The tenth of October 1997 marks the founding of the ASEAN Heads of Statistical Offices Meeting (AHSOM) with the endorsement of the AHSOM Institutional Arrangement at the close of the Inaugural AHSOM held at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta on 9-10 October 1997.

The meeting as convened by then ASEAN Secretary-General, His Excellency Dato’ Ajit Singh and was attended by six heads and several representatives of the national statistical offices (NSOs) of all ASEAN Member States (AMS), with Cambodia present as observer.

AHSOM 1 essentially set the stage for a regional cooperation in statistics by agreeing to establish and ASEAN Primary Database, endorsing the formulation of an ASEAN Plan of Action in Statistics, and recommending the establishment of a Statistics Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat.