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
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, today met with Australia’s SOM Leader, Michelle Chan, on the sidelines of the 38th ASEAN-Australia Forum in Sydney, Australia. Both sides took the opportunity to exchange views on the ASEAN-Aust
PENANG, 12 – 14 May 2026 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are strengthening cooperation to advance workforce readiness and skills development across Southeast Asia through the Closing the Gap Workshop 2026, taking place from 12–14 May 2026 in Pe
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 12 May 2026, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the 2026 World Digital Education Conference, held in Hangzhou, China. In his remarks, Dr. Kao emphasised the region’s collective efforts to leverage digital innovation and artificial intelligenc
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to ASEAN, H.E. Amb. Latifah Zaini, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. They discussed Brunei Darussalam’s continued contributions to the ASEAN Community-building efforts, including
H.E. San Lwin, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, received Mr. Massimo Geloso Grosso, Head of the OECD Jakarta Office, and Ms. Hyun Seung Lee, Advisor for ASEAN at the OECD Jakarta Office, at the ASEAN Secretariat for a courtesy visit. Their discussions focuse
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered his Opening Statement at the 10th ASEAN Entities Forum, held at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. Marking a decade of structured engagement with ASEAN Entities through the Forum, he underscored the indispensable role of ASEAN En
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Community and Corporate Affairs, H.E. Nararya Soeprapto, moderated a session of the 10th ASEAN Entities Forum, entitled “From Vision to Action: Contribution of ASEAN Entities in Advancing Community Building in Achieving ASEAN 2045”, held at AS
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the Socio-Cultural Community, H.E. San Lwin, delivered Closing Remarks at the 10th ASEAN Entities Forum, held at the ASEAN Headquarters / ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia, on 12 May 2026. He reflected on the breadth and depth of the day’s discussions
JAKARTA, 12 May 2026 — The 10th Forum of Entities Associated with ASEAN commenced today in Jakarta, gathering parliamentarians, judiciaries, think tanks, civil society organisations, and business entities. Held under the theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together,” the two-day Forum commemorates
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received Chairman of the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations (FASA), Mr. Mohamed Safwan bin Othman, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. During the meeting, they discussed opportunities to strengthen collaboration between ASEAN
