We, the Attorneys General and Prosecutors General of the ASEAN Member States, gathered in Bali, Indonesia, on 15 September 2025, to discuss issues of common concern and shared interest, and to reaffirm our commitment to support and promote international legal cooperation, focusing on prosecution matters, capacity building, exchange of information and experiences, with a view to contributing to the realization of the ASEAN Community and a rules-based ASEAN order.
Recognizing the importance of enhancing cooperation among Attorneys General/Prosecutors General in addressing transnational crimes through strengthening ASEAN’s capacity to promote and uphold the rule of law, justice, and a rules-based ASEAN as a whole;
Reaffirming our commitment to coordinate and support all relevant ASEAN sectoral ministerial bodies in implementing their respective mandates, to facilitate and advance the ASEAN Community-building process, particularly the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
Recalling the outcomes of the First, Second, and Third Consultative Meetings among Attorneys General/Prosecutors General of ASEAN Member States held respectively in Bang Saen, Chonburi Province, Thailand (2023); Bali, Indonesia (2024); and Siem Reap Province, Cambodia (2024), which were acknowledged by ASEAN Leaders at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits held on 9 October 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and which recognized the need to promote the proposed establishment of the Meeting of Attorneys General/Prosecutors General of ASEAN, to further strengthen and enhance capacity-building efforts and cooperation among Attorneys General/Prosecutors General, as well as to foster coordination with other ASEAN sectoral bodies to address and combat transnational crimes;
Recognizing the need for an institutional framework within ASEAN for Attorneys General/Prosecutors General to coordinate with and support all ASEAN bodies in advancing the ASEAN Community-building agenda, consistent with the purposes and principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter;
We hereby declare as follows:
To establish the Meeting of Attorneys General/Prosecutors General of ASEAN (APAGM) as a sectoral ministerial body under ASEAN to be included in Annex 1 of the ASEAN Charter, to perform its roles and mandate as stipulated in its Terms of Reference (TOR), which shall be adopted and attached to this Declaration.
To establish the Senior Officials Meeting of Attorneys General/Prosecutors General of ASEAN (SOM-APAGM) to support the work of the APAGM, including the implementation of its strategies, initiatives, programs, and activities.
Adopted in Bali, Indonesia, on 15 September 2025, in a single original copy in the English language.
