Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today attended the Opening Ceremony of the Festival of Ideas (FOI) and the ASEAN Higher Education Leadership Forum (ASHELF) 2025, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, alongside H.E. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, and H.E. Dato’ Seri DiRaja Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia. In his keynote address, Dr. Kao underscored the pivotal role of universities as “beacons of unity” that harness ASEAN’s rich diversity to drive collective progress. He highlighted the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Higher Education: Towards an Inclusive, Sustainable and Prosperous ASEAN adopted at the 47th ASEAN Summit as a guiding framework for advancing innovation, leadership, and collaboration in higher education—key enablers of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the region’s sustainable and inclusive development.