Jakarta, 17 July 2025 – The 1st Regional Consultative Workshop on the Comprehensive Review of the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Culture and the Arts (2016–2025) and the Development of a New Work Plan was convened in ASEAN Secretariat/Headquarters to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the current Strategic Plan. Led by the ASEAN Secretariat's Culture and Information Division (CID), the workshop was attended by H.E. Lee Jang-keun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to ASEAN; representatives from the Senior Officials Meeting on Culture and the Arts (SOMCA); relevant cross-sectoral ASEAN bodies; relevant international organisations; and experts from Korea.

The workshop marked the first of a three-part consultation process aimed at reviewing the current Strategic Plan and gathering external perspectives to discuss the development of a new Work Plan. The second workshop will focus on validating the initial draft and identifying potential cross-sectoral and cross-pillar issues, while the new Work Plan is expected to be finalised at the final Workshop.

During the workshop, the consultancy team, edgeandstory, presented the findings from the review of the current Work Plan, while the ASEAN Secretariat provided the context and outlined the objectives of the workshop to facilitate a more focused discussion. Participated by various stakeholders, the participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the findings and explored potential strategic directions for the development of the next ASEAN Work Plan on Culture and the Arts.

This Workshop is part of the Comprehensive Review of the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Culture and the Arts (2016-2025) and Development of New Work Plan project supported by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF).