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 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
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with the Deputy Minister of International Trade of Canada, H.E. Glenn Purves, on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting, in Suzhou, China. Both sides discussed the ASEAN-Canada economic agenda and were en
On the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Han-Koo Yeo, to discuss the upgrading of the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA), among
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 22 May 2026, participated in the Dialogue Between the Members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), on the margins of the 32nd APEC
On the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with the Vice Minister of Commerce and International Trade Representative of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Li Chenggang. Both sides discu
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, participated in the Luncheon between APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade and the Business Community, held on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China. The luncheon brought together APEC Trade Minist
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today attended the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting under the theme ‘Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together’ in Suzhou, China. During the Meeting, Dr. Kao reaffirmed ASEAN
On the sidelines of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Suzhou, China, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today held a pull-aside meeting with Director-General of the World Trade Organization, H.E. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, t
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today held a pull-aside meeting with the Executive Director of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, Mr. Eduardo Pedrosa, on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting, in Suzhou, China. Both sides exch
