Jakarta, 3 February 2023 - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi chaired the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all ASEAN member countries, except for Myanmar, which was represented by high-ranking non-political officials.

Timor Leste's participation makes the 32nd ACC a historic moment for ASEAN. The meeting adopted guidelines for Timor Leste to attend ASEAN meetings and assigned the Timor Leste Working Group to develop a Road Map for Timor Leste's full membership. The meeting was attended for the first time by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Timor Leste, H.E. Adaliza Magno, following a Declaration issued by ASEAN leaders which in principle accepted Timor Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN with observer status.

Furthermore, the 32nd ACC also supported the continuation of the development of the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework, commenced efforts to strengthen the decision-making process in ASEAN, and approved the expansion of the ASEAN COVID-19 fund to cover other public health emergencies. Full article here.