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 attended a working lunch hosted by the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States Mission to ASEAN, Joy Sakurai, in Jakarta. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the follow-up to the outcomes of the 13th
Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, H.E. Birgit Stevens, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. They discussed ways and means to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and Belgium, bot
JAKARTA, 25 November 2025 – Ambassador Yonetani Koji today presented his Letter of Credence as Japan’s Ambassador to ASEAN to Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
Secretary-General Dr. Kao congratulated Ambassador Yonetani Koji o
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered opening remarks at the ASEAN-France One Health Scientific Conference, which took place at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. Co-organised by the Ministry of Health Indonesia, Embassy of France in Indonesia, Timor-Leste and to ASE
At the invitation of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will undertake a Working Visit to the Republic of the Philippines, on 27-28 November 2025, to discuss preparations for the Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN in
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered a pre-recorded keynote address at the 6th ASEAN Insurance Summit held in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao highlighted ASEAN insurance sector’s support towards sustainability and greater resilience. SG Dr. Kao also called fo
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered remarks at the 24th General Assembly of the Veterans Confederation of ASEAN Countries (VECONAC), held in Jakarta. Dr. Kao underscored the enduring contributions of veterans to regional peace and reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to work c
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, in his capacity as Depositary of ASEAN legal instruments, today received the Instruments of Accession to ASEAN legal instruments by the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, deposited by H.E. Ambassador Natércia Cipriano Coelho da Silva, Permanent Repre
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Huawei Asia Pacific Vice President, Peter Pan Junfeng, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat to discuss strengthening regional digital cooperation, tackling cyber fraud, and advancing Smart and Green ASEAN initiatives, including di
JAKARTA, 24 November 2025 – At the 7th ASEAN-Türkiye Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (AT-JSCC) Meeting, held at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, both sides renewed their commitment to strengthening their Sectoral Dialogue Partnership by undertaking more practical cooperation activi
