DILI, 9–10 June 2026 – The 15th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group to Develop the ASCC Strategic Plan was convened on 9-10 June 2026 in Dili, Timor-Leste. The Meeting was co-chaired by Director Hannah Carcido-Giray, Bureau Director of Policy Development and Planning Bureau, Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Philippines, and Ms. Sara Abdullah, Senior Assistant Director, International Relations Division of Strategy, International and Research Directorate. Ministry of Social and Family Development of Singapore.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Ageu Jorge Cardoso, SOCA Leader of Timor-Leste, expressed his appreciation to all delegates and highlighted that the 15th AHWG Meeting was the first ASCC meeting held in Timor-Leste since its accession as a full Member of ASEAN. He underscored the special significance of the meeting for Timor-Leste, highlighting it as an important opportunity to contribute constructively to advancing the shared vision and values of ASEAN, further demonstrating the Timor-Leste’s commitment to building a people-centred ASEAN Community.

AHWG Co-Chair Philippines, Director Hannah A. Giray-Carcido, underscored the importance of the Meeting in ensuring that the ASCC Results Framework is coherent, measurable, and capable of demonstrating the ASCC Strategic Plan’s collective impact. She further emphasised the role of the AHWG in overseeing the finalisation and endorsement of the ASCC Results Framework and its baselining.

The Meeting agreed to commence the baselining of the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the strategic measures of the ASCC Strategic Plan and deliberated on the objective-level indicators. The Meeting also took note of the recommendations provided by sectoral bodies, especially in ensuring the smooth conduct and completion of baseline data collection in each AMS. Furthermore, the AHWG emphasised the importance of having objective-level KPIs at the long-term outcome level and their link to socio-cultural and socio-economic development. The Meeting also discussed the remaining work and tasks of the AHWG for 2026, and the completion of the baseline report and its endorsement to the Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC.

The Meeting also included an Interface, which facilitated knowledge-sharing between the AHWG and ASCC Sectoral Bodies in Timor-Leste. During the Interface, AHWG shared its experiences and good practices in developing indicators, aligning national priorities to regional frameworks, and hosting ASCC events and meetings. Sectoral bodies from Timor-Leste also provided an overview of their sectoral priorities and processes at the national level.

In her closing remarks, AHWG Co-Chair Singapore, Senior Assistant Director Sara Abdullah, expressed her deep appreciation to all delegates, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the Timor-Leste for the fruitful and productive Meeting. She acknowledged the significant progress made in advancing the ASCC Strategic Plan and Results Framework and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the 15th AHWG Meeting represent a decisive step towards the completion of a comprehensive, results-oriented, and people-centred ASCC Strategic Plan for the next decade.

The 15th AHWG Meeting was co-hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEC) of Timor-Leste and supported by the Government of Australia through the Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative (Aus4ASEAN).