ASEAN Secretariat Changes Name To Headquarters

The opening of the 43rd ASEAN Summit (KTT) by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday (5/9/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided to change the name of the ASEAN Secretariat (Secretary ASEAN) to the ASEAN Headquarters or ASEAN Headquarters.

The agreement was made in a consensus at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Tuesday, September 5.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the name change was carried out as an effort to strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat and also strengthen the decision-making mechanism.

ASEAN has been implementing a consensus or consensus system to make a decision, meaning every decision must be agreed through the unanimousness of votes from all member countries. "All leaders agreed to replace the nomenclature because once again the leaders agreed to strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat," Retno told reporters quoted by ANTARA.

The ASEAN Secretariat was founded in February 1976 by ASEAN Foreign Ministers.

In accordance with the agreement between the Indonesian government and ASEAN, the Indonesian government provided a place for the ASEAN Secretariat office in South Jakarta, which was inaugurated in 1981 by the then President of Indonesia, Suharto.

The ASEAN Secretariat is an ASEAN organ that functions to improve coordination between ASEAN bodies and implement various activities and projects within the framework of ASEAN cooperation. The ASEAN Secretariat is led by the Secretary General.

The ASEAN Secretariat also serves as a liaison between agencies and committees in ASEAN, a liaison between ASEAN and external parties including international organizations, and supporters of the implementation of all ASEAN projects and activities.