At the invitation of H.E. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Chair of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) 2026 and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will lead the ASEAN Secretariat’s delegation to participate in the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conferences, the 27th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 16th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum, and the meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission. The series of meetings hosted by the Philippines, as ASEAN Chair for 2026, will take place in Manila, the Philippines, on 18-24 July 2026, under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.”
While in Manila, Dr. Kao will hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from ASEAN Member States and ASEAN’s external partners to explore ways to further strengthen ASEAN’s cooperation and partnership in support of the implementation of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future. Dr. Kao is also scheduled to hold an interface with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives on the margins of the 59th AMM and Related Meetings.
Concluding the series of meetings, Dr. Kao will participate in the commemorative activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on 24 July 2026, including the high-level Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the TAC, the signing ceremony for new High Contracting Parties to the TAC, and the Gala Dinner to be hosted by H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines and ASEAN Chair for 2026.
