Myanmar has ceded its turn to chair the Southeast Asian regional bloc, an official confirmed on Tuesday, after the group agreed that an existing but widely criticized peace plan will continue to guide its response to the bloody conflict there.
Myanmar, which has been gripped by violence and political and economic chaos since the coup, was slated to chair the 10-member regional grouping in 2026. But regional leaders agreed that the Philippines would assume the role in 2026 instead.
“The Philippines will take over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026,” ASEAN secretary general Kao Kim Hourn said after the first day of the group’s annual summit in Jakarta.
