ASEAN celebrated its 56th anniversary on 8 August 2023 with Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship theme, “Epicentrum of Growth”.
President Joko Widodo kicked off the celebrations with a ride on Jakarta’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) with Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and members of the diplomatic community. The dignitaries and guests used commemorative ASEAN MRT cards to commute from Jakarta’s Welcome Rotunda to the ASEAN Secretariat, the celebration’s venue.
An exhibition showcasing the ASEAN’s history was set up at the ASEAN MRT Station for the public to view from 8 to 13 August 2023.
Students from Sekolah Perkumpulan Mandiri primary school performed at the event. They played Anklung, an Indonesian traditional instrument, and sang “ASEAN Community,” an original composition by Julia Tampubolon.
