1. The Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was held via video conference on 6 August 2021. The Meeting was chaired by The Honourable Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Minister of Foreign Affairs II of Brunei Darussalam.
2. The Meeting recognised the severe challenges and disruptions caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to the well-being of the peoples of the region, and the pandemic’s multi-faceted impacts on societies and economies, as well as on the stability, prosperity and security of the region and the world at large. The Meeting emphasised the importance of enhancing regional and international solidarity and cooperation towards a collective and effective response to the COVID19 pandemic and advancing global recovery, including the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework. In this regard, the Meeting acknowledged the progress made this year in the ARF given the context of and in addressing the pandemic.

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