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
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the European Union (EU), H.E. Belén Martínez Carbonell, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on strengthening t
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today welcomed a delegation from the ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat, led by its Executive Director, Dr. Thanapan Laiprakobsup, during a courtesy visit at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting discussed the AUN’s role in ad
In an interview with CGTN today, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, reflected on the evolving landscape of ASEAN-China relations. Following the recent upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) to version 3.0, Dr. Kao emphasised the tangible benefits of expanding coo
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Henrique Archanjo Ferraro, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to ASEAN, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. Both sides exchanged views on strengthening ASEAN-Brazil relations and advancing cooperation in are
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received a courtesy call by a delegation from the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL), led by Mr. Jiang Zeting, Chair of the University Council, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting provided an opportun
JAKARTA, 25 March 2026 – The ASEAN Secretariat is pleased to announce the release of The ASEAN Magazine, Issue No. 49–50, titled ASEAN’s Roots and Reefs: Nature’s Strongholds.
This edition opens with reflections from Secretary Rex Gatchalian of the Philippine Department of Social Wel
