An array of cultural performances will take centre stage at the 49th Association of South East Asian Nation (Asean) founding anniversary celebration at the Philippine School of Doha (PSD) gymnasium today.
Ambassadors from the seven Asean embassies in Doha will lead the ribbon-cutting and flag raising ceremony to officially open the event.
After the envoys’ traditional Asean handshake, PSD students will feature video and special presentations on stage aimed at highlighting the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Asean countries.
Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos, who recently took over as chairman of the Asean Committee in Doha (ACD), will address the audience comprising school and embassy officials, guests and students at the celebration.
Former ACD chairman, Singapore ambassador Wong Kwok Pun, is  expected to deliver a “vote of thanks” followed by the ‘Asean Way’ Community singing.
The seven embassies (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Singapore) have  set up booths to showcase their respective countries and raise public awareness about Asean.
Last year’s event had seen Asean cuisine and delicacies served to visitors who also had the opportunity to watch the cultural shows.
Besides the Asean Day celebration, ACD is planning to hold a series of cultural shows and performances in the coming months to woo people from Qatar and the GCC to visit Asean countries.
As the new ACD chairman, Santos had been instructed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines to hold “activities that not only promote Asean awareness in our host country but also each country’s role in the Asean and in its community-building”.
“Such community-building objective has become more crucial as the Asean faces extraordinary and existential challenges in the region that threatens the organisation’s unity and solidarity,” the envoy stressed.
“It is therefore imperative that we strengthen the commonalities that bind us while also celebrating diversity and respecting each other’s differences,” he added.
Santos noted that part of his term will coincide with the Philippines’ chairmanship of Asean next year and its 50th founding anniversary, to be presided by newly-elected president, Rodrigo R Duterte.
Asean was formed on August 8, 1967 by five SEA countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) to promote political and economic co-operation and regional stability, according to Pun.
The membership later increased to 10, including Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999).
Asean is the seventh largest economy in the world with a combined gross domestic product of $2.6tn. In 2014, it attracted $136bn of foreign direct investment.
As the third largest market with a population of 622mn, the bloc wants to woo investors and tourists from Qatar and other countries in the Gulf.