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 joined the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in the Meeting of the Commission on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) in Manila, the Philippines. The Commission discussed, among others, on the implementation of the Plan of Action to Streng
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), held on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings, in M
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 18 July 2026, delivered remarks at the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, held on the sidelines of 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China. Dr. Kao was joined by heads of government, international organi
On the sidelines of his participation in the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), in Shanghai, China, Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 17 July 2026, met with Mr. Zhou Wei, Vice President of Huawei, at the Huawei Lianqiu Lake R&D Center. The meeting provided the
At the invitation of H.E. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Chair of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) 2026 and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will lead the ASEAN Secretariat’s delegation to participate in the 59th &n
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 17 July 2026, attended the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), in Shanghai, China.
WAIC is a strategic platform to exchange perspectives on AI innovation, governance, and digital transformation,
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered the keynote speech at the 2026 ASEAN-ROK Regional Connectivity Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his keynote speech, Dr. Kao highlighted that the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan must now be translated
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received a courtesy call from a delegation of the Philippine Foreign Service Institute (FSI), led by its Director-General Neil Frank R. Ferrer, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. SG Dr. Kao highlighted the important role of research ins
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received a delegation from the South Asia Regional Parliamentary Forum (SARPF) for Climate, Energy and Environment at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. They exchanged views on regional cooperation in climate action, energy transition, cli
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today gave an interview to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) as part of the commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the “ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response: ASEAN Responding t
