Halal: Malaysia and Indonesia want to create a common Council for all of Southeast Asia

Malaysia and Indonesia want to take a new step in structuring the halal economy in Southeast Asia.

The two countries are supporting the project of creating an ASEAN Halal Council, a regional body which would notably aim to bring together certification systems, facilitate the recognition of standards between different countries and further develop trade in halal products in the region. ASEAN, or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, brings together the main countries of the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. It constitutes one of the major economic groups in Asia and represents a market of several hundred million inhabitants.

Malaysia proposes that this Halal Council be officially launched in September 2027, with Kuala Lumpur as the headquarters of the secretariat and Indonesia as the first country to serve as chairman. The project still needs to obtain the agreement of ASEAN member states. This initiative is mainly driven by Malaysia and Indonesia, two major players in the global halal economy. Trade in halal-related products between the two countries already represents several billion dollars each year.

The subject should also occupy an important place during MIHAS 2026, the major international halal exhibition organized from September 23 to 26 in Kuala Lumpur. Behind this initiative lies a strategic issue: gradually harmonizing halal standards in a region with several hundred million Muslims and facilitating the circulation of products between the different Asian markets.

While in Europe halal is still often approached mainly from a food or religious angle, several Asian countries have long considered it as a real economic sector: food, finance, cosmetics, pharmacy, tourism, logistics and even certification. The creation of an ASEAN Halal Council could thus constitute a new step in the organization of an increasingly structured global halal market.