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 participated in the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, where he delivered remarks at the Second Plenary Session on “Priorities within Asia’s Shifting Strategic Landscape.” Dr. Kao highlighted ASEAN’s commitment to upholding ASEAN Cen
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this evening attended the Opening Dinner of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, where the Keynote Address was delivered by His Excellency Tô Lâm, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of t
At the invitation of Dr. Bastian Giegerich, Director-General and Chief Executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn will participate in the 23rd edition of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which will take place in Singapore, on 29-
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, Ms. Joy M. Sakurai, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ ASEAN Secretariat, to discuss the ASEAN-U.S. digital cooperation priorities 2026, which includes ASEAN-U.S. collaboration on Arti
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered remarks at the Opening of the Exhibition on the Fifth Anniversary of the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, held at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. SG Dr. Kao welcomed the exhibition, which offers an excelle
At the invitation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 24 May 2026, delivered the Opening Remarks at the Inauguration Ceremony of the ASEAN-China Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Cent
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with H.E. Ke Jixin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, on the sidelines of his participation in the Inauguration Ceremony of the ASEAN-China Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Ce
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the second day of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China, which focused on advancing cooperation on emerging economic and trade priorities, including digita
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today held a pull-aside meeting with Hon. Todd McClay, Minister for Trade and Investment of New Zealand, on the sidelines of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China. Both sides di
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 22 May 2026, attended the Welcome Dinner of the 32nd APEC MRT Meeting, in Suzhou, China. The dinner brought together APEC Trade Ministers, senior representatives from across the APEC member economies, including members of APEC Business Advisory Coun
