ASEAN and the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review on the role and response of a regional organisation in a global health emergency

Abstract

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a state-based membership organisation that facilitates cooperation in Southeast Asia. Over the past two decades, ASEAN has strengthened its cooperation efforts in health, particularly in managing infectious diseases. This scoping review explores the role and response of ASEAN in the COVID-19 pandemic, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. We searched five databases using terminology related to ‘ASEAN’, ‘COVID-19’ and ‘health emergencies’, and extracted data on the role of ASEAN, its response efforts, critiques of either its role or response efforts, and any recommendations. We conducted a thematic synthesis of the evidence. From 17 studies, we characterised a normative, functional and diplomatic role that ASEAN played in managing the pandemic, and identified a total of 46 discrete mechanisms that ASEAN leveraged during. We synthesised both positive and negative critique of ASEAN’s role and response efforts, and identified six themes of recommendations for ASEAN moving forward. Our review reveals the need for further research to understand where Member States' interests in managing health emergencies converge; and to define and measure the effectiveness of regional organisations to better establish their role and responsibilities.