18th ARF Experts and Eminent Persons’ Meeting Convened in Kuala Lumpur The Eighteenth Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Experts and Eminent Persons (EEPs) was convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as confirmed by the ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting was preceded by a workshop on conflict prevention held the previous day and attended by ARF Experts and Eminent Persons and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community. The ARF Experts and Eminent Persons group is a 1.5 track body that meets annually to provide advice and recommendations to ARF officials. Established as part of the ARF framework, the EEPs contribute to the forum’s role as a platform for security dialogue in the Indo-Pacific region. The ARF, established in 1994, brings together 27 members, including the ten ASEAN member states, ten ASEAN dialogue partners and additional countries such as Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The ARF operates through five work streams: Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime; Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Security; Disaster Relief; Maritime Security; and Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. At the 2020 ARF, Ministers adopted the ARF Hanoi Plan of Action II (2020–2025) as the overarching guiding document for these work streams. Each year, the work streams host Inter-Sessional Meetings (ISMs), workshops, and activities proposed by ARF members, guided by multi-year work plans that identify priority areas and co-chairs. The Inter-Sessional Support Group Meeting on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy (ISG) serves as the key annual meeting for ARF working-level officials. Australia co-chaired the ISG in 2020–2021 with Brunei. The 18th ARF Experts and Eminent Persons’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur reflects the ongoing commitment of the ARF to foster dialogue and cooperation on regional security issues through expert-level engagement.
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