Preventive diplomacy is one of the three evolutionary stages of the ARF’s confidence building measures. The ARF agreed on the ARF Concept and Principles of Preventive Diplomacy in 2001, which among others stipulated the definition, possible measures, and key principles of preventive diplomacy.

It was agreed that preventive diplomacy is a “consensual diplomatic and political action taken by sovereign states with the consent of all directly involved parties to help prevent disputes and conflicts from arising between states that could potentially pose a threat to regional peace and stability, to help prevent such disputes and conflicts from escalating into armed confrontation, and to help minimize the impact of such disputes and conflicts in the region. The ARF agreed that the definition, concept and principles of preventive diplomacy are not legal obligation.”

In light of this, preventive diplomacy measures could include efforts to build mutual trust and confidence between states, norms building, enhancing channels of communication to advance information-sharing, provide early warning and facilitate dialogue, and the ARF Chair to play a role as determined by the ARF participants.