H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, attended the first ASEAN-UK Senior Officials Meeting on 5 - 6 July 2022 in London - the first senior officials level meeting since the UK became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in August 2021.

The meeting discussed and explored ways to forge ASEAN-UK cooperation in all the three main pillars of the ASEAN Community including providing capacity building for ASEAN and supporting ASEAN’s efforts on key issues such as maritime security, cyber security, digital economy, sustainable infrastructure, energy transition, and climate action.

The Permanent Secretary led the discussion on sustainable development, emphasising on the importance of the sustainability agenda in pursuing post-COVID-19 recovery and green growth. He also suggested forging ASEAN-UK cooperation in sustainable development through the transfer of knowledge and technology in areas related to the BCG Economy Model. The ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) can also be an important platform to forge concrete cooperation between ASEAN and the UK in this regard.