Phnom Penh: 08 August 2023, it is hard to believe that it has been 56 years since ASEAN was founded. Over the past decades, we have stood together to tackle a myriad of challenges, big and small. From the geo-political security issues of the Cold War to the building of the ASEAN Community, we have learned to work together, to stay unified, and to find solutions to preserve our centrality, unity, and raison d’être.

ASEAN's strength lies in our diversity. We have leveraged our differences as a force for good, producing remarkable achievements over the years. We have embraced a rules-based approach undergirded by our ASEAN Charter, which upholds the principles of consultation and consensus-building, non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member States, and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Another strength of ASEAN is our people. At the heart of every initiative, project, or program is the well-being of our peoples. We seek to improve and advance their lives through full regional integration. Our vibrant economies that are highly competitive and integrated are the sources of our growth. Our ASEAN Community is truly people-oriented and people-centred, and we aspire to leave no one behind.

Rapid changes in the global geopolitical landscape and the resulting uncertainties have presented new and complex challenges for ASEAN. However, our efforts to act and respond as one family have enabled us to develop effective and appropriate responses to these difficult issues. This has allowed us to further strengthen ASEAN Centrality and elevate our stature when engaging with our Dialogue Partners and other external friends.

In the face of any obstacle, ASEAN has shown resilience and adaptiveness by tackling them with our own unique and effective approach, the ASEAN Way.

Last year, Cambodia successfully delivered on its mandate as ASEAN Chair. Our theme "ASEAN A.C.T: Addressing Challenges Together" could not have reflected so well that exceptionally challenging year. We had to harness all of our energy and partnerships to tackle so many hot stones, from the rising geopolitical tensions, the Myanmar crisis, the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the persisting security issue of the Korean Peninsula, the tensions in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, and certainly the post-COVID-19 difficult recovery.

As Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair, I was able to deliver on some low hanging fruits, in terms of providing to the Myanmar people access to medicine and vaccines, opening a small window of hope for peace talks among warring parties, and help free many political prisoners, including foreigners. We were also able to reaffirm our conviction that multilateralism is still the best solution for global problems. The continuous interest from countries across the globe to formalize their engagements with ASEAN is another clear affirmation of ASEAN's growing prominence in regional and world affairs, as well as a vote of confidence in the future of ASEAN.

This year, under Indonesia's chairmanship and its theme "Epicentrum of Global Growth", I am optimistic that ASEAN will continue to matter as we move forward to implement our ASEAN Community building process. We will speed up the delivery of our Community Blueprints, strengthen ASEAN's capacity and institutional effectiveness, and formulate our Post-2025 Vision that ensures ASEAN becomes a future-ready, future-proof Community.

At the end of the day, what we aim now is to make ASEAN a regional organization that is resilient, robust, adaptive, inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous.

Lastly, I cannot help but to stress again and again the imperative of maintaining ASEAN Centrality and Unity. Its core principle of consensus must be adhered to, regardless of the vagaries of circumstances.

On a very personal note, as this is the last ASEAN Day that I will be addressing you, let me express my gratitude to all of you, ambassadors. I do appreciate your support, your cooperation, your friendship, and your commitment to make ASEAN an organisation we can all be proud of.

On that note, let me wish you all a very Happy ASEAN Day! Thank you very much.

According to a press release from H.E. PRAK Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kingdom of Cambodia.