ASEAN Law Ministers reaffirm commitment to uphold rule of law through legal cooperation　

The Honourable Attorney General of Brunei Darussalam, Datin Seri Paduka Dayang Hajah Nor Hashimah binti Haji Muhammed Taib, led the country's delegation of officers from the Attorney General's Chambers to the 13th ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting (ALAWMM) and related meeting held on November 14 and 15, 2025 in Manila, the Republic of the Philippines.

The 13th ALAWMM was officiated by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. In his keynote address, His Excellency highlighted the historic signing of the ASEAN Treaty on Extradition as a landmark achievement in ensuring accountability across borders. He further called for stronger cooperation to confront emerging challenges, including cybercrime and the legal implications of artificial intelligence. His Excellency also reaffirmed ASEAN's unity and commitment to upholding the rule of law as the foundation of regional peace and stability.

The 13th ALAWMM was chaired by His Excellency Frederick A. Vida, Acting Secretary of Justice of the Republic of the Philippines, and attended by the Law Ministers and Attorneys General of ASEAN Member States as well as the Secretary-General of ASEAN, His Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.

The Meeting reviewed the work progress in the area of law and legal cooperation since the 12th ALAWMM. Particularly, the completion of the negotiation of the ASEAN Treaty on Extradition and its signing on November 14, 2025, signified a significant landmark in legal cooperation for combating transnational crime, strengthening the rule law and justice. Further, the adoption of the Joint Statement by ASEAN Law Ministers on International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Development at the ASEAN Law Forum 2025 by the ASEAN Law Ministers, on August 21, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was another important milestone in the work on advancing international commercial arbitration and mediation. The Meeting also noted the successful implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and its associated Blueprints, as well as progress in the harmonisation of trade laws, strengthening ASEAN's capacity on crime prevention and criminal justice, and mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters, and the collaborative work with other ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies in the realization of the ASEAN community and rules based agenda.

Reflecting upon ALAWMM's achievements over the last decade, the Honourable Attorney General highlighted that the collective efforts have strengthened ASEAN's legal architecture through the development of important legal instruments such as the Model ASEAN Extradition Treaty and thereafter the legally binding ASEAN Treaty on Extradition. She underlined that the ASEAN Treaty on Extradition is more than a legal instrument; it is a manifestation of ASEAN's shared trust and unity in upholding the rule of law and promoting accountability across borders. Together with the Treaty of Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (MLAT), it strengthens ASEAN's regional legal framework in combating transnational crime and fostering a rules-based regional order.

In moving forward with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, she underscored that ALAWMM's tasks to ensure ASEAN's legal cooperation continue to evolve, responsive to innovation, adaptive to change including in artificial intelligence (AI), and unwavering in its pursuit of peace and justice.

The ALAWMM takes place every two years and is a key forum with the mandate to address all matters pertaining to legal cooperation and implement the decisions and recommendations of the ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN Political-Security Council, in support of ASEAN integration initiatives. A Joint Communique’ was adopted by the Law Ministers as an outcome document of the Meeting.  

The 14th ALAWMM and the 26th ASLOM will be hosted by Singapore in 2027.

On the sidelines of the 13th ALAWMM, the Honourable Attorney General of Brunei Darussalam attended the first ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting with Japan (ALAWMM – Japan) convened on November 15, 2025 in Manila, the Philippines. The first ALAWMM – Japan marked an important elevation of cooperation and partnership between ASEAN and Japan in the field of law and justice to a higher level. The Meeting commended the initiatives and activities to implement the ASEAN Japan Work Plan on Law and Justice. It was acknowledged that these collective efforts would create greater cooperation in the field of law and justice, and enhance crime prevention on a transnational level, capacity building, and mutual legal assistance.