ASSESSING ASEAN’S INSTITUTIONAL ROLE THROUGH HEALTH DIPLOMACY DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS: THE ASEAN WAY IN INTRA- AND INTER-REGIONAL RESPONSES

Abstract

COVID-19 has posed a significant threat to ASEAN countries since the end of 2019. During the early stages of the pandemic, ASEAN member states faced various challenges in mitigating its impact, including inadequate preparedness, limited financial resources, and insufficient regional health mechanisms. Against this backdrop, this article investigates ASEAN’s health diplomacy through the implementation of the ASEAN Way in both intra- and inter-regional responses to the COVID-19 crisis. This research aims to analyze how ASEAN implemented health diplomacy by employing the ASEAN Way to strengthen regional cooperation during the pandemic. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this research utilizes primary data from interviews and secondary data, including books, official documents, international journal articles, annual reports, ASEAN publications, policy papers, and previous theses. Drawing on the theory of Global Health Diplomacy (GHD), the concept of institutional role, and the ASEAN Way, this study contributes to the literature by providing a novel analysis of ASEAN’s institutional role in advancing health diplomacy during the pandemic, an area that has received limited scholarly attention. The findings indicate that ASEAN strengthened both its intra- and inter-regional health diplomacy by expanding strategic negotiations and cooperation with the ASEAN Plus Three countries—Japan, China, and South Korea—to support member states in mitigating the pandemic. Overall, the study demonstrates that ASEAN successfully implemented health diplomacy through a holistic regional governance approach involving both its member states and external partners, thereby strengthening the region’s collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.