ASEAN Community extends its post 2025 vision to 2045

The High-level Task Force for the ASEAN Community’s Post 2025 vision (HLTF-ACV) has agreed to increase its time frame, according to ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.

In his speech at the International Studies Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday (Thursday), he said that ASEAN has extended the ASEAN Community Post 2025’s visit for an additional 20 years, to 2045.

Secretary General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, said that the HLTF-ACV is discussing the development of the ASEAN community Post 2025. At the recent meeting in Belitung, Indonesia, the task force agreed to the new time frame.

The ASEAN chief is on a three-day visit to Thailand, on the invitation of the Thai government. Yesterday, he also made a courtesy call on both Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, followed by a lunch.

Related to the future content of the ASEAN Community Post 2045’s Vision, the meeting, its 7th, also discussed important trends that will have an impact on the future of the ASEAN community in the next two decades. These trends include geopolitics, food security, energy crises, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and pandemics, among others.

According to an informed ASEAN source, the HLTF-ACV is scheduled to meet and exchange views with ASEAN leaders ahead of the upcoming 42nd ASEAN summit, which is scheduled on 9-10 May.

Over the past months, the task force has also held interface consultations with ASEAN-related agencies, including the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

Furthermore, the HLTF-ACV met with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), a Jakarta-based economic think tank, to exchange views on pertinent issues.

The Meeting focused their attention on the needs and challenges to ensure and preserve ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, including the need to have a better check and balance system in place when empowering ASEAN bodies, which would take into account agility, flexibility and responsiveness.