australia and around the world.

Eid Mubarak. May this occasion bring peace, reflection and togetherness to communities everywhere.

2026 marks a milestone for the ASEAN-Australia relationship, as we celebrate five years of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP)!

Australia’s Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Tiffany McDonald, joined ASEAN counterparts in Jakarta this week for a series of engagements and celebrations.

Secretary-General of ASEAN H.E. Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Indonesia’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN, Ambassador Derry Aman and Australia’s Ambassador to ASEAN Tiffany McDonald opened a special panel exhibition at the ASEAN Secretariat, which highlights how our CSP has deepened practical cooperation and advanced shared regional priorities over the past five years.

Our CSP’s progress wouldn’t be possible without the people and friendships that underpin it, so we gathered to say thank you to our colleagues with a traditional Australian sausage sizzle BBQ, celebrating the progress we’ve made and the future of our partnership.

Australia and ASEAN then convened the 16th ASEAN-Australia Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) – our annual Ambassadors’-level meeting - co-chaired by Indonesia’s Ambassador Aman, and Ambassador McDonald, reflecting Indonesia’s role as Australia’s ASEAN Country Coordinator.

The meeting reaffirmed the strong momentum of our partnership in shaping rules, reinforcing relationships and building resilience in our shared region. We reflected on cooperation across shared priorities including energy and food security, resilient trade and investment, and conflict prevention.

Australia also announced a further AUD7 million contribution to the Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative Trust Fund, reinforcing Australia’s commitment to deeper, future-focused and ASEAN-led cooperation that delivers practical benefits.

As ASEAN and Australia mark five years of the CSP in 2026, we remain committed to advancing a peaceful, stable and prosperous region with ASEAN at its centre.

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🇹🇱 Timor-Leste is 🇦🇺 Australia's close friend, partner and neighbour.

Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN last year represented a major step towards a more inclusive, integrated and resilient ASEAN - and comes at a critical time for strengthening collective action against .

Australia, through the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking program, is hosting an expert panel to explore Timor-Leste's transition from accession to action, with a focus on its readiness to implement the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP).

Join us to discuss how Timor-Leste’s national legal frameworks, inter-agency coordination mechanisms, and victim protection measures can be operationalised to meet ACTIP obligations – while sharing good practices and lessons learned from Timor-Leste and ASEAN’s experience.

🤝 Through a practitioner lens, the discussion will also identify concrete entry points for collaboration and information-sharing across ASEAN.

👉 Register now: bit.ly/aact-webinar25

Climate change poses a serious threat to our region, including infrastructure🌏

Through the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS), Australia is supporting Urban Planning training for city leaders and officials across ASEAN, including in Indonesia.

The initiative brings together city, provincial, and national stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, explore opportunities to enhance city liveability, and support smarter, more connected urban development outcomes.

By investing in technical assistance and capacity building, Australia🇦🇺 continues to support ASEAN’s sustainable urban future, helping cities develop practical solutions to improve daily life.

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Strengthening ASEAN’s economic resilience amid global disruption is vital for shared growth, stability, and prosperity.

The Australian Mission to ASEAN and ERIA: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia co-hosted a workshop on “Geoeconomic Strategy in Uncertain Times” to exchange views on navigating global challenges and increasing our region’s resilience.

The workshop included experts, including Adelaide University Prof. Peter Draper, experts from ERIA and CSIS Indonesia - Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Thank you to representatives from across ASEAN for sharing valuable insights on working together to strengthen economic resilience.

Australia remains committed to supporting Southeast Asia’s growth and prosperity.

Climate change is an existential threat to our region and we are working with our ASEAN partners to mitigate its impacts.

As climate change impacts intensify, more people are being forced to migrate with limited preparation or protection, increasing the risk of .

Australia, through the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking ( ) program, is working with ASEAN and partners to support forward looking, evidence-based policy responses to address this issue.

ASEAN-ACT hosted a roundtable discussion with the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), International Labour Organization and UN partners to explore how policies and practices can better anticipate and address the links between climate change, displacement, migration, and trafficking.

🌱 By investing early in the right policies and multi-sectoral approaches – spanning migration, livelihoods, climate adaptation, and disaster preparedness – we can help ensure climate change does not further increase trafficking risks for those already most at risk in our shared region.

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The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area ( ) is opening more opportunities for inclusive trade.

A productive discussion with representatives from the Secretariat at a workshop on “Promoting and Advancing Equitable and Inclusive E-Commerce in AANZFTA Implementation”

Organised by the The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility with the support from Australia and New Zealand, the discussion explored ways to advance GEDSI inclusion in AANZFTA implementation, underscoring the importance of inclusive digital trade in ASEAN.

Practical cooperation is at the heart of the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Australian Mission to ASEAN, led by Deputy Ambassador Lara Franzen, joined ASEAN colleagues for the Joint Cooperation Committee Working Group, co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia. The Working Group sets up the foundations for a constructive discussion with ASEAN Ambassadors next week as we take forward a Partnership for the Future.

The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on progress and discuss implementation of shared priorities under the ASEAN-Australia Plan of Action 2025–2029, ensuring our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership delivers for our people.

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ASEAN and Australia are partners for the future.

Australia’s Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Tiffany McDonald, joined DFAT Deputy Secretary for South and Southeast Asia Group, Michelle Chan, and ASEAN Senior Officials in Sydney for a series of engagements reinforcing ASEAN-Australia’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, now in its 5th year, which advances shared efforts to maintain a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

At the 38th ASEAN-Australia Forum, we reaffirmed our commitment to advancing practical cooperation in support of our shared objectives to maintain free and open trade, including energy security and resilient supply chains. We reaffirmed ASEAN centrality and the crucial role of ASEAN-led regional architecture in shaping rules, building relationships - reinforcing peace and resilience in our shared region.

Together, we also discussed progress under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, AANZFTA and RCEP, as we focus on deepening trade and investment ties, strengthening regional connectivity, and supporting ASEAN’s economic priorities. Australia’s Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, Nicholas Moore AO, joined the ASEAN Senior Officials to discuss how Invested is helping unlock new opportunities across the region.

Launched in 2024, the ASEAN-Australia Centre has become an important platform for deepening engagement with ASEAN’s vibrant diaspora in Australia, and improved Southeast Asia literacy in Australia. ASEAN Senior Officials met with the Advisory Board to hear about the Centre’s role in strengthening business, education, cultural and community links between ASEAN and Australia.

Together, these engagements reflected the breadth and depth of ASEAN-Australia cooperation, and our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.
A Partnership for Peace and Prosperity.
A Partnership for the Future.

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