The ASEAN Leaders at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits supported H.E. Kao Kim Hourn, Cambodian Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister, to be the new Secretary General of ASEAN, said H.E. Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

“Today, the ASEAN Leaders reconfirm their support for H.E. Kao Kim Hourn to be the successor of H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi,” H.E. Kung Phoak, also the Spokesperson of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits told reporters at a press conference here this evening.

At the same time, he added, the ASEAN Leaders expressed thanks to H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi who have finished his mandate and highly appreciated his role when the bloc and the world have been facing different crises and challenges.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, H.E. Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi was the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam before becoming the ASEAN Secretary General.

He served as Brunei Darussalam’s Senior Official for the ASEAN Economic Community Pillar (SEOM), APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting). He was a member of the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) since 2001, serving as the HLTF-EI Chair in 2017. He was Brunei Darussalam’s Chief Negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), as well as for the P4, precursor to the TPP negotiations. Previously, he was also the Co-Chair during the negotiations for the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), and also served as Brunei Darussalam’s Chief Negotiator for the Brunei Darussalam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (BJEPA).

From June 2011-2017, he was the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). He was also on the External Advisory Board for the ASEAN 2030 Study being undertaken by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

He entered the Government Service as an education officer in 1977 and served as principal of a Secondary School from 1981-1985. From February 2001-July 2005, he was appointed as Director-General, International Relations and Trade Development, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. In September 2005, he was appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He graduated from the City of London Polytechnic in B.Sc (Hons) Economics in 1976 and received his Post Graduate Certificate of Education in 1977.

He was conferred the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, (Gwanghwa Medal) by President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in on April 6, 2022 for his contributions in strengthening relations and cooperation between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea. He was awarded The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei, second Class (D.P.M.B) in 2007. He is married with two sons.

For H.E. Kao Kim Hourn, currently serves his second term as the Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. His professional career has focused on strengthening Cambodia’s international relations particularly in ASEAN, driving policy advocacy, and promoting research and education.

H.E. Kao Kim Hourn survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, and at the age of 15, in 1981, he went to the United States, where he eventually received a Doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, two Master’s degrees from Ohio University, and a Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. He returned to Cambodia in January 1993 to run a think-tank dedicated to ASEAN and international affairs and later joined the Royal Government of Cambodia, where he has served in a variety of capacities for over 25 years advancing Cambodia’s foreign policy and ASEAN integration.

H.E. Kao Kim Hourn has authored dozens of books and articles about ASEAN and played a key role in Cambodia’s acceptance into the now ten-member regional organisation in 1999. In August 2022, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn was appointed as the next Secretary-General of ASEAN at the plenary session of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, with the position to start in January 2023, for a period of five years (2023-2027).

H.E. Kao Kim Hourn is a Member of the Supreme National Economic Council, a Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, and a Member of the Global Council of The Asia Society. He serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace as well as for the Worldwide Support for Development. He also has acted as a Member of the Standing Committee of the Cambodian Red Cross. He is married with two adult children who live in Phnom Penh.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press