Manila: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), under Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, led the creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coast Guard Forum (ACF) during the Philippines' chairship of the ASEAN Summit 2026. In a statement on Friday, the PCG said the ACF concept paper and terms of reference, which serve as foundational guidelines for the ACF's mandate, scope, organizational structure, and future direction, were finalized during the Philippines' hosting of the 5th ACF High-Level Meeting (HLM) from Wednesday to Thursday.
According to Philippines News agency, the meeting adopted a joint declaration supporting the establishment and institutional recognition of the ACF. It was agreed that the Philippines, as the current ASEAN Chair, would transmit the ACF concept paper and joint declaration to the ASEAN Summit on behalf of the ASEAN member states.
The ACF recognized ASEAN leaders' statement at the 48th ASEAN Summit in May, which adopted a declaration on maritime cooperation calling for the advancement of the ACF's work. The progress achieved during the 5th ACF-HLM reflects the shared commitment of ASEAN member states towards a safe, secure, and rules-based maritime order in the region.
Moreover, participating delegates agreed to pursue the ACF as a subsidiary body of the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) towards the ACF's formal establishment within the ASEAN framework. The meeting further reaffirmed the importance of strengthening practical maritime cooperation among ASEAN Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies through dialogue, information sharing, capacity-building initiatives, and operational coordination in addressing evolving maritime challenges in the region.
In addition, delegates proposed future ACF-related activities and support initiatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Korea-ASEAN Maritime Safety Academy project of the Korea Coast Guard. Delegations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam attended the 5th ACF-HLM.
