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 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
MSMEs are at the heart of inclusive and resilient growth. The Secretary-General of ASEAN shares a congratulatory message for the 3rd National MSME Day 2026, reaffirming ASEAN’s commitment to empowering MSMEs through stronger partnerships, innovation, and a more enabling business environment.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered a pre-recorded keynote address at the ASEAN-Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue held at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, on 25 June 2026. Marking the fifth anniversary of the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Dr. Kao high
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Grand Opening of the ASEAN City Leaders Conference held on 8 June 2026, in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. In his remarks, Dr. Kao reiterated the importance of people-centric urban governance through multi-level and multi-stakeh
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 28 May 2026, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Local Government and Friendship Cities Cooperation (Huangshan) Forum, held in Huangshan City, China. In his remarks,
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the ASEAN–EU Sustainability Summit, held in in Cebu, the Philippines, on 7 May 2026. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao underscored the importance of strengthening ASEAN–EU cooperation to advance sustainable and inclusive
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered a video message at the Opening of ASEAN Climate Week 2026, convened virtually from 27 April 2026 to 1 May 2026, under the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairship. In his address, SG Dr. Kao reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to adva
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, on 9 April 2026 delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Amity Circle Retreat IV held in Ha Noi, Vietnam. In his remarks, Dr. Kao highlighted ASEAN’s progress since 2025, including the adoption of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, Timor-Leste’s
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered a pre-recorded keynote speech at the ASEAN Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM) Seminar held on 12 March 2026 in Manila, the Philippines, jointly hosted by the Philippine Space Agency, Thailand’s Geo-Informat
