ASEAN Committee in Nairobi Commemorates 56th ASEAN Day
From left to right: Ambassador Mohamad Hery Saripudin of Indonesia, High Commissioner Ruzaimi bin Mohamad of Malaysia, Ambassador Josphat Maikara of the Foreign Service Administration of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (MFDA), President Erick Rutto of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Ambassador Marie Charlotte G. Tang of the Philppines (also Chair of ASEAN Nairobi Committee for 2023), and Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Torsak Janpian of Thailand do the “ASEAN Handshake”. (Nairobi PE photo)
NAIROBI, 08 August 2023 – The ASEAN Committee in Nairobi (ACN) held a special flag raising ceremony to commemorate the 56th founding anniversary of ASEAN on 08 August 2023 at the Philippine Embassy grounds in Nairobi. The ACN consists of the four ASEAN Member States (out of ten) with resident embassies in Nairobi namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.
In her remarks, ACN Chair and Philippine Ambassador to Kenya Marie Charlotte G. Tang cited ASEAN’s contribution to promoting peace and stability in Southeast Asia, which has paved the way for the region to become one the most dynamic and fastest-growing in the world today. She added that with ASEAN’s theme for 2023, “ASEAN Matters” Epicentrum of Growth”, ASEAN will continue to establish the region as an epicenter of sustainable economic growth.
Ambassador Tang also mentioned the initiatives of the ACN to raise ASEAN’s visibility in Kenya. These include the annual ASEAN Festival, outreach to the youth and the business community including the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), and book donation to the University of Nairobi (UoN) Library. She conveyed the hope for increased engagements between ASEAN and Kenya, and between ASEAN and the East African Community (EAC) in the years to come.
Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua of the Kenyan Ministry for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (MFDA), in his remarks read by Ambassador Josphat Maikara, Secretary of the MFDA’s Foreign Service Administration, lauded the strong cooperation between Kenya and ASEAN Member States, bilaterally and multilaterally. He noted that there are immense opportunities for further cooperation, with ASEAN being part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Kenya being part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Dr. Erick Rutto, President of the KNCCI, expressed appreciation for the active business-to-business and government-to-business engagements between Kenya and ASEAN. He invited ASEAN to further explore opportunities in Kenya in areas of tourism, healthcare, mining, and the digital economy, via South-South cooperation.
The ASEAN Day ceremony was attended by Kenyan government officials and business representatives, personnel of ACN diplomatic missions, ASEAN diaspora in Nairobi, students, and members of the media. Executive Director Maimunah Moud Sharif of UN-Habitat, a Malaysian national, also graced the event.
Guests were able to experience the diverse culinary traditions of Southeast Asian countries as they partook of delicacies including Indonesia’s bakso (meatballs), Malaysia’s bubur chacha (dessert with pearled sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, and coconut milk), the Philippines’ beef tapa (dried cured beef), and Thailand’s gang kiew wan gai (green curry chicken).
To highlight the improved connectivity between Kenya and ASEAN, Kenya Airways raffled off air tickets between Nairobi and Bangkok. END
The ASEAN Day ceremony started with the singing of the ASEAN Anthem. (Nairobi PE photo)
From left to right: Madame Suzila Toha of Malaysia, Madame Zulfah Nahdliyati Saripudin of Indonesia, Executive Director Maimunah Moud Sharif of the UN-Habitat, Ambassador Saripudin of Indonesia, High Commissioner Mohamad of Malaysia, Ambassador Maikara of the Kenyan MFDA, Dr. Rutto of KNCCI, Ambassador Tang of the Philippines, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Janpian of Thailand, and Mr. Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer of Kenya Airways. (Nairobi PE photo)
Ambassador Tang, in her remarks on behalf of the ASEAN Nairobi Committee (ACN), highlighted ASEAN’s economic dynamism and its contribution to the shaping of a rules-based regional architecture. Nairobi PE photo)
Ambassador Tang (left) and Mr. Thairu of Kenya Airways (right), award a ceremonial roundtrip airline ticket to raffle winner Mr. Fervie Brubio (center). Kenya Airways will resume its direct flights between Nairobi, Kenya and Bangkok, Thailand in November 2023. Nairobi PE photo)
The ASEAN Family in Nairobi, Kenya. (Nairobi PE photo)
For more information, visit https://ww.nairobipe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinKenya/.