After 50 years of efforts to develop the Southeast Asian region, ASEAN is pushing for greater impact on world affairs.

Newly inaugurated ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi from Brunei Darussalam praised the work of his predecessor — Le Luong Minh of Vietnam — as “historic milestones,” particularly with regard to the establishment of the ASEAN Community.

Both the new and former secretary-general attended the handover ceremony at the ASEAN headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday, which was also witnessed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi.

Following its outstanding progress, ASEAN had to now be ready to take part in the global community by stealing global attention particularly as an important economic player, Lim said.

ASEAN is projected to be one of the world’s largest markets by 2030, with Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand each expected to have a gross domestic product (GDP) exceeding US$1 trillion, according to a study published by United States-based global information company IHS Inc. last year.

Moreover, Lim said “the constantly evolving global and regional landscape” presented ASEAN with political, economic and social shifts confronting the region with “non-traditional challenges and opportunities.”

“The world is looking at ASEAN and will measure its success on ASEAN’s resilience; how it stays on course in its integration efforts, and how it responds to emerging issues and developments arising from an interconnected world,” he said during his speech.

Lim highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation in disaster mitigation and humanitarian assistance in the disaster-prone region.

“While the task that we have in front of us is big, I am confident that ASEAN will continue to prevail as a dynamic region of growth. […] By working together in the true spirit of ASEAN, we can overcome our challenges and harness our collective potential,” said Lim, who has served in Brunei’s foreign affairs and trade roles since he entered the government in 1977.

He was Brunei’s chief negotiator in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade talks until 2015.

Former secretary-general Le expressed his hope for ASEAN to continue making a people-centered approach its central theme for strengthening the ASEAN coordination body.

Le, who oversaw a staff of about 300 and managed more than 1,000 ASEAN meetings each year during his service, also suggested that the secretariat staff be more analytical in its reporting and sharpen its policy analysis.

Retno praised Le and ASEAN for their efforts in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region. She called on ASEAN, which marked its 50th anniversary on Aug. 8 last year, to start paying more attention to its contribution to the global community over the next 50 years.

“Aside from continuing to strengthen its sense of community, benefits for its people and maintaining its role for peace and stability in the region, ASEAN must also be able to contribute more to the world,” she said.

She further suggested that to take on a greater global role, ASEAN needed to maintain its unity, which would lead to the region’s centrality.

It is not the first time for Indonesia to encourage ASEAN to focus on issues beyond the region.

During last year’s 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made similar calls.

After the ceremony, Lim, Le and Retno, accompanied by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan visited the construction site for ASEAN’s new building, next to the existing headquarters. The Rp 540 billion (US$37.8 million) new building, funded from Indonesia’s state budget, is expected to be finished in early 2019. It will sit on 11,000 square meters of land and have 16 floors.

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