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
JAKARTA, 9–12 February 2026 — The ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP) convened a series of workshops to strengthen regional cooperation on product safety and consumer protection, with support from the United Kingdom’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). The four-day prog
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, received a courtesy call from the United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Michael G. DeSombre, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today. The meet
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, H.E. Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, today received a courtesy call by the Head of Southeast Asia and ASEAN Division at EEAS, Ms. Leila Fernández-Stembridge at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. During the meeting, both s
JAKARTA, 12 FEBRUARY 2026 – The First Meeting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) of the European Union (EU)-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package-Investment Facility (SCOPE-IF) project took place today at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
The Chair of the ASEAN Committee
6-11 February 2026
At the invitation of the University of Warwick and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary‑General of ASEAN, undertook a working visit to the UK, from 6 to 11 February 2026.The visit marked the f
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 10 February 2026, delivered a lecture at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. The event was hosted by the SOAS China Institute. With the theme “The ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Advancing Peac
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community (DSG APSC), Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, met with Charge d’Affaires of the Mission of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to ASEAN, Hahm Jeonghan, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today. Both sides discussed priorities
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 10 February 2026, met with Naz Shah MP, the UK’s Trade Envoy to ASEAN, in London. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ASEAN-UK economic cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as regulatory excellence, supply chain resilience,
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, on 10 February 2026, attended the working luncheon hosted by the ASEAN London Committee (ALC), currently chaired by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UK, H.E. Tuot Panha. Secretary-General and the Members of the ALC exchanged views on the
At the invitation of the President of the Foundational Council of the Munich Security Conference and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will lead the ASEAN Secretariat delegation to participate in the Munich Security Co
