Five-Point Consensus (ASEAN Myanmar)

The Five-Point Consensus is the framework adopted by ASEAN leaders at a special summit held in Jakarta on 24 April 2021, roughly three months after the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) seized power from the elected National League for Democracy government on 1 February 2021. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader, attended the meeting, which gave the document unusual political weight despite ASEAN's traditional reluctance to intervene in member states' internal affairs.

The five points are:

1. Immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, with all parties exercising restraint.
2. Constructive dialogue among all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution.
3. Appointment of a Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair to facilitate mediation, assisted by the ASEAN Secretary-General.
4. Humanitarian assistance provided by ASEAN through the AHA Centre.
5. A visit by the Special Envoy to Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.

Implementation has been widely criticized as inadequate. The junta has continued large-scale military operations, airstrikes, and arrests, and has refused to permit the ASEAN envoy to meet with detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi or representatives of the National Unity Government (NUG). In response, ASEAN took the unprecedented step of barring Min Aung Hlaing and subsequent junta political representatives from its summits beginning with the October 2021 leaders' meeting, allowing only a "non-political" representative.

Successive ASEAN chairs — Brunei (2021), Cambodia (2022), Indonesia (2023), Laos (2024), and Malaysia (2025) — have each appointed their own Special Envoy, producing inconsistent approaches. Indonesia under Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi pursued quiet "shuttle diplomacy"; Cambodia's Hun Sen drew criticism for visiting Naypyidaw in January 2022 without consulting fellow members. The Consensus remains ASEAN's formal position but is frequently described by analysts and Western governments as stalled.