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STARS Action Group: Strengthening Regional Trade Resilience
In 2025, the Centre for Trade Excellence launched the STARS Action Group — the Southeast Asia Trade and Resilience Strategy — as a flagship initiative to support inclusive, cross-sector dialogue on trade resilience in a period of growing global uncertainty.
STARS Action Group
I. VISION
The STARS Action Group is an open, neutral space for cross-sector cooperation on trade and resilience in Southeast Asia.
We believe that Southeast Asia has a vital role in shaping the future of global trade.
In a time of disruption and transformation, voices from business, government, and academia from across the SE Asia region must come together.
Our aim is to complement formal processes, fostering preparedness, promoting dialogue, and contributing to a more resilient and inclusive global trade system, anchored in ASEAN’s enduring values of cooperation and balance.
II. What STARS Will Do
Global shifts are reshaping trade, but ASEAN continues to champion openness, balance, and regional stability. The STARS Action Group will augment these efforts by offering a flexible, cross-sector platform for strategic thinking, policy dialogue, and practical collaboration. We will seek to engage, listen, translate, and add insights where it matters.
III. STARS Leadership
The STARS Action Group will be led by our President and leaders from our Expert Panel as well as those from ASEAN’s public and private sectors, including industry associations and bodies, think tanks, and civil society.
This team will, with able supporting executives, steward a regional platform grounded in ASEAN values, listening deeply and acting decisively.
IV. Knowledge Partners
The STARS Action Group is building a coalition of Knowledge Partners to support scenario planning, capacity-building, and geoeconomic foresight.
What is geoeconomic resilience?
It’s the ability of a region to adapt to trade shocks, economic pressure, and global uncertainty, while remaining open and inclusive.
The STARS Action Group exists to equip Southeast Asia with the insights, networks, and strategies to stay strong and forward-facing.
V. The STARS Scorecard
We're also developing a rapid assessment tool to help policymakers, investors and business leaders understand regional readiness for future disruptions.
The STARS Scorecard will offer insights into vulnerabilities, gaps, capacities, and response pathways, a tool for informed resilience.
VI. The Way Forward
We’re building a coalition for the future. The STARS Action Group is an open, neutral space for cross-sector cooperation on trade and resilience in Southeast Asia.
We welcome engagement from partners across sectors who share our commitment to resilient, inclusive trade. To explore collaboration or contribute to upcoming dialogues, reach us at: contact@tradeexcellence.org
Together, let’s shape tomorrow and chart the path towards a prosperous and peaceful region.
The STARS Action Group is an open, neutral space for cross-sector cooperation on trade and resilience in Southeast Asia.
We believe that Southeast Asia has a vital role in shaping the future of global trade.
In a time of disruption and transformation, voices from business, government, and academia from across the SE Asia region must come together.
Our aim is to complement formal processes, fostering preparedness, promoting dialogue, and contributing to a more resilient and inclusive global trade system, anchored in ASEAN’s enduring values of cooperation and balance.
II. What STARS Will Do
Global shifts are reshaping trade, but ASEAN continues to champion openness, balance, and regional stability. The STARS Action Group will augment these efforts by offering a flexible, cross-sector platform for strategic thinking, policy dialogue, and practical collaboration. We will seek to engage, listen, translate, and add insights where it matters.
III. STARS Leadership
The STARS Action Group will be led by our President and leaders from our Expert Panel as well as those from ASEAN’s public and private sectors, including industry associations and bodies, think tanks, and civil society.
This team will, with able supporting executives, steward a regional platform grounded in ASEAN values, listening deeply and acting decisively.
IV. Knowledge Partners
The STARS Action Group is building a coalition of Knowledge Partners to support scenario planning, capacity-building, and geoeconomic foresight.
What is geoeconomic resilience?
It’s the ability of a region to adapt to trade shocks, economic pressure, and global uncertainty, while remaining open and inclusive.
The STARS Action Group exists to equip Southeast Asia with the insights, networks, and strategies to stay strong and forward-facing.
V. The STARS Scorecard
We're also developing a rapid assessment tool to help policymakers, investors and business leaders understand regional readiness for future disruptions.
The STARS Scorecard will offer insights into vulnerabilities, gaps, capacities, and response pathways, a tool for informed resilience.
VI. The Way Forward
We’re building a coalition for the future. The STARS Action Group is an open, neutral space for cross-sector cooperation on trade and resilience in Southeast Asia.
We welcome engagement from partners across sectors who share our commitment to resilient, inclusive trade. To explore collaboration or contribute to upcoming dialogues, reach us at: contact@tradeexcellence.org
Together, let’s shape tomorrow and chart the path towards a prosperous and peaceful region.
