MOST ASEAN meetings in 2026 will be conducted virtually, with physical gatherings limited to heads of government, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said, as regional governments seek to curb expenditure amid economic pressures.
Fahmi said the Cabinet had been informed by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan that the shift would apply to the bloc’s extensive calendar of engagements, including ministerial and preparatory meetings.
“The Cabinet was informed by the Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) that Asean meetings this year will be held virtually.
“There will be no physical meetings, whether in Manila or in other countries, except for heads of government,” Fahmi said at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.
This year’s Asean chair, the Philippines, has adopted the theme Navigating Our Future, Together, and previously announced that around 650 preparatory meetings — spanning working groups, senior officials and ministerial sessions — would be conducted online to reduce costs.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has also indicated that the upcoming leaders’ summit in May will be streamlined into a “bare-bones” programme focusing on pressing issues such as fuel supply, food prices and migrant workers.
According to the current schedule, the 48th Asean Leaders’ Summit is set to take place on May 8 and 9.
Fahmi added that the first meeting of the year, involving Asean health ministers, will also be held virtually.
The move marks a partial return to pandemic-era practices, when summits hosted by Vietnam in 2020 and Brunei in 2021 were conducted entirely online due to Covid-19, before physical meetings resumed under Cambodia’s chairmanship in 2022.
Separately, Fahmi said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar had briefed the Cabinet on the implementation of a work-from-home policy for the civil service, with further details to be announced.
He added that the Cabinet has tasked the Chief Secretary with reducing bureaucratic hurdles, particularly to assist businesses in renewing licences amid the ongoing global energy crisis.
“He has to report back to the Cabinet on the efforts to reduce bureaucracies, especially for industries and businesses affected by the global energy crisis,” he said. - April 2, 2026
