Overview
Terrorism issues have grown in complexity and posed more threats to communities around the world, including ASEAN. Advancement of the internet and social media has resulted in the extensive network of global and regional groups as well as new patterns of radicalisation. The emergence of lone wolf terrorists and regional groups that pledged allegiance to Daesh/the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as well as the return of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) remain as major concerns for ASEAN.
A few key milestones of ASEAN’s efforts in countering terrorism is the adoption and implementation of the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism (ACCT) and the ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counter Terrorism (ACPoA on CT). Since 2013, the ACCT has been in force in all ASEAN Member States.
Priority Areas of Cooperation
To specifically address the issue of radicalisation and violent extremism, the 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in 2018 adopted the ASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (PoA PCRVE) 2018-2025. The PoA PCRVE seeks to strengthen ASEAN cooperation on four priority areas: i) Prevention on Radicalisation and Violent Extremism; ii) Counter Radicalisation and Promotion of De-radicalisation; iii) Law Enforcement and Strengthening National Legislation Related to Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism; and iv) Partnership and Regional Cooperation. To implement this PoA, the 13th AMMTC in 2019 adopted the Work Plan of the PoA PCRVE 2019-2025, also known as the Bali Work Plan. Led by the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC), this Work Plan serves as a comprehensive and holistic policy guideline for 19 ASEAN Sectoral Bodies/Organs/Entities across pillars of ASEAN to address radicalisation and violent extremism in the region.
Cooperation on counter terrorism under the AMMTC is referred to in the SOMTC Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime. The Work Programme focuses on the exchange of information and best practices, including on deradicalization; rehabilitation and re-education of terrorists and violent extremists; research; building public awareness and counter narrative; promotion of joint operational activities, including with relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies; capacity building activities for law enforcement and criminal justice officials as well as agencies involved in countering terrorism financing and; promotion of cooperation with external partners.
In the defence sector, the focus of cooperation includes countering: (i) chemical, biological and radiological terrorism; (ii) maritime/sea-borne terrorism; and (iii) urban-terrorism. The cooperation is facilitated through information exchange and capacity-building activities such as workshops and joint exercises.
Under the ambit of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), counter-terrorism is discussed at the Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (ISM on CTTC). Established in 2002, the ISM on CTTC aims to: 1) propose specific common policies to counter-terrorism and related transnational crimes for national and cooperative implementation by ARF participants; and 2) assess the state of counter terrorism action and cooperation against transnational crime in the region with a view to identifying priority areas for consideration and policy development. The ISM on CTTC is guided by the ARF Work Plan on CTTC which is periodically updated. The current Work Plan covers the period of 2019-2021 and focuses on four priority areas: (i) illicit drugs; (ii) CBRN matters; (iii) preventing and countering violent extremism, and (iv) trafficking in persons. For more information on the work of the ARF including its key documents, please visit the ARF website at http://aseanregionalforum.asean.org/
Major Sectoral Bodies/Committees
Recognising the multifaceted issue of terrorism and violent extremism, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-Plus, the ARF and the East Asia Summit (EAS) endeavour to address these through multiple cooperation frameworks, namely the AMMTC and its subsidiary bodies. ASEAN has also issued joint statements and declarations with its Dialogue Partners as well as conducted information exchange and capacity building activities to address current challenges and threats of terrorism.
Under the ambit of the AMMTC, the SOMTC Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (WG on CT) serves as a platform to facilitate discussions on the development of strategies to handle terrorism cases in the region as well as discussions to enhance cooperation to counter new challenges. The SOMTC WG on CT also serves as a permanent mechanism for monitoring and reviewing the implementation of ACCT, ACPoA on CT and the PoA PCRVE. The ASEAN-Russia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (JWG on CTTC) and the ASEAN-Japan Counter Terrorism Dialogue (AJCT) have also served as senior officials platforms for discussion on issues and projects relevant to counter terrorism between ASEAN and Russia since 2008 and between ASEAN and Japan since 2006, respectively.
Specific to the implementation of the Bali Work Plan 2019-2025, as the largest ASEAN cross-sectoral and cross-pillar cooperation to date, 19 relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies/organs/entities are involved:
- Under the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC): SOMTC, the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM), the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials Meeting (ADSOM), the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting (ASLOM), the ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (SOM-MLAT);
- Under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC): the ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM), the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Culture and the Arts (SOMCA), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education (SOMED), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (SOMRDPE), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting Responsible for Information (SOMRI), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD), the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth (SOMY);
- Other ASEAN Organs/Entities: the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR), the ASEAN Foundation and the ASEAN University Network (AUN).
Key Documents
Conventions
Declarations and Statements
- Culture of Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society
- Manila Declaration to Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism
- Joint Statement of the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Head of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs on the Prevention of the Movement of Foreign Terrorist Fighters
- Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates
- Kuala Lumpur Declaration in Combating Transnational Crime
- ASEAN Joint Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism
Plan of Actions and Work Plans
- ASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (2018-2025)
- ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime (2016-2025)
- ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counter Terrorism
- Work Plan for the ASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (Bali Work Plan) 2019-2025
Terms of References
Publications and Related Links to The Sector
- ASEAN Handbook: Promising Practices on Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Prison Inmates related to Terrorism and Violent Extremism
- ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime
- Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime
- ASEAN Document Series on Transnational Crime: Terrorism and Violent Extremism; Drugs; Cybercrime; and Trafficking in Persons
- ASEAN Documents on Combating Transnational Crime and Terrorism
