Secretary-General of ASEAN

Secretary-General of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Incumbent
Kao Kim Hourn
since 1 January 2023
StyleHis Excellency
StatusChief administrative and coordinating officer
ResidenceASEAN Secretariat
SeatJakarta, Indonesia
AppointerASEAN Summit
Term lengthFive years, non-renewable
Constituting instrumentASEAN Charter
Inaugural holderHartono Dharsono
Formation7 June 1976 (1976-06-07)
First holderHartono Dharsono
Websiteasean.org

The Secretary-General of ASEAN is the chief administrative officer and principal representative of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Established by the 1976 Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Secretariat and formally codified in the ASEAN Charter of 2008, the Secretary-General leads the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is responsible for facilitating and monitoring the implementation of ASEAN agreements and decisions. Appointed by member states during an ASEAN Summit for a single non-renewable five-year term, the Secretary-General acts as a neutral regional official, supporting consensus-building among member states and representing ASEAN in external relations. The secretary-general must come from an ASEAN member state and will be appointed during the ASEAN Summit based on the alphabetical order of member states. The term of office is five years.