ASEAN was established in 1967 and it currently comprises 10 ASEAN Member States (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam). ASEAN has agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the 11th Member of ASEAN and is expecting to welcome Timor-Leste as an ASEAN Member State in the near future.
The Lao PDR became a Member State of ASEAN on 23 July 1997. Throughout the course of its membership in ASEAN, the Lao PDR has actively contributed to the common cause of the ASEAN Community building process as well as maintaining and promoting peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.
The Lao PDR successfully chaired ASEAN twice. The first time was in 2004-2005, under the theme “Advancing a Secure and Dynamic ASEAN Family through Greater Solidarity, Economic Integration and Social Progress”, and the second time was in 2016, under the theme “Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community”.
In 2024, the Lao PDR is honoured to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship for the third time under the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”. The Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024 will focus on enhancing ASEAN connectivity and resilience through intensifying ASEAN cooperation under the three community pillars, promoting infrastructure connectivity, narrowing development gap, promoting greater economic integration and people-to-people exchanges, and further strengthening ASEAN’s relations with external partners, while maintaining ASEAN’s relevance and ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture.
The Lao PDR stands ready to work closely with ASEAN Member States and all external partners to ensure the success of the Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship and the progress of the ASEAN Community building in 2024 and beyond. We look forward to warmly welcoming everyone from near and far to the Lao PDR in 2024, the year of the Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship and the “Visit Laos Year 2024”.
