PRESS RELEASE
New Secretary-General of ASEAN Assumes Post at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, 7 January 2008 Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, assumed the post of Secretary-General of ASEAN on 7 January 2008, succeeding Mr. Ong Keng Yong, whose term ended on 31 December 2007.
The five-year tenure of Dr. Surin Pitsuwan will be from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. His appointment was formally endorsed by the ASEAN Leaders at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore in November 2007.
The Ceremony for the Transfer of Office of the Secretary-General of ASEAN was held at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia this morning. The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda and the outgoing Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr. Ong Keng Yong. Also witnessing the Ceremony were representatives from the Diplomatic Corps, international organisations, academics, business community as well as media.
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, in his message as the new Secretary-General of ASEAN, said:
“We all inherit a Vision, a Dream. Five great statesmen bequeathed to us, a new generation of Southeast Asian people, a legacy of peaceful co-existence in the midst of tremendous diversity here in the region. Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand met on a fateful day of 8 August 1967 to chart the course of their countries’ future. They pledged their sacred honor to endeavor together for a better life in peace and prosperity for their peoples. They made their sacred oath to seal their fate in our names, the names of the peoples of Southeast Asia. That was when ASEAN was born, inspired by a common desire for a brighter and more secure future”.
“Forty years on, their Vision and their Dream remain vibrant, vivid and clear. As I humbly accept the trust and confidence of the Leaders of ASEAN to coordinate the activities through the ASEAN Secretariat in our common quest for a better integrated, more efficient and more resilient regional organisation, I seek the cooperation and support of fellow ASEAN citizens and policy-makers, as well as the partners of ASEAN to work with us, the able men and women of the Secretariat, to turn the Vision and Dream of our Founding Fathers into reality.
We have a blueprint for the future in the form of the ASEAN Charter. It is meant to help us consolidate our core, improve our coordination, accelerate our speed, in the face of new challenges and stiffer competition. It is up to us to fashion a new approach, conceive a new strategy and recalibrate the old ways of doing things to accomplish our higher goal of a global and competitive ASEAN.
I salute the strong and vigorous leadership of H.E. Ong Keng Yong, the outgoing Secretary-General of ASEAN, for his many initiatives and many sacrifices through his five years tenure. I want also to convey my sincere respect to all my predecessors in this post for their contributions and stewardship which have transformed the Secretariat into a strong nerve-centre of our Organisation. I pledge to follow your selfless sacrifice, Secretary Ong, and your boundless energy and your relentless enthusiasm and perseverance for the good of our region. I can only wish that I will measure up to your standard. I will give the full measure of myself along the path that you and our predecessors have paved for the Secretariat. And I know I can count on your continuous advice and guidance, and I can rely on our colleagues here at the Secretariat in the execution of my duty as your Successor.”
A veteran politician and academic, Dr. Surin received his M.A. and Ph.D in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. Upon his return from the United States, he spent almost ten years teaching at the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasart University, Bangkok, Thailand. In 1986, Dr. Surin ran for a Parliamentary seat in his home town, Nakorn Sri Thammarat. He has been returned to Parliament eight times since 1986.
Dr. Surin was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand from 1997-2001. He served as Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum from 1999-2000.
Upon leaving the Foreign Affairs portfolio in mid-2001, he was appointed as a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations and an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and States Sovereignty. He also served on the ILO’s World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.
Prior to assuming his duties at the ASEAN Secretariat, Dr. Surin was a Member of Parliament in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) of Thailand. He also was a Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party.
Dr. Surin is married with three children.
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan’s full Curriculum Vitae can be accessed at www. aseansec.org/drsurin-biodata.pdf.
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Issued by: The ASEAN Secretariat, 7 January 2008
