Institutional Profile
Objective of the Organization:
To enhance confidence and cooperation among Asian countries and to build an “Asian Community” based on positive collaboration by including all Asian states without duplicating the work of other regional organizations or forming an opposing bloc.
Year of Establishment: 2002
Headquarters: Kuwait
Secretary General: Nasser Raden Thamer Al Mutairi (as of 1 September 2024)
Chairmanship: Thailand (as of 1 January 2025)
Member States (35):
Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Philippines, Palestine, Republic of Korea, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye, Oman, Vietnam.
History and Organizational Structure
The Asia Cooperation Dialogue was established at the Ministerial Meeting held in Cha am, Thailand, on 18-19 June 2002, becoming the first forum to encompass the entire Asian continent. At the inaugural meeting, ACD Ministers agreed to develop the organization along two complementary dimensions: “dialogue” and “projects.”
The provisional ACD Secretariat was established in Kuwait in 2013. In a letter dated 22 December 2024 addressed to the ACD Secretary General, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait—referring to the relevant article of the Doha Declaration adopted at the 3rd ACD Summit—proposed initiating discussions on transforming the ACD, currently a dialogue and consultation platform, into an international organization.
The political issues are not included in the agenda of the ACD, which is structured around six pillars of cooperation:
(1) Connectivity
(2) Science, technology, and innovation
(3) Education and human resources development
(4) Food, energy, and water security nexus
(5) Culture and tourism
(6) Support for inclusive and sustainable development
To date, three ACD Summits have been organised. During the first Summit, hosted by Kuwait in Kuwait City on 15-17 October 2012, ACD transitioned from a ministerial level dialogue to a Leaders’ Summit format, thereby enhancing its political visibility. At the 2nd Summit, hosted by Thailand in Bangkok on 8-10 October 2016, the “Bangkok Declaration”—promoting regional solidarity under the “One Asia” vision—and the long-term strategic document “ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030” were adopted. At the 3rd Summit, hosted by Qatar in Doha on 25-26 June 2023, the roadmap for implementing the ACD Vision 2030 was approved. The Summit also addressed digital transformation, women’s economic participation, and the facilitation of intra-Asian investment flows as key agenda items.
Türkiye-ACD Relations
Türkiye became a member of the ACD in 2013 and actively participates in its activities. Türkiye assumed the ACD Chairmanship from September 2019 to November 2021 and injected new momentum into ACD initiatives despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. The 17th ACD Ministerial Meeting was held online on 21 January 2021 under Türkiye’s chairmanship, with the theme “New Normal and Safe and Healthy Tourism.”
During Türkiye’s chairmanship, in order to outline cooperation commitments under the six pillars, the “Ankara Declaration” and the “ACD Blueprint 2021-2030”—the roadmap for implementing the ACD Vision 2030—were adopted. Within the framework of the Blueprint, working groups corresponding to each pillar were established, and Türkiye assumed the inaugural chairmanship of the “connectivity” working groups.