Jakarta, January 20 (AseanAll)  — The Opening Ceremony of the inaugural meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) in 2026 was held on January 20, 2026, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ ASEAN Secretariat, following the Philippines’ official assumption of the ASEAN Chairship on 1 January 2026, under the theme Navigating Our Future, Together. 

The Ceremony was officiated by Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, marking the CPR’s first formal engagement with the ASEAN Secretariat in support of the 2026 ASEAN Chairship. 

In his opening remarks, Dr. Kao referred to the commencement of the implementation of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future and its Strategic Plans and underscored the central role of the CPR within ASEAN’s institutional framework, noting its importance in strengthening coordination, coherence, and collective action across ASEAN’s work. 

Dr. Kao also conveyed his strong confidence in the CPR, led by Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN and Chair of the CPR for 2026, Ambassador Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq and her team, in discharging the mandates of the CPR throughout 2026. He reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat’s commitment to working closely with the CPR to support effective implementation of cross-pillar priorities and coordination mechanisms.