Cebu, May 6, 2026 – Ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit (May 7–8, 2026) in Cebu, Philippines, the Bantay Kita – Resource Justice Network Philippines, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia – Resource Justice Network Indonesia, and Resource Justice Network Asia Pacific (RJN-AP) call on ASEAN leaders to prioritize a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition (JIET) in the upcoming Leaders’ Statement.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly tensions between Iran and the US, has disrupted global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for approximately 20% of the world’s supply. This surge in energy prices directly threatens food and energy security, inflates the costs of living, and jeopardizes the livelihoods of millions of the most vulnerable people in ASEAN. However, an “energy security” response that focuses solely on fossil fuel diversification, oil stockpiling, and accelerating natural gas projects risks locking the region into long-term fossil fuel dependence and repeating extractive models that harm both communities and the environment.
Beverly Besmanos, National Coordinator of Bantay Kita – Resource Justice Network Philippines, emphasized the urgency from the host country’s perspective. “Leadership is not defined by hosting a summit; it is defined by the courage to protect the vulnerable. The Philippines cannot claim to lead an energy transition while our people suffer under some of the highest power rates in Asia, and our ancestral lands are pillaged for ‘critical minerals.’ We refuse to be the ‘sacrifice zones’ for the world’s green ambitions. We demand that ASEAN leaders move beyond the closed-door drafting of the Leaders’ Statement and center the lived realities of communities. For us, a transition is only ‘just’ if it democratizes energy, respects our right to say ‘no’ to destructive mining, and ensures that the poorest households aren’t the ones subsidizing the shift to renewables.”
“This crisis is not merely a supply threat. It is a historic opportunity for ASEAN to accelerate a truly just energy transition,” said Aryanto Nugroho, Board Member of the Resource Justice Network Asia Pacific and National Coordinator of PWYP Indonesia.
“We must not allow the current energy crisis to become an excuse for new fossil fuel projects that violate the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities and intensify the impacts of the climate crisis within one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. The energy crisis facing ASEAN underlines that true energy security must be rooted in energy sovereignty through renewable energy. However, energy sovereignty and a just energy transition cannot exist without recognizing frontline communities as rights-holders at the heart of the energy transition, especially as their lands, waters, and territories host the raw materials powering green technology. A just energy transition ensures that Indigenous peoples and local communities are recognized as leaders and meaningfully included in decisions that shape their lands, livelihoods, and futures,” added Angela Asuncion, Asia Pacific Coordinator of the Resource Justice Network and Coordinator of the Asia Pacific Transition Mineral Accountability Working Group (AP-TMA WG).
While ASEAN has established an ambitious framework through the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030, current implementation remains heavily fossil-centric and lacks meaningful engagement with civil society and affected communities.
We urge ASEAN Leaders at the Cebu Summit to:
- Include a binding JIET clause explicitly in the Leaders’ Statement, including a target to phase out fossil fuels by 2030 at the latest, and to ensure that transition mineral exploitation and associated mining sector emission transparency are included in NDCs in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.
- Establish a regional transition mineral transparency and traceability mechanism for energy and transition mineral contracts that includes full disclosure, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and equitable benefit-sharing to ensure transition minerals are not being sourced in areas where human rights violations and to ensure that minerals are being put towards renewable energy projects and not for non-decarbonization sectors such as military, AI, and data centres.
- Formally involve civil society, Indigenous communities, and vulnerable groups in energy transition, mining, climate, and emergency response decision-making through institutionalized mechanisms in the ASEAN minerals roadmaps
- Prioritize the development of community-based renewable energy and accelerate the development of a genuinely green, regionally integrated ASEAN Power Grid.
- Establish a regional Just Transition Fund to support fossil fuel and mining sector workers, Indigenous peoples and local communities, women, farmers, fishers, and MSMEs impacted by the transition.
“Navigating Our Future Together” will only be meaningful if “together” includes the voices of the most impacted communities—not just governments and corporations. The Cebu Summit must be a turning point: shifting from a defensive reaction toward a vision of an energy transition that is just and sustainable for all people in ASEAN.
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Media Contacts:
- Beverly Besmanos, National Coordinator, Bantay Kita – Philippines: bfbesmanos@bantaykita.ph
- Aryanto Nugroho, National Coordinator, PWYP Indonesia / Board Member, Resource Justice Network (RJN) Asia Pacific: aryanto@pwypindonesia.org
- Angela Asuncion, Asia Pacific Coordinator, Resource Justice Network (RJN): aasuncion@resourcejustice.org