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
At the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of Viet Nam, H.E. Tô Lâm, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated and delivered remarks in a brief exchange session with Head of Delegation, partners and scho
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this afternoon shared his thoughts and perspectives in an interview by the Vietnamese Television (VTV1) news, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum 2026, in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Dr. Kao reflected on the success of the ASEAN Future Forum, which has be
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning participated in the Opening Session of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, with the theme of the AFF this year as “Shaping Our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centred.” In his remarks, Dr. Kao high
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered the Opening Keynote and participated in the Opening Plenary on “Steering Global Transition from the Heart of ASEAN” at the 18th Annual Research Conference of the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) held in Asia for t
At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, H.E. Le Hoai Trung, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will participate in the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026, to be held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on 8-9 June 2026, whereby SG Dr. Kao will deliver rem
At the invitation of the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will participate in the 18th Annual Research Conference by the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) to be held on 8 June 2026, at the Nanyang Busines
JAKARTA, 4 June 2026 – Ambassador Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Bandouq AlQamzi presented his Letter of Credence as the first dedicated Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to ASEAN to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today.
Sec
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Ambassador of Russian Federation to ASEAN, H.E. Evgeny Zagaynov, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. Both sides discussed preparations for the upcoming ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit to mark the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Russ
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today hosted a working lunch with the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. The discussions focused on ASEAN Community-building, external relations and latest developments in ASEAN, as well
At the invitation of President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Professor Tetsuya Watanabe, Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn today participated in the International Investment Forum on Critical Minerals in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he delivered the open
