ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn met with Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat Secretary-General Lee Hee-Sup to discuss expanding collaboration during the SPDDM 2025 in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, met with Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), Lee Hee-Sup, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM) 2025 in Singapore.
The meeting, held on 20 August 2025, provided an opportunity for both leaders to exchange views on strengthening collaboration between the ASEAN Secretariat and the TCS. Discussions covered a range of areas of mutual interest, with particular focus on disaster management and resilience.
Dr Kao and Mr Lee reaffirmed their commitment to closer institutional cooperation, recognising the importance of cross-regional engagement in addressing shared challenges. Both sides also explored potential areas of synergy that could bring mutual benefit to ASEAN Member States and the TCS partners—China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
The ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management has served as a flagship platform since 2015, bringing together regional and international stakeholders to exchange perspectives on disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and humanitarian response. This year’s event once again highlighted the value of inclusive dialogue in building sustainable and coordinated approaches to disaster management.
Source: ASEAN
