1. The 20th ASEAN-India Summit was held on 7 September 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

2. The Summit was chaired by H.E. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia.
3. theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,”
4. Dr Kao is the first Secretary-General of ASEAN to visit the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity
ACB since its launch 18 years ago in 2005.
5. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.
6. ASEAN countries vary in sizes. The largest is Indonesia which at 1.86 million square
kilometers is 2,605 times the size of Singapore (714 square kilometers).
7. Population. While the Sultanate of Brunei is home to only 423,000 people, ASEAN’s archipelagos
such as Indonesia and the Philippines are inhabited by 238 million and 96 million people,
respectively. Viet Nam is also highly populated with 87.8 million people.
8. Urbanization. Singapore is most urbanized with 100 percent urban population. In contrast,
Cambodia is primarily rural with less than a quarter of its population (21%) found in urban areas.
Myanmar is the second least urbanized having an urban population rate of 30.8 percent.
9. GDP. Growth across ASEAN is strong although developments still widely vary. Singapore,
Thailand, and Malaysia continue to perform well while Indonesia and the Philippines are dubbed
as emerging economies. Combined GDP growth rate of ASEAN’s newer members – the BCMLV
(Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao, and Vietnam) is at 6.7 percent, higher than the ASEAN’s mean
rate. Myanmar has shown substantial growth as a result of political reforms beginning 2010.
10. Advantages. ASEAN’s more developed economies are proud of their technologies, research, and
innovation while the rest leverages on the abundance of their natural resources and competitive
labor cost.
11. People of ASEAN
12. ASEAN’s diversity is reflected in the colorful lives of its people.
13. ASEAN is powered by 600 million people, most of whom are young. More than a quarter belong
to the 15-29 years age bracket, around 10 percent are children aged 5 years and below, while
only 6 percent are seniors or 65 years old and above.
14. ASEAN people are greatly influenced by the region’s rich history, diverse customs and traditions,
religious beliefs, economic progress, innovation, and technological sophistication. Their cultures
have been molded by time into a gigantic melting pot of Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish,
American, and indigenous Malay influences, making it one of the most interesting places in the
world.
15. Islam and Buddhism are widely practiced in the mainland Southeast Asia while ASEAN peoples at
the maritime eastern side, especially the Philippines, are largely Roman Catholic. Hinduism and
Christianity are also practiced region-wide. Various languages are spoken in ASEAN, with each
ASEAN country having their own official languages and wide ranging list of dialects. English,
however, is the official business language of majority of ASEAN countries.
16. ASEAN people are known for their hospitality, graciousness, dynamism, and family values. They
take pride in their colorful art and heritage as evident in the region’s ancient architecture, folk
dances, traditional music, and literature.
17. The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009.
18. To build on what has been constructed over the years in the field of political and security
cooperation, the ASEAN Leaders have agreed to establish the ASEAN Political-Security
Community (APSC). The APSC shall aim to ensure that countries in the region live at peace with
one another and with the world in a just, democratic and harmonious environment.
19. Human rights is a crosscutting theme across ASEAN Community building in the key areas of
peace and security, sustainable development, humanitarian assistance, and economic, social and
cultural affairs.
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