A Review on ASEAN Blue Economy Framework: Instilling Blue Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Economic Growth

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) views the blue economy as a multifaceted, cross-cutting concept; its leaders committed to promoting it through the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on the Blue Economy, which was adopted at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summit in October 2021 and have tasked the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) to oversee the overall implementation of this Declaration and explore and develop modalities for cooperation on the Blue Economy. The article aims to review the ongoing process of adapting the Blue Economy Framework through its guiding principles of implementation, its strategies and enablers that accelerate blue economy development and growth using availabe reports and literatures. Eventhough ASEAN Blue Economy impacted the global market by unlocking significant economic opportunities for the region and the global market, ASEAN is plague with inconsistency of policy to safeguard the ecosystem, environmental challenges including climate change and pollution and geopolitical tension caused by China and United States disrupts the blue economu development. Despite the challenges faced by the ASEAN Blue Economy, its importance remains undiminished. To fully optimize the framework, ASEAN must refine its policies not only at the organizational level but also within each member state as it will help to facilitate the integration of policies at the organizational level.