The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, Cambodia on 30 April 1999, and Timor-Leste on 26 October 2025 making up what is today the eleven Member States of ASEAN.
ASEAN organs always strive to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat shall be functioned as coordinating Secretariat to help facilitate effective decision-making withing and amongst ASEAN bodies. In addition, each Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative to liaise with Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat
ASEAN shall develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogues, cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. This includes external partners, ASEAN entities, human rights bodies, non-ASEAN Member States Ambassadors to ASEAN, ASEAN committees in third countries and international organisations, as well as international / regional organisations.
The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009. The ASEAN Community, anchored on three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community was launched in 2015. The ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together was introduced in 2015 as a Post-2015 Vision. It comprises the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, Cambodia on 30 April 1999, and Timor-Leste on 26 October 2025 making up what is today the eleven Member States of ASEAN.
ASEAN organs always strive to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat shall be functioned as coordinating Secretariat to help facilitate effective decision-making withing and amongst ASEAN bodies. In addition, each Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative to liaise with Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat
ASEAN shall develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogues, cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. This includes external partners, ASEAN entities, human rights bodies, non-ASEAN Member States Ambassadors to ASEAN, ASEAN committees in third countries and international organisations, as well as international / regional organisations.
The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009. The ASEAN Community, anchored on three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community was launched in 2015. The ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together was introduced in 2015 as a Post-2015 Vision. It comprises the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025
1. The 8th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Ministerial Meeting was held on 24 September 2025 on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, USA. The Meeting was co-chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore, H.E. Dr Vivian Balak
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this evening attended the Gala Dinner of the 57th AEM Meeting and Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by H.E. Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Chair of the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) 2025 and Minister of Investment, Trade
ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation at the 8th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Ministerial Meeting held today on 24 September 2025, at the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The Ministers exchanged view
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with H.E. Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, on the margins of the 57th AEM Meeting and Related Meetings, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They discussed ways to further advance the ASEAN-EU economic cooperation ag
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today spoke with the New York Times on the regional economic resilience, ongoing trade talks with the US Trade Representative, and economic repercussions for ASEAN economies from the U.S. tariffs. The interview took place on the sidelines of the 57th A
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the 31st AEM-METI Consultation held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Meeting discussed the importance of the ASEAN-Japan co-creation strategy with participation of the private sector in strengthening ASEAN and Japan economic
The Thirty-first ASEAN Economic Ministers – Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (AEM-METI) Consultation was held on 24 September 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Consultation was co-chaired by H.E. Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia,
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the AEM-USTR Consultation held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Meeting highlighted the importance of ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) as a mechanism for fostering open dialogue, aligning strategic p
The ASEAN Economic Ministers – United States Trade Representative (AEM-USTR) Consultation was held on 24 September 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Consultation was co-chaired by H.E. Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, and Ambassador J
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today joined the Economic Ministers from ASEAN, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea for the 28th AEM-Plus Three (APT) Consultation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Consultation focused on accelerating the implementat
