Cebu Summit, Prabowo and UNHAS

JAKARTA – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto joined Southeast Asian leaders at a gala dinner hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on May 8, 2026. The gathering formed part of ASEAN’s broader effort to strengthen regional solidarity amid growing global and regional challenges.

As Southeast Asia navigates an era of rapid transformation marked by economic integration, technological acceleration, geopolitical competition, and evolving security challenges, ASEAN faces a defining moment in its regional journey. While the region has achieved remarkable economic growth and institutional cooperation over the decades, persistent tensions and emerging threats continue to test the resilience and unity of the ASEAN community. Territorial disputes, cyber insecurity, violent extremism, climate-related vulnerabilities, transnational crime, forced displacement, and widening socio-economic disparities demonstrate that sustainable peace requires more than economic progress alone. It demands dialogue, institutional cooperation, education, and a shared commitment to regional solidarity.

President Prabowo’s participation in the Cebu Summit reaffirmed Indonesia’s long-standing commitment to promoting peace, prosperity, and stability across ASEAN. His emphasis on dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity reflects the foundational principles of ASEAN itself. In an increasingly fragmented international environment, ASEAN’s ability to preserve unity through constructive engagement remains one of its greatest strengths. Indonesia, as the region’s largest economy and one of its most influential diplomatic actors, continues to play a central role in ensuring that ASEAN remains peaceful, cohesive, and forward-looking.

However, sustaining regional harmony requires more than high-level diplomacy. It also depends on strong institutions capable of addressing the root causes of conflict and fostering a culture of peace across societies. In this context, Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) has emerged as a significant academic and strategic partner in advancing ASEAN’s long-term stability agenda.

UNHAS has proposed the establishment of the SEAMEO Center of Excellence for Peace and Conflict Transformation, envisioned as the first dedicated SEAMEO institution focusing specifically on peacebuilding, mediation, preventive diplomacy, conflict transformation, and peace education in Southeast Asia. The initiative reflects the strategic vision of the Rector of UNHAS, Professor Jamaluddin Jompa, for the 2026–2030 period and represents both an institutional innovation and a regional necessity.

Within the broader SEAMEO framework, the proposed center would fill a critical thematic gap by complementing the organization’s existing network of institutions focused on education, health, agriculture, language, and environmental sustainability.

Unlike other centers, the UNHAS initiative would place peace and conflict transformation at the core of its mission, recognizing that regional prosperity cannot be separated from regional stability. The prospective contributions of UNHAS to ASEAN’s future are extensive and deeply interconnected.

First, the center would strengthen regional peacebuilding mechanisms by developing early warning systems, preventive diplomacy initiatives, and confidence-building measures to help manage tensions before they escalate into larger conflicts. Through research-based strategies and regional dialogue forums, UNHAS could enhance ASEAN’s institutional capacity to anticipate and respond to crises more effectively.

Second, the center would address transnational challenges that increasingly threaten regional stability. Human trafficking, cybercrime, narcotics networks, violent extremism, and illegal migration transcend national borders and require coordinated regional responses. UNHAS can facilitate collaboration among governments, law enforcement agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations to develop integrated and sustainable solutions.

Third, the center would prioritize peace education and capacity building. Education remains one of the most powerful tools for cultivating tolerance, intercultural understanding, and social cohesion. By integrating peace studies, conflict resolution, and dialogue-based approaches into educational programs, UNHAS can help prepare future ASEAN leaders, diplomats, mediators, and civil society actors to navigate differences constructively.

Fourth, the center would serve as a hub for policy research and knowledge exchange. Applied research on conflict dynamics, regional instability, and social resilience can contribute directly to policymaking and diplomatic initiatives. Through partnerships with governments, universities, and local communities, UNHAS can facilitate evidence-based approaches to peacebuilding and regional cooperation.

Fifth, the center would strengthen ASEAN’s global engagement by connecting Southeast Asia with broader international peacebuilding networks. Leveraging Indonesia’s diplomatic influence and historical experience in mediation, the initiative could promote cross-regional exchanges of best practices while elevating ASEAN’s role in global discussions on peace and conflict management.

Importantly, the UNHAS initiative also builds upon Indonesia’s own historical legacy of peacebuilding and reconciliation. Indonesian leaders and mediators, including former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, played pivotal roles in resolving major domestic conflicts such as the Aceh peace process and sectarian violence in Poso and Ambon. These experiences demonstrated Indonesia’s capacity to combine political leadership, cultural sensitivity, and pragmatic negotiation to achieve sustainable peace. Through the proposed SEAMEO center, UNHAS seeks to expand this legacy from the national to the regional level.

The convergence between President Prabowo’s diplomatic engagement at the Cebu Summit and UNHAS’s institutional vision reflects a powerful and complementary approach to ASEAN’s future. While political leaders strengthen solidarity through diplomacy and dialogue, academic institutions like UNHAS provide the intellectual foundation, technical expertise, and educational infrastructure necessary to sustain peace over the long term.

This dual approach is particularly important as ASEAN moves toward its aspiration of becoming a fully integrated political, economic, and socio-cultural community by 2035. Economic growth alone cannot guarantee regional stability. Lasting peace depends on trust, mutual respect, social inclusion, and the collective ability to manage diversity constructively.

The Cebu Summit therefore symbolized more than a routine diplomatic gathering. It reaffirmed ASEAN’s enduring commitment to regional cooperation at a time of global uncertainty. President Prabowo’s active participation demonstrated Indonesia’s determination to remain a pillar of regional stability, while the vision advanced by UNHAS offers a concrete institutional pathway toward deeper peacebuilding and conflict transformation across Southeast Asia.

The Latin maxim Si vis pacem, para pacem—if you wish for peace, prepare for peace—remains highly relevant for ASEAN today. Peace is not a passive condition but an ongoing process that must be nurtured through dialogue, education, preventive diplomacy, and institutional collaboration.

By combining diplomatic leadership with academic innovation, ASEAN can continue to strengthen its role as a model of regional cooperation. Through initiatives championed by leaders such as President Prabowo and institutions such as UNHAS, Southeast Asia is well positioned to transform its diversity into a source of resilience and shared prosperity.

In an increasingly complex world, ASEAN’s future will depend on its ability to uphold unity while embracing change. The partnership between regional leadership and educational institutions offers a promising pathway toward a more peaceful, prosperous, and stable Southeast Asia—one that benefits not only ASEAN member states but also the wider global community.

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*) By: Hafid Abbas, International Consultant at SEAMEO RETRACT, Ho Chi Minh, 2014.

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