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, on 10 February 2026, spoke at a roundtable discussion organised by Asia House in London, on the sidelines of his working visit to the United Kingdom. Under the theme of “ASEAN Regionalism in the Evolving Geopolitical Landscape,” SG Dr. Ka
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Inaugural Forum of the Southeast Asian Futures Initiative Centre (SEAFIC) under the theme “ASEAN’s Golden Decade: Turning Geopolitical Overload into Geoeconomic Opportunity,” held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In hi
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 9 February 2026, participated in the Business Roundtable Dialogue organised by the UK-ASEAN Business Council, in London. In his remark, Dr. Kao shared ASEAN’s economic and geopolitical outlook and discussed opportunities for deeper UK–ASEAN busi
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 9 February 2026, met with the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra MP, in London, during his working visit to the United Kingdom. Both discussed practical ways to advance cooperation and further
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy of the United Kingdom (UK), on 9 February 2026, in London, on the sidelines of his working visit to the United Kingdom. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen ASEAN-UK economic cooper
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 9 February 2026, visited the headquarters of Arup in London, on the margins of his working visit to the United Kingdom. The visit aimed to discuss sustainable infrastructure, regional connectivity, and energy transition. During the visit, Dr. Kao ex
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 9 February 2026, met with the Right Honourable Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley, Lady Mayor of the City of London Cooperation, in London, during his working visit to the United Kingdom. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen collaboration to further
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, H.E. San Lwin, received a courtesy call from the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, H.E. Wang Qing, at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta on 9 February 2026. The meeting aimed to further strengthen the ASEAN-
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, engaged in a dialogue with Southeast Asian students in the University of Warwick on their academic journeys and experiences in pursuing higher education overseas. Dr. Kao encouraged the students to work hard and utilise their opportunity to learn a
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 7 February 2026, met with Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, in Warwick. They discussed the progress of the ongoing partnership in accelerating the implementation of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy and in supporti
