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, delivered pre-recorded video remarks at the NUS Alumni Network Jakarta event, “ASEAN 2045: Geopolitics, Innovation and Opportunity in a Changing World,” held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 15 September 2026 .
Anchored on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Fu
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the 2026 International Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Expo and 4th China (Bozhou)-RCEP TCM Industry Cooperation Conference, held on 8-9 September 2026 in Bozhou City, Anhui Province, China.
In his remarks, D
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this evening delivered pre-recorded remarks for the launch of “Creative ASEAN: Enhancing Regional Cultural Cooperation through Residencies and Professional Exchange between ASEAN and France,” where he highlighted how ASEAN’s rich cultural
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Ninth ASEAN–India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (9th AIMMAF), on 9 September 2026. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao underscored the importance of strengthening ASEAN–India cooperation on food securi
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Third Global Forum for Sustainable Resilience, organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) of the Republic of Indonesia, in Jakarta. In his remarks, Dr. Kao underscored the ASEAN Leaders’
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered pre-recorded Remarks for the ASEAN Online Sale Day (AOSD) 2026. In his Remarks, SG Dr. Kao highlighted that AOSD shows the importance of keeping digital commerce safe and secure, providing consumers and businesses with a trusted digital
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the UK-ASEAN Renewable Energy and Interconnection Symposium, held in Jakarta, on 29 July 2026. In his remarks, Dr. Kao highlighted the growing ASEAN-UK partnership in supporting ASEAN’s energy transition throug
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 22 July 2026, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the 2nd Plenary Session of the 17th AIPA Caucus, held under the theme “Strengthening ASEAN Centrality in Navigating Complex Global Challenges.”
In his remark
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the ASEAN–China Tourism Dialogue, in Langkawi, Malaysia, on 22 July 2026. SG Dr. Kao underscored the strong recovery of ASEAN–China tourism as well as the shared commitment to building a resilient, sustainable, and
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the PROPEL – ASEAN Digital Leadership Forum and the Official Launch of the ASEAN CXO Association on 7 July 2026 in Singapore. In his remarks, Dr. Kao highlighted several key priorities for advancing ASEAN’s digita
