Aside from the ASEAN Charter, the ACC is guided by the Rules of Procedure for the ASEAN Coordinating Council, which was adopted by the 5th Meeting of ACC on 22 October 2009 in Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand.

Based on the stipulations in the ASEAN Charter, issues which may be discussed by the ACC include, but are not limited to, ASEAN’s key deliverables during a specific chairmanship year, and any other emerging issues which are of priority to ASEAN, especially those which cut across the three ASEAN Community Pillars. For example, in 2020, the ACC played a prominent role in the discussions on ASEAN’s direction towards collective efforts in responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The priority areas for the ACC’s deliberations may also be assigned by the ASEAN Summit.

The ACC is responsible in overseeing the development and implementation of documents as assigned by the ASEAN Leaders. The documents shall seek cross-pillar input and concurrence from the three ASEAN Community Councils, namely the APSC Council, AEC Council, and ASCC Council prior to submission to the ASEAN Leaders for endorsement at the ASEAN Summit.

The key ASEAN bodies which report to the ACC include: (i) the Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM); (ii) the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR); (iii) the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC); (iv) the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force; (v) the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group (ACCWG) on Timor-Leste’s Application for ASEAN Membership; and (v) the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE).