April 25, 2021 The ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting was convened yesterday at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia, and chaired by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. The meeting was convened with the view to advance ASEAN Community building, hasten recovery from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, strengthen ASEAN’s external relations and address pressing issues of common interest to all ASEAN member states. After the meeting, a Chairman’s Statement on the ASEAN Leader’s Meeting was issued. The statement stated, “In the pursuit to strengthen our regional solidarity and resilience, we reiterated that the political stability in ASEAN member states is essential to achieving a peaceful, stable and prosperous ASEAN Community. We underscored the need to maintain our unity, Centrality, and relevance in the region and to collectively address common challenges. We recognised that the strength of the ASEAN Community lies in putting people at its centre and fulfilling their desire to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity, and social progress. In this regard, we reaffirmed our commitment to the purposes and principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter,including adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy and constitutional government, respect for fundamental freedoms, and the promotion and protection of human rights.