Manila - Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Dr. Kao Kim Hourn on Monday, 20 July 2026 held an interface or meeting the organization's human rights commission (AICHR) in Manila, the Philippines.
According to ASEAN Secretariat, Secretary General Dr. Kao's meeting with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was aimed to exchanged views on the human rights commission's ongoing work and priorities particularly in advancing human rights cooperation and dialogue in ASEAN.
(ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn (fifth from left) pose in ASEAN-style with 11 AICHR members in Manila on Monday, 20 July 2026 (Photo/ASEAN Secretariat))
Advancing human rights cooperation and dialogue in ASEAN is in alignment with ASEAN 2045 vision under the theme "Our Shared Future".
AICHR was inaugurated in 2009 and under the Secretary General of ASEAN. Each ASEAN member countries has one representative, who was chosen by each state.
ASEAN has 11 member countries - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Chair state of ASEAN is rotated every year follows alphabetical order.
(An interface meeting between ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn in Manila, Philippines on Monday, 20 July 2026 (Photo/ASEAN Secretariat))
This year, the Philippines chairs the regional group after ASEAN decided to skip Myanmar from this year chairing due to unestablished issues regarding the fate of the people of the country since its military launched coup d'tat in February 2021.***
