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 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
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered his keynote remarks via video recording for the Joint Webinar of the ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA), Pacific Accountants (CAPA), and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), with the theme “Navigating a Changed Worl
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the ASEAN Editors & Economic Opinion Leaders Forum in Makati, the Philippines. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao underscored the vital role of editors, journalists, and economic opinion leaders in shaping public discourse
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivers pre-recorded remarks at the Manila Times Economic Forum, underscoring the importance of strengthening ASEAN partnerships and advancing regional cooperation as the Philippines assumes the role as ASEAN Chair in 2026.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered pre-recorded remarks at the Inaugural Forum of the Southeast Asian Futures Initiative Centre (SEAFIC) under the theme “ASEAN’s Golden Decade: Turning Geopolitical Overload into Geoeconomic Opportunity,” held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In hi
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, addressed the Spring Festival at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat in a video message. In his remarks, SG Dr. Kao commended the organisation of the Festival, which included a range of promotional and cultural activities. The Festival is collabor
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered his remarks at the Inaugural ASEAN–India Tourism Professionals Exchange, a milestone event of the ASEAN–India Year of Tourism 2025. He highlighted the vital role of tourism professionals in connecting cultures, strengthening communities,
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered a pre-recorded keynote address at the Hong Ting Forum 2025, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency (Asia-Pacific Bureau) and the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN. Held under the theme “Expanding New Frontiers for China-AS
