Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this evening attended a Working Dinner hosted by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Wang Wenbin, on the margins of his participation in the Inaugural Phnom Penh Strategic Dialogue, … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN attends Working Dinner hosted by Ambassador of China to the Kingdom of CambodiaASEAN Main Portal
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, H.E. Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, met with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to ASEAN, H.E. Lee Chul, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today. They exchanged views on ASEAN-ROK collaboration and ways to further advance … Continue reading Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community meets with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to ASEANASEAN Main Portal
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, today met with Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to ASEAN, Khalid Jassim Alyassin, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. They exchanged views on ways and means to further enhance relations between ASEAN … Continue reading Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Meets with Ambassador of Kuwait to ASEANASEAN Main Portal
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered a keynote address at the Inaugural Phnom Penh Strategic Dialogue, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, convened by the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), a member of ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS). … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN Participates in the Inaugural Phnom Penh Strategic DialogueASEAN Main Portal
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this evening delivered remarks at the Gala Dinner, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), a member of ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the Gala Dinner to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and PeaceASEAN Main Portal
1. The Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) of ASEAN successfully resolved all outstanding issues in the negotiations of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) during its Second Meeting of the 57th ASEAN SEOM, held in Manila, Philippines on 27-29 May 2026. This marks the successful conclusion of the negotiations on ASEAN’s first region-wide digital economy agreement and a major milestone in advancing the ASEAN Leader’s vision of a digitally integrated, secure, interoperable, competitive, and inclusive regional economy.
2. The ASEAN DEFA is expected to play a transformative role in unlocking the full potential of ASEAN’s digital economy, which studies indicate could reach as much as USD 2 trillion by 2030 with its successful implementation. The outcome follows the 27th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting held on 7 May 2026 in Cebu, Philippines where Ministers directed ASEAN SEOM to resolve all remaining negotiating issues, underscoring the strategic importance of the DEFA as ASEAN’s response to a rapidly evolving global economic landscape and its commitment to building an open, rules-based, and seamlessly connected digital economy.
Download the full statement here.
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Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with the Minister of State for Defence of Singapore, H.E. Desmond Choo, on the sidelines of 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore. Both sides discussed regional defence cooperation and preparations for Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027. … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Minister of State for Defence of SingaporeASEAN Main Portal
At the invitation of Mr. Huy Kanthoul Vora, Executive Director of Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will participate in the Inaugural Phnom Penh Strategic Dialogue, to be held on 2 June 2026, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he will deliver a keynote address. Dr. Kao will also deliver remarks at the Gala Dinner hosted by CICP, on 1 June 2026.
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Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning gave a video interview to Al Arabiya English, on the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, where he highlighted ASEAN’s cooperation in security. The post Secretary-General of ASEAN speaks to Al Arabiya English … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN speaks to Al Arabiya EnglishASEAN Main Portal
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, H.E. Marcel de Vink, on the sidelines of 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore. They discussed ways to further strengthen the ASEAN-Netherlands Development Partnership and also exchanged views … Continue reading Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsASEAN Main Portal
