Charting a shared future: Pathways for a resilient ASEAN

Resilience is no longer a hedge – it’s the new currency of power. As great-power rivalry reshapes trade routes, supply chains and investment flows, nations that adapt fastest will be the ones that turn disruption into advantage. With the Philippines chairing Asean in 2026, how will the country and the wider region navigate this new era? What does real resilience – economic, strategic, institutional – look like when the ground keeps shifting beneath you?

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This fireside chat explores how the Philippines and its Asean neighbours can build that resilience under pressure. From reconfigured supply chains to the energy transition and mobilising capital, how are businesses responding on the ground? Has geopolitics hindered the pace of the transition, or heightened its urgency? And what does resilience look like not just for governments and companies, but for the communities living through the disruption?

Formalising a concrete mitigation and adaptation strategy is a key priority for Asean, with up to 35 per cent of regional GDP threatened by climate and nature-related risks. However, the commercial viability of these projects remains uncertain, hindered by the lack of regulatory alignment, governance gaps and domestic funds.

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This session will explore Philippines’ role in strengthening the bankability of climate mitigation and adaptation projects, tackling questions such as: How do we align financial reporting and taxonomies while accounting for local differences? What strategies are needed to strengthen climate governance across all levels of government? And how do we ensure local community needs are prioritised in national-regional strategies?

The Philippines stands at a critical juncture in its energy transition, with rising power demand, energy security concerns, and climate commitments driving the urgent need to scale clean energy solutions. With strong potential in solar, wind, and geothermal, the country has an opportunity to rapidly increase renewable energy adoption—provided it can address persistent barriers in grid infrastructure, project development, and policy execution. At the same time, the electrification of transport is emerging as a key lever to reduce emissions and reshape energy demand, linking the power and mobility transitions more closely than ever.

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This session brings together policymakers, investors, utilities, and industry leaders to explore how the Philippines can accelerate a just and resilient energy transition. Discussions will examine how to unlock financing at scale, from blended finance to private capital mobilisation, and how to de-risk renewable energy projects to speed up deployment. The panel will also assess the role of electric mobility in driving demand for clean power, the infrastructure needed to support EV uptake, and how integrated planning across power and transport systems can future-proof the country’s energy landscape.

The role of tourism in sustainable development, especially in a developing region like Asean, remains contested: On the one hand, tourism has the potential to channel critical resources into the preservation of natural and cultural assets, directly linking economic growth to conservation. However, higher tourist arrivals mean higher emissions and can drive up living costs and displace local asset owners from decision-making processes. Sustainable tourism, which aims to maximise the positive impacts of tourism while minimising the negatives, is seen as bridge between growth and conservation.

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However, are tourism and sustainable development structurally incompatible? Is there a balance that countries have yet to strike? This off-the-record debate will deep dive into this polarising topic, exploring everything from the role of data and policy to growing social inequities.

The Middle East conflict not only revealed structural weaknesses in the global energy system but food security as well, with Asean highly exposed to price and supply volatility. Philippines is especially vulnerable due to its reliance on exported fertilisers and with over 40 per cent of the population facing moderate to severe food insecurity. Securing food resilience in an era of geopolitical shocks and growing climate risks is thus an immediate regional imperative.

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This session will tackle key questions on regional food security, including: How do we build responsive food systems which can respond to sudden crises while adapting to long-term needs? Which areas boast the highest potential to expand intra-Asean trade on food? And how do we modernise and raise productivity of agricultural practices while ensuring local farmers are uplifted and empowered in the process?

Regional economies are coming under pressure from increasing resource depletion, unsustainable consumption and inefficient production – prompting the need to shift from a linear to circular economic model. The EU Circular Economy Act, a proposal to create common rules across the European single market, could serve as inspiration for an Asean circular framework. However, questions remain over how regulators navigate contextual differences while implementing solutions within the non-binding nature of Asean.

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This session convenes leading ecosystem players, exploring questions such as: Is a regional circular framework within Asean feasible? What are the financial, regulatory and organisational barriers preventing the shift from linear to circular production? And how do we look beyond environmental factors to incorporate trade, technology and finance – key to scaling circular solutions?