PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, DPM Prak Sokhonn, announced at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that Minister Delegate Attached to the Prime Minister, Kao Kim Hourn, will be appointed as the Secretary-General of ASEAN in 2023.

Senior Foreign Ministry official, Kong Phok, said during a press conference on Wednesday evening, 3 August, that Minister Kao Kim Hourn has been appointed as the new ASEAN Secretary-General in 2023, with the support of all ASEAN foreign ministers.

"In a closed meeting, H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn also announced the appointment of H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, as Secretary-General of ASEAN, which will start from 2023," he said. "The appointment was also welcomed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers.”

The ASEAN Secretary-General has a five-year term of office to administer and coordinate cooperation between ASEAN stakeholders to ensure adherence to the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. The ASEAN Secretariat is currently led by Dato Lim Jock Hoi from Brunei.

The ASEAN Secretariat was established in February 1976 by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers. The Secretariat, headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, was established in 1981.