Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, meets UNICEF Regional Director to discuss deeper cooperation on children’s rights and welfare across the region.
JAKARTA — The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, welcomed Mrs. June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on July 31st 2025. The high-level meeting focused on reinforcing cooperation between ASEAN and UNICEF to advance the rights and well-being of children across Southeast Asia.
During the exchange, both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to creating a child-friendly, inclusive, and resilient environment for all children in the region. Discussions covered a broad range of collaborative efforts, including addressing violence against children—particularly online abuse and exploitation—improving access to education and healthcare, as well as advancing child-centred disaster risk reduction and climate resilience strategies.
Dr. Kao and Mrs. Kunugi highlighted the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation and policy alignment to ensure sustainable and meaningful impact. Both leaders recognised that safeguarding children’s rights is key to long-term regional development and stability.
This visit reflects ASEAN’s ongoing efforts to work closely with international partners to implement rights-based frameworks and deliver tangible outcomes for children and young people in its Member States.
Source: ASEAN
