The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to centre the protection and promotion of human rights in the implementation of its newly adopted 2045 Vision.
In a statement released following the ASEAN Summit held on 26–27 May 2025, FORUM-ASIA emphasised the need for ASEAN to confront and address ongoing and past human rights abuses. It warned that the success of ASEAN’s long-term vision hinges on the bloc’s commitment to human dignity and justice.
Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA, said, “To realise this new vision, ASEAN should not be detached from the realities on the ground. It should resolve past and ongoing human rights violations across the region, while also striving to prevent any form of recurrence.”
She added that ending the culture of impunity in member states is critical to making the 2045 Vision meaningful.
The ASEAN Community Vision 2045, adopted during the summit, outlines a roadmap to enhance economic development, socio-cultural ties, and regional security. It is accompanied by the ASEAN Political-Security Community Strategic Plan, which seeks to implement the vision effectively over the next two decades.
Paragraph 15 of the Vision commits ASEAN to building “an inclusive and cohesive Community” that respects diversity and upholds “the principles of democracy, rule of law and good governance,” while promoting and protecting human rights.
However, FORUM-ASIA warns that such commitments remain hollow without real action to confront serious rights violations currently unfolding across member states.
In Myanmar, the military junta has intensified its crackdown since its 2021 coup attempt. In 2025, the regime expanded forced conscription to include women and vulnerable groups. Youth who refuse to enlist reportedly face threats that their family members will be conscripted instead.
The junta continues to launch military assaults in civilian areas, including the regions of Magway, Sagaing, Chin, Kachin, Mandalay, and Bago. Following a deadly earthquake in March 2025, the junta obstructed humanitarian relief efforts to retain control over resistance-held areas.
In Indonesia, the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has been linked to increasing repression against peaceful protesters and journalists. Reports from local human rights groups indicate numerous instances of police brutality during demonstrations over economic policies and controversial laws.
Journalists have faced threats and attacks while covering these protests, and indigenous communities in Papua are reportedly suffering due to the military-backed expansion of palm oil plantations.
In Malaysia, the continued enforcement of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) has drawn concern. Despite civil society’s repeated calls for reform, SOSMA is allegedly being used to arrest and intimidate peaceful demonstrators, including those participating in hunger strikes.
Thailand’s Dan Khun Thot District has also seen protests against potash mining projects, with demonstrators reportedly facing state reprisals. Activists cite environmental destruction and harm to local livelihoods as key grievances.
FORUM-ASIA criticised ASEAN’s persistent adherence to the non-interference principle, which it argues has led to institutional inaction. “ASEAN has long hidden behind its non-interference principle,” the organisation stated. “Instead, it ought to be more proactive in fulfilling its agenda to protect human rights.”
The human rights organisation has called on ASEAN leaders to re-evaluate their silence in the face of growing abuses and take action aligned with the principles laid out in the 2045 Vision.
FORUM-ASIA has urged the bloc to uphold impartiality, objectivity, non-discrimination, and accountability, as pledged under its new strategic direction. The group stressed the importance of inclusivity and people’s participation to ensure the vision is not reduced to empty rhetoric.
As ASEAN progresses towards 2045, the legitimacy and success of its Vision will depend largely on its ability to translate stated commitments into tangible action, particularly in addressing the region’s human rights crises.
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