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, held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Nguyen Manh Hung, Chair of the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) and Minister of Science and Technology of Viet Nam, in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Both sides exchanged views on ways to advance ASEAN’s str
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China, at the sidelines of the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN) and Related Meetings, in Hanoi, Viet Nam. They discussed the pote
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered keynote remarks at the Lunch Dialogue with U.S. Industry, hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), in Hanoi, Viet Nam. In his remarks, Dr. Kao underscored the importance of strengthening public–private partnerships in advanci
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today visited the Huawei APAC AI+ Gallery Exhibition, on the sidelines of the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN), in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
The exhibition showcased a range of AI-powered innovations and applications, highlighting the
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About the ASEAN 2026 Philippine Chairship – Navigating Our Future, Together
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh, today held a pull-aside meeting with the Secretary of State for International Development of Canada, Randeep Sarai, on the sidelines of a working lunch between the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN with t
The Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) and Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community today had a working lunch with Secretary of State for International Development of Canada, Randeep Sarai. They discussed practical ways to bolster the ASEAN–Canada Strat
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning met with Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, Mr. Fu Fengshan. The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on the state of ASEAN–China relations and to reaf
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, hosted a working dinner with H.E. Mariann Ruud Hagen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to ASEAN, during which both sides exchanged views on strengthening the ASEAN-Norway Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, as well as on regional and international issues
JAKARTA, 12 January 2026 – Ambassador Prinat Apirat presented her Letter of Credence to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today, formally commencing her tenure as the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Thailand to ASEAN.
