Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered a video message at the Networking Dialogue with the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI), held at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, on 3 March 2025. In his remarks, Dr. Kao congratulated Dr. Somsak Akksilp on his appointment as Executive Director of ACAI (ED/ACAI) and reaffirmed the regional commitment in preparing ASEAN as underscored by the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing: Empowering Older Persons in ASEAN in 2015. Dr. Kao added that ACAI exemplifies the ongoing cross-sectoral commitment on ageing and older people. Dr. Kao encouraged a deeper understanding of ACAI’s priority strategies and initiatives through ACAI briefing and called for collective engagement in the realisation of the Centre’s mandate and mission to promote a healthy, active, and productive ageing in ASEAN.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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