Malaysia officially transferred the ASEAN chairmanship to the Philippines during the closing ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur on October 28, 2025, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim symbolically handing over the gavel to Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
The Philippines will officially assume the chairmanship role on January 1, 2026, with Marcos unveiling the official logo and theme "Navigating Our Future Together" at the ceremony held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, expressing his commitment to implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 in its first year.
President Marcos praised Malaysia's leadership throughout 2025, stating that the country steered ASEAN with clarity and conviction while demonstrating that the bloc makes its greatest strides when vision is matched with pragmatism, and pledged to continue fortifying ASEAN's peace and security anchors while strengthening prosperity corridors.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed confidence in Marcos' leadership, saying he believes ASEAN will continue acting with clarity and composure under the steady hands of the Philippine president, who is known for the warmth of the Filipino people.
The Philippines' chairmanship will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2026, ASEAN's core peace and friendship pact signed in 1976 that commits members and partners to principles of non-interference, mutual respect, and peaceful settlement of disputes, with Finland becoming the most recent of 58 signatories after signing on October 26, 2025.
