Civil society and resource justice groups are urging ASEAN leaders to place a “just and inclusive energy transition” at the center of the bloc’s response to the ongoing Middle East energy crisis during the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu.

In a joint statement released ahead of the May 7-8 summit, Bantay Kita – Resource Justice Network Philippines, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia – Resource Justice Network Indonesia, and the Resource Justice Network Asia Pacific warned against energy security responses heavily focused on fossil fuel diversification, oil stockpiling, and expanded natural gas projects.

The groups said tensions involving Iran and the United States have disrupted global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to rising energy prices and higher living costs across Southeast Asia.

Bantay Kita – Resource Justice Network Philippines National Coordinator Beverly Besmanos said ASEAN leaders should prioritize vulnerable communities in the region’s energy transition.

“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,’” Besmanos said.

The groups also raised concerns over mining activities tied to renewable energy technologies, warning against projects that may violate Indigenous rights or harm local communities.

Resource Justice Network Asia Pacific Coordinator Angela Asuncion said frontline communities must be recognized as rights-holders in energy transition policies.

“Energy sovereignty and a just energy transition cannot exist without recognizing frontline communities as rights-holders at the heart of the energy transition,” Asuncion said.

Meanwhile, Resource Justice Network Asia Pacific Board Member and PWYP Indonesia National Coordinator Aryanto Nugroho said the crisis should become an opportunity to accelerate renewable energy development instead of deepening fossil fuel dependence.

“This crisis is not merely a supply threat. It is a historic opportunity for ASEAN to accelerate a truly just energy transition,” Nugroho said.

The groups called on ASEAN leaders to include a binding just energy transition clause in the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement, strengthen transparency rules for transition minerals, expand community participation in energy decisions, and accelerate community-based renewable energy projects and the ASEAN Power Grid.

How should ASEAN balance energy security, renewable energy expansion, and community protection during the ongoing global energy crisis?

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