Articles Category: ASEAN Identity and Community Building

The year 2026 marks the first year of implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans. The ASEAN Leaders gave a clear mandate that ASEAN’s 20-year development roadmap would realise a resilient and inclusive people-centred ASEA

ASEAN Community-building—spanning political security, economic progress, connectivity, and socio-cultural development—has always placed people at its core. The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint 2025 has advanced this commitment and turned

Regional integration is only as strong as the people who carry it forward. Hence, ASEAN has made institutional strengthening a priority for achieving a cohesive ASEAN Community.

When ASEAN Leaders launched the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 in November 2015, they set out an ambitious vision: to transform Southeast Asia into a highly integrated and cohesive; innovative and dynamic, with enhanced connectivity and

Cambodia currently serves as the Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM). ACDM Chair and Secretary General of the National Committee for Disaster Management of Cambodia Kim Virak discussess ASEAN’s progress under the ASEAN Agreement

This year, ASEAN has embarked on a momentous journey towards ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future—an ASEAN that is resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centred. On the one hand, “Shared Future” refers to what is envisioned, which, as I said, is a resili

Minister Suanesavanh Vignaket discusses the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Achievements under the Lao PDR’s Chairmanship theme, “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.” She delves into the key achievements and initiatives implemented duri

On 11 October 2024, Ekkaphab Phanthavong officially completes his tenure as the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Before assuming his role at the ASEAN Secretariat, he was the Ambassador/Permanent Representative

50 Years of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation

Over the years, The ASEAN has shared stories from across ASEAN Member States that show how regional cooperation cascades into national and community actions and takes shape in everyday life. Some feature beneficiaries of national and regional initiativ

With the adoption of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, we continue to be in conversation with people in the region on their hopes and concerns for the future. The ASEAN aimed to involve various perspectives in this endeavour, reaching out extensively

The Indian Ocean Tsunami flattened the coastal communities of Aceh, North Sumatra, killing more than 170,000 people. At least 116,000 are listed as missing. In this section, five survivors share their experiences from the harrowing day of 26 December 2

Fifty-five-year-old Agus Nur Amal PM Toh is an Acehnese traditional storytelling artist. His love for the arts began in his hometown of Sabang on Weh Island, Aceh, the westernmost island in Indonesia. It is in a theatre’s spectator seats where he disco

On 26 December 2004, Andi Azhar Rusdin was a high school student who loved math and physics. Like many others, he was shocked by the tragic news of the Aceh tsunami unfolding that day.

On the morning of 26 December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck, triggering one of the most devastating tsunamis in Asia. My hometown, Aceh, Indonesia was among the hardest hit, and the destruction was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.